Lauren Daigle postpones concert to host vigil after Nashville school shooting
Christian singer Lauren Daigle postponed an album preview concert she had set in Nashville for Monday to instead host a communitywide prayer vigil hours after a private elementary school in the city became the latest site of a fatal mass shooting.
“Today’s shooting is truly heartbreaking for our Nashville community and all of those impacted,” the “You Say” singer wrote on Instagram. “To everyone who was planning to come out, please continue to come join us as we share in a time of prayer and worship to honor the victims and everyone in need.
“To those in the local Nashville area, if you need a safe place to come pray, mourn, and be with your community, please join us. The doors are open for all. Same location. Same time.”
Police identified the assailant as a 28-year-old Nashville resident who authorities said identified as transgender.
Daigle pushed the Marathon Music Works concert, which was meant to promote her self-titled album, to April 5.
The vigil took place after a 28-year-old former student at the Covenant School killed three 9-year-old children and three adult staff members. The suspect, identified by police as Nashville resident Audrey Hale, allegedly left behind a “manifesto” and maps of the school, though police have not described the manifesto in detail or ascribed a motive to the attack. The shooter was killed by responding officers.
Country singer Jana Kramer carried the somber reality with her on the glitzy red carpet for the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles on Monday.
“People are like, ‘Who are you wearing?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t care. I want to go hug my kids right now,’” Kramer, 39, told People. The Tennessee-based musician and “One Tree Hill” alum, who shares son Jace, 4, and daughter Jolie, 7, with ex-husband Mike Caussin, confirmed that her children are not students at the Covenant School.
“Their dad picked them up at school, and they’re good,” the “I Got the Boy” singer said, adding that she does know a teacher at the school and has a friend who also has kids there.
“A parent should never have to fear dropping their kid off at school and not knowing if they’re gonna pick them up,” she said. “It’s just not OK ... I’m a big believer in prayer. I’m a big believer in all those things. We need Jesus, yes, but we need action too.”
Kramer, who also made headlines for going red-carpet official with boyfriend Allan Russell on Monday, was among the many celebrities who reacted to the fatal attack. Former Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson revealed that her children’s nearby school in Nashville was locked down because of the shooting.
“I haven’t been able to catch my breath since reading the news and getting a call from our school that they were on lockdown as well given the news,” Johnson wrote Monday on her Instagram Story. “Shaking. Crying. Heartbroken. Horrific.”
The shooter, described as a 28-year-old Nashville resident, was armed with at least two assault rifles and a handgun, officials say.
Kings of Leon musician Nathan Followill shared that the shooting also happened near his son’s school and crafted a series of tweets directed at Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the National Rifle Association.
“A school shooting just happened near my sons school. Multiple children dead but let’s make sure that the gunman had his 2nd Amendment rights. F— you Bill Lee and f— the NRA,” he wrote.
“Sending my kids to school shouldn’t feel like sending them to a war zone that they may not come home from. This is all so sad and nothing is ever done about it except for thoughts and prayers from those at home cleaning their assault rifles,” he said, adding, “I’m normally not a political person on social media but this hit too close to home. I hope these kids can heal from this unthinkable tragedy.”
Country singer Margo Price also took aim at Lee, who in 2021 signed a law allowing those older than 21 to carry a handgun without a permit. Earlier this month, the Republican governor also signed a law criminalizing drag performances in public spaces.
“4 dead so far in an elementary school shooting in Nashville this am,” Price tweeted. “Can I ask you, @GovBillLee why you passed permit less carry in 2021? Our children are dying and being shot in school but you’re more worried about drag queens than smart gun laws? You have blood on your hands”
Country star Mickey Guyton also tweeted that “as a mother, I’m pissed the f— off” about the recurrence.
“Shame on every single politician ok with doing nothing as CHILDREN are getting assassinated on an everyday basis in a place that is supposed to be their safe haven,” she wrote.
Rock guitarist Peter Frampton also tweeted: “School shooting in Nashville pre k through 6th grade. Children, babies!!! It IS the f— guns!”
When your child asks about the recent mass shootings in California, it might be hard to find the right words. We asked experts to weigh in with guidance on how to provide both comfort and clarity.
Saying her “heart is heavy,” “Reno 911!” and “Claws” star Niecy Nash called for an immediate ban on assault weapons after police revealed that the shooter was armed with a rifle, an AR-style pistol and a handgun. She also shared that her brother was killed on his high-school campus in 1993 because someone brought a gun to school.
“It’s 2023 and there’s babies who will never make it home to see their parents. And those parents will forever be in a space where they’re like, ‘What was the last thing I said? What was the last lunch I made? What was their last thought? Experience? Did they call out for me?’” she said in a tearful TikTok and Instagram video.
“We are in a space in a place in this country where we are worried about what happens at a drag show brunch … what happens at a drag show brunch. What not to teach in critical race theory. These are the wrong things,” she continued. “It is the wrong thing and it is indeed the wrong time. We are losing our way. Some political groups are so focused on the wrong thing that our children are dying. And there ain’t no coming back from that … not even a little bit. I am so sorry.”
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