Sheryl Crow and Leann Rimes share ‘rage and heartbreak’ over Nashville school shooting
Sheryl Crow and Leann Rimes are among the celebrities sharing their “rage and heartbreak” over the mass shooting that took place at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday (27 March).
The shooter, who has been identified as Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old and former student at the school, was killed at the scene by police officers who were called to the city’s Covenant School.
Three nine-year-old children were killed in the attack, and three adults. Read live updates on the incident here.
The tragedy is the 128th mass shooting in the US this year according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are injured or killed, excluding the shooter.
The latest shooting has been met with horror by many country stars on social media.
Singer Sheryl Crow, who lives in Nashville, wrote on Twitter: “No words… The Covenant School. Our children deserve better. Praying for all affected. Tragic America.”
Leann Rimes, another country singer who has lived and worked in Nashville, tweeted: “There are no words, just rage and heartbreak for these children and their families. I can’t even fathom what is this doing to the psyches of every child and parent in this country. Absolute terror every time a child goes to a place that should be safe.”
On Instagram, country star Kacey Musgraves reshared numerous posts about the shooting, including one that referenced the state’s anti-drag bill. “… And they’re out here worried about drag queens,” she wrote, alongside a photograph of a child crying on a Nashville school bus.
Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill, who lives in the community, shared: “A school shooting just happened near my son’s school. Multiple children dead but let’s make sure that the gunman had his 2nd Amendment rights. F*** you Bill Lee and f*** the NRA.”
Lee is a Tennessee governor who, in 2021 signed legislation that allowed for citizens to carry a loaded handgun either concealed or openly without a permit, but not rifles or shotguns.
Former Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan was among many people to share a picture of Tennessee congressman Andy Ogles’ 2022 Christmas card, which showed him and his family posing with assault rifles.
Actor Josh Brolin was among the first stars to react to the tragedy, writing on Instagram: “ENOUGH!!!!!! Whether you’re a ‘It’s the people not the guns’ or a ‘It’s the guns, not the people’, to say that our country is actively doing anything in its power to help avert this absolute random slaughter of our children, categorises you in either total denial or living some fantasy of ambush that should render you unfit to take care of yourself or others.”
Last May, 19 children and two teachers were killed in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Earlier this year, a six-year-old shot his teacher in Virginia, leaving her critically injured.
