NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Kathy Thoreson had just returned home from a breakfast meal when she said she heard multiple shots ring out Monday morning.

Thoreson lives in the Burton Hills area where The Covenant School is located.

According to Nashville authorities, a 28-year-old woman opened fire inside the school around 10:13 a.m. Monday, killing three students and three adult staff members. The shooter was shot and killed by police responding to shooting reports.

Thoreson said some of the shots were louder than others and, at first, she thought the sound may have been roofers.

“The first about eight or 10 shots were very loud,” she said. Then there were more that followed that were quieter than the initial round of gunfire.

It was at that point she realized the sound was not roofers but rather gunfire. It rattled her, she indicated to NewsNation affiliate WKRN.

“I have four grandkids here. I mean, I can be thankful, but I am so sad for these parents and kids,” Thoreson said. “It’s very tragic. It’s two blocks from our house. It could happen at any school. It’s very tragic. It really is.”

This was the ultimate nightmare for any child or parent, she told WKRN. Thoreson has lived in the area for about three years and never expected this to happen at her home.

“You never think it’s going to happen where you are,” she said.