A Nashville news reporter bravely opened up about being a school shooting survivor herself during an emotional live broadcast Monday on the Covenant School massacre — admitting that it took her two years to talk about the trauma.
“A lot of this is really bringing up some tough memories for me,” WSMV4 reporter Joylyn Bukovac told viewers during the live report from near the Covenant School in the hours after a former student opened fire, killing three adults and three children before being shot dead by police.
Bukovac was an eighth-grader at Discovery Middle School in Madison, Alabama, on Feb. 5, 2010, when a ninth-grader opened fire in a hallway and killed a classmate.
“I was actually in the hallway when the gunman opened fire,” the University of Alabama graduate recalled.
She counseled parents in the area to be “very gentle” with student survivors, and to “let them talk when they’re ready.”
Students getting evacuated from the Covenant School in Nashville after the shooting on March 27, 2023. Mark Zaleski/USA Today Network via REUTERS
Joylyn Buckovac was an eighth-grader during the Discovery Middle School shooting in 2010. WAFF“I can’t even describe the shock [after the 2010 shooting],” Bukovac said, noting that it took her two years to open up about the experience.
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“I’m a mom now, so I’m really trying to put myself in everybody’s shoes,” she added.
In a subsequent sit-down interview for the station, Bukovac said she was eventually diagnosed with PTSD from the Discovery shooting in college and that her survival inspired her to become a reporter.
Joylyn Bukovac shared her advice for parents in the wake of the tragedy. WSMV“If I could [help] just one family, one person … that would make sharing my story worth it,” she said.
Fellow survivors quickly flooded Bukovac’s social media profiles with recollections of their own shooting experiences.
“Workplace shooting, 12/26/2000. It never goes away,” one commenter wrote on Twitter.
One of the victims was Hallie Scruggs, the daughter of head pastor Chad Scruggs. Facebook/Chad Scruggs“[My shooting story] will be 10 years [ago] this June 7th. Still think about it EVERY DAY!” another said.
Bukovac’s story comes as Nashville continues to reel in the aftermath of the Monday morning shooting.
Three 9-year-olds — Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs — were among the victims.
Katherine Koonce (left) and Mike Hill were gunned down on Monday. Covenant Presbyterian ChurchScruggs was identified late Monday as the daughter of Chad Scruggs, the senior pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church.
Former student Ashley Hale, 28, also shot and killed custodian Mike Hill and substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, both 61, and school head Katherine Koonce, 60, before being shot down by police.
Bukovac’s colleagues at WSMV, Holly Thompson and Amanda Hara, both became visibly distraught while reporting on the developing story Monday.
Bukovac reported live from near the scene of the Monday shooting. WSMV“My heart is just hurting right now. Thoughts and prayers for these families,” Thompson said.
