Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has sent prayers to the victims of the high-school shooting which killed two students and as many teachers in Georgia on Wednesday.
Apalachee High School in Winder, around 45 miles outside of Atlanta, was put on lockdown at around 10:30am on Wednesday after gunfire was reported at the scene.
Two students and two teachers have died as a result of the shooting, while nine other people have been taken to hospital. A 14-year-old is still alive and now in custody.
In light of the devastating events in Winder, NFL star Cousins – who moved to Atlanta as a free agent this offseason – paid his respects to those affected by the tragedy after head coach Raheem Morris broke the news to the team.
The 36-year-old told reporters at the Falcons’ training complex: ‘We went out to walk-through [practice] today and Raheem notified us of the shooting that took place not too far from here, so that was pretty sobering.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has sent prayers to the victims of the Georgia high-school shooting which killed two students and as many teachers on Wednesday
Apalachee High School in Winder, around 45 miles outside of Atlanta, was put on lockdown at around 10:30am on Wednesday after gunfire was reported at the scene
‘[We’re] praying for the families that are affected, the school, the community… it’s a tough deal.’
Cousins then added: ‘I’m gonna go home tonight and hug and kiss my kids.’
Heartbreaking videos showed frantic students rushing to Apalachee High School’s football field after the shooting, while others huddled around ambulances as people flooded out of the building.
School shootings are on the rise in the U.S, with at least 82 incidents occurring in 2023.
The year before was one of the deadliest in history after 46 fatalities were reported, according to a CNN analysis.
Kamala Harris went off script on Wednesday to blast the epidemic of school shootings in the United States, calling them ‘senseless’ and saying ‘it does not have to be this way.’
Cousins paid his respects to the victims of the tragedy on Wednesday (Pictured: An injured victim is helped by emergency services following the shooting)
Kamala Harris went off script Wednesday to blast the epidemic of school shootings in the US
The vice president, while campaigning in New Hampshire, addressed the school shooting that took place in Georgia on Wednesday morning, which happened as many students are returning to the classroom after summer break.
She acknowledged she was ‘going off script’ in making her comments and expressed empathy for what students and their parents go through.
‘It’s senseless. It is. We’ve got to stop it, and we have to end this epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all,’ Harris said. ‘You know, it doesn’t have to be this way. It doesn’t have to be this way.’
‘This is one of the many issues that’s at stake in this election,’ she added.