Hillary Clinton departed from her planned remarks to a Latino organization to express sympathy for the victims of the Wednesday night massacre at an African-American church in Charleston, S.C.
“We have to face hard truths about race, violence, guns and divisions,” Clinton said in Las Vegas, speaking to National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
Clinton arrived in Nevada after flying in from Charleston, where she was holding campaign events Wednesday. She recalled being shocked and saddened hearing the news of the massacre upon landing on the West Coast.
“The shock and pain of this crime of hate strikes deep,” she said. “Nine people — women and men — cut down at prayer, murdered in a house of God. It just broke my heart.”
Clinton went alluded to previous mass shooting events across the nation, such as Newton and Aurora, stating that it was time for the nation to reconsider its gun laws and reexamine how racism affects us all.
“How many innocent people in our country — from little children, church members, to movie theater attendees — how many people do we need to see cut down before we act?,” she asked the crowd. “So as we mourn and as our hearts break a little more, and as we send this message of solidarity that we will not forsake those who have been victimized by gun violence, this time we have to find answers together.”
Clinton added: “You do not walk alone. You do not walk alone because millions of Americans … are walking with you, in grief, in solidarity, in determination. We are with you and we will stand with you as we seek answers and take action.”
Earlier in the day President Obama made a statement on the massacre, his sixth on a mass shooting incident in as many years. “I’ve had to make statements like this too many times,” he said.
