At least 18 children and three adults were killed on Tuesday after an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at a Texas elementary school, officials said.
The shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. grade school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012.
It also came just 10 days after a gunman in body armor killed 10 Black shoppers and workers at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in what authorities say was a racist attack.
Maine lawmakers released statements as more details of the shooting came to light.
“The people of Maine share in the tremendous grief felt by the people of Texas on this tragic day,” Gov. Janet Mills said on Twitter. “Like people across Maine, my heart is broken by the horrific news out of Texas. My prayers are with the families and loved ones of the innocent young children and the teacher senselessly taken from us and those injured.”
“No school, parent, or community should experience this kind of horrific grief or live in fear of a gun massacre. I am heartbroken for those lost and sickened that no place is safe from gun violence in America,” Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat, tweeted.
“The horrific, senseless shooting at Robb Elementary School shatters hearts across the nation, as we all grieve for the victims and their families,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said on Twitter.
“This violence does not have to continue. We can, and must, do more to protect our communities.”
“The brutal attack on school children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas, is a horrific crime,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a statement released Tuesday night.
“Although we are still waiting for more details, it is hard to believe that someone who would do this was not severely mentally ill. Congress should look at enacting a yellow flag law based on the one we have in Maine, which has due process rights and also involves a medical professional in the decision.”
Democratic Rep. Jared Golden had not yet released a statement Tuesday night.
