El Paso, Texas-born presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke called the mass shooting at a Walmart in his hometown, “heartbreaking.”
“Truly heartbreaking. Stay safe, El Paso. Please follow all directions of emergency personnel as we continue to get more updates,” the former Congressman and Democratic candidate tweeted just before 2 p.m. Saturday.
O’Rourke was born in El Paso and served on its City Council from 2005-2011.
Several people died in the 11 a.m. shooting, and multiple suspects are in custody, police said, according to early reports.
New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker was at a public union forum in Las Vegas Saturday when the news broke, and quickly began advocating for gun reform.
He called for a “movement . . . before it happens to yet another community, before another person dies.
“I just want to say we are in this unimaginably just distraught moment in this country where we seem to be almost accepting this idea that these are going to be a regular occurrence,” Booker said, according to CNN.
“And so I have had enough of this, especially living in a community where gun shots are all too regular.”
Former San Antonio Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro called the shooting “truly devastating,” in a tweet around 2:45 p.m. Saturday.
Truly devastating. Folks in El Paso should follow guidance from local emergency personnel and monitor updates from the https://t.co/e1FDV7Od90
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) August 3, 2019
Self-help author Marianne Williamson, also a Democratic presidential candidate, offered “prayers for the people of El Paso,” she Tweeted, minutes after Castro.
Prayers for the people of El Paso in this agonizing moment. And prayers for all the rest of us as well, that we might summon up the courage to remove this scourge from our midst. Let us pray and let us act.
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) August 3, 2019