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--:-- Georgia Howe: It's Tuesday, March 28th, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update. A former middle school friend of the Covenant School shooter revealed chilling messages that she received via Instagram shortly before the attack on the Nashville Christian Elementary School.
--:-- Zach Jewell: The shooter's former middle school basketball teammate, Avriana Patton, saw the disturbing messages at 9:57 a.m., around 15 minutes before the shooter entered the school. The shooter wrote, quote, "I'm planning to die today. This is not a joke. You'll probably hear about me on the news after I die."
--:-- Georgia Howe: The messages show that Patton pleaded with the shooter, telling her that she had so much to live for. But the shooter responded with more chilling texts, including stating that quote "something bad is about to happen."
--:-- Avriana Patton: I received a message from her. And at 10:08, I sent the screenshot to my dad, and he instructed me to call the suicide prevention helpline. And then at 10:13, I called the Nashville Davidson County Sheriff's Office. And then at 10:14, I called the Nashville's non-emergency line.
--:-- Georgia Howe: And then at 3:29, is when they had came to my home to have to speak with me.
--:-- John Cooper: Metro Nashville Police Department has now released the names and body cam footage of the officers who stopped the assailant. Rex Engelbert, a four-year veteran, and Michael Collazo, a nine-year veteran, were part of a team of first responders to the Covenant campus. The two men are being praised for their heroic and courageous quick action.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Body cam footage shows they decisively entered the school upon arriving on scene, ran toward the shooting, and successfully killed the shooter.
--:-- John Cooper: It's extremely compelling of officers rushing into gunfire. There's a lot of gunfire. It's clearly a scene that if they had not gotten there quickly, it would have been a terrible outcome. 14 minutes from the call to the assailant being deceased, that's amazing, even for our remarkable group. And it saved I think many lives.
--:-- Georgia Howe: A new investigative report published this week by the Associated Press alleges that China has been able to forge ties in Utah that have led to the communist nation scoring public relations and legislative victories in the state and from its lawmakers.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The report found that Chinese officials appealed to lawmakers' ties to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to win favor. The Chinese later used that goodwill to score wins in a variety of areas, such as delaying legislation against Chinese propaganda, canceling resolutions that condemn China, and promoting false positive images of the Chinese regime.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The report also said the Mormon Church has long dreamed of expanding in China. Some have speculated that Utah lawmakers' delayed decision to close universities' Confucius Institutes, which the U.S. government has called Chinese propaganda groups, could be evidence of the Mormon Church's goals.
--:-- Tim Meads: More than three dozen people are dead after a fire at a migrant detention center in Mexico just across from the U.S. southern border.
--:-- Georgia Howe: According to officials, at least 39 people are dead and 29 others hospitalized after a fire broke out at a migration center in Ciudad Juarez run by the National Migration Institute. Those hospitalized are in delicate to serious condition.
--:-- Alejandro Mayorkas: Mexico president alleged that the fire started after the migrants, mostly from Venezuela, found out they were going to be deported and started a protest in response.
--:-- Tim Meads: According to authorities, they put mattresses from the shelter at the facility's entrance and then set them on fire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Details are still trickling in. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified before the Senate today. Yet he was unable to say whether or not Mexico was a reliable partner in cracking down on the flow of drugs and illicit border crossing over the southern border.
--:-- Alejandro Mayorkas: Do you consider Mexico a reliable partner in this fight regarding fentanyl and illegal immigration?
--:-- Lindsey Graham: Ranking Member Graham, we are working with Mexico on the fight against fentanyl. Are they a reliable partner? We have brought great cases together and we are looking to enhance our cooperation.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The youngest baby ever born in the state of Maine at just 22 weeks old last July has returned home after spending roughly eight months in the hospital.
--:-- Georgia Howe: The child's name, fittingly enough, is Winter, and her family says she will have to have a series of follow-ups with specialists, but are thrilled to have her home.
--:-- John Bickley: Those are your drive home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
