Kentucky, Tennessee governors, Florida senator all lost friends in recent mass shootings
A shooting in Louisville claimed friends of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Florida Sen. Rick Scott.
The governors of Kentucky and Tennessee, and one Florida senator have lost personal friends in two mass shootings over the past two weeks.
A shooter in downtown Louisville, Ky., killed at least five people in a bank building Monday morning, including friends of Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, he said during a press conference.
“This is awful. I have a very close friend that didn’t make it today,” Beshear said. “And I have another close friend who didn’t either, and one who’s at the hospital that I hope is going to make it through.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) also lost a friend during the shooting, he said Monday night.
“My friend Tommy Elliott was killed today in Louisville,” Scott wrote in a post on Twitter. “He was my banker for many years. This news is very shocking and sad for Ann and me. He did so much in the Louisville community, and we pray for his family during this awful time.”
The Louisville shooting comes just two weeks after three children and three adults were killed at a Christian elementary school in Nashville. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said that one of the adult victims, Cindy Peak, was friends with his wife, Maria.
“What happened at Covenant School was a tragedy beyond comprehension. Like many of you, I’ve experienced tragedy in my own life, and I’ve experienced the day after that tragedy. ... Cindy was supposed to come over to have dinner with Maria last night after she filled in as a substitute teacher yesterday at Covenant,” Lee said in an address the day after the shooting.
After both shootings, local police confirmed that the shooter was dead.