Survivors of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida earlier this year are criticizing President Donald Trump for not speaking publicly about the shooting at a Waffle House in Tennessee on Sunday morning.
Authorities are still searching for the suspected shooter, Travis Reinking, who allegedly killed four people, all of whom were people of color.
In the wake of the shooting—where the gunman reportedly used an AR-15 rifle, the same gun used in the Parkland shooting—several students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have called on the president to comment on it.
Since the shooting happened on Sunday, the president has tweeted about North Korea, James Comey’s memos, Mike Pompeo, sanctuary cities, and Mexico.
“Care to comment @realDonaldTrump?” survivor David Hogg tweeted on Monday morning.
Care to comment @realDonaldTrump ? https://t.co/7LY2f4K2Cl
— David Hogg 🟧 (@davidhogg111) April 23, 2018
“Sir, four people were shot and killed in a Waffle House. Care to comment?” survivor Alex Wind tweeted on Sunday.
Sir, four people were shot and killed in a Waffle House.
— Alex Wind (@al3xw1nd) April 22, 2018
Care to comment? https://t.co/e0w8MXEfdM
Other survivors did not directly address Trump, but commented on Sunday’s attack.
“This is why this conversation isn’t just about school safety. This is why adding security measures to our schools is only a baby step in curing the epidemic of gun violence in our country,” survivor Cameron Kasky wrote on Sunday.
https://twitter.com/cameron_kasky/status/988038254418186240
Emma Gonzalez, whose powerful speech at the March For Our Lives rally quickly went viral, also commented on the Waffle House shooting, saying that shootings “don’t just happen in schools, they happen everywhere in America.”
https://twitter.com/Emma4Change/status/988036108595458048
https://twitter.com/Emma4Change/status/988036111548272640
https://twitter.com/Emma4Change/status/988036113301430273
https://twitter.com/Emma4Change/status/988036115579002881
As of Monday morning, Trump has yet to make a public statement about the shooting in Tennessee. The suspected shooter was reportedly arrested by the Secret Service in 2017 for being in a restricted area near the White House.
Trump tweeted about a fire in Trump Tower earlier this month shortly after reports came out about it.
Update 12:44pm CT, April 23: At her press briefing today, Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the president offered his “condolences” to the victims.
“The president offers his condolences to the victims and their families. He is monitoring the ongoing situation and the White House is in regular contact with state and local officials.”
