“Our hearts are with Midland, Odessa, and everyone in West Texas who has to endure this again. More information is forthcoming, but here’s what we know: We need to end this epidemic,” he tweeted.
At least five people were killed in Saturday’s massacre, said Devin Sanchez, a spokesman for the city of Odessa. Midland police confirmed on a Facebook page that the shooter was shot and killed in Odessa.
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Saturday that President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting and the White House is monitoring the situation.
“Just briefed by Attorney General Barr about the shootings in Texas. FBI and Law Enforcement is fully engaged. More to follow,” Trump tweeted Saturday.
Fellow Democratic presidential candidate and Texas native Julian Castro also reacted to the shooting Saturday — calling the ongoing situation “heartbreaking” and telling residents in the area to “stay indoors and monitor news alerts and safety protocols.”
Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg weighed in as well. “Enough. Texas, my heart is with you. America, we must act,” he said.
Gun control debate
The House Judiciary Committee had scheduled a debate on guns for next week, but it was postponed due to Hurricane Dorian. The committee had been planning to come back a week early from August recess to mark up gun legislation, but that is now being pushed back because several lawmakers on the committee represent areas of Florida where the storm is projected to hit.
In recent days, Trump has pointed to mental health care as the primary response to preventing massacres. He tweeted earlier this month that he had “a very good meeting on preventing mass shootings,” without specifying any potential policy direction.
Trump has previously expressed support for tighter gun restrictions — including after the 2018 mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school — only to back off after pressure from the NRA.
CNN’s DJ Judd, Veronica Stracqualursi and Alex Rogers contributed to this report.
