A school shooting in Texas left at least 19 students and two teachers dead on Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas, officials said.
As the death toll rose Tuesday night, tributes and condolences rolled in from celebrities.
Actor Matthew McConaughey, who is from Uvalde originally, penned a long note about his hometown.
“Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us,” he wrote, in part. “The true call to action now is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror and ask ourselves, ‘What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem?'”
“We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo.”
He went on to encourage Americans to find “common ground” to put an end to mass shootings.
“And to those who dropped off their loved ones today not knowing it was goodbye, no words can comprehend or heal your loss, but if prayers can provide comfort, we’ll keep them coming,” he concluded.
Taylor Swift reposted video of Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr emotionally speaking out about the shooting in a pre-game press conference on Tuesday.
“Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde. By Buffalo, Laguna Woods and so many others,” the singer tweeted. “By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak. Steve’s words ring so true and cut so deep.”
Ahead of the “This Is Us” series finale, Mandy Moore also wrote how she had “no words” about the tragic shooting. “Uvalde, your entire community is in our hearts,” the actor expressed on her Instagram story.
Mandy Moore posts about the Texas elementary school shooting on her Instagram story on May 24, 2022.
Mandy Moore / Instagram
Moore’s co-star Susan Kelechi Watson also tweeted that her heart was heavy as she read the news. “Holding space in my heart for all those suffering the unimaginable,” she added.
Chris Evans, who plays Captain America in the Marvel series, tweeted angrily.
“F—ing enough!!!!” he wrote.
Pop star and actor Selena Gomez also posted.
“Today in my home state of Texas 18 innocent students were killed while simply trying to get an education,” she wrote. “A teacher killed doing her job; an invaluable yet sadly under appreciated job. If children aren’t safe at school where are they safe?”
“It’s so frustrating and I’m not sure what to say anymore,” she continued in a second tweet. “Those in power need to stop giving lip service and actually change the laws to prevent these shootings in the future.”
NBA star LeBron James sent his thoughts and prayers to the families who lost loved ones on Tuesday. Also expressing “enough,” the athlete tweeted, “There simply has to be change!”
Mindy Kaling wrote on Twitter, “It happens, and then life goes on. Then it happens again. And the only thing that changes — the literal only thing — is that it happens sooner and sooner.”
See more reactions and tributes below:
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