Saying his state still has painful memories from the April 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech, the governor extended his sympathies to Connecticut following an elementary school massacre.
Gov. Bob McDonnell said his thoughts and prayers are with the families affected by Friday's shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.
An official tells The Associated Press that 27 people are dead, including 18 children. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still under way.
Tim Kaine was governor at the time. But McDonnell says memories of the Tech shootings have never faded in Virginia, which continues to grieve for those slain by a lone gunman on the Blacksburg campus. The gunman also killed himself, leaving 33 dead in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Here is the news release from Governor McDonnell:
“It is with a heavy heart and the deepest of sympathies that I learned earlier today of the horrific shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those impacted by the events transpiring today, and to the teachers, emergency responders, and all others touched by this tragedy. Unfortunately, Virginia has our own painful memories of the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007. Those memories will never fade, and we continue to grieve for all those lost on that April day. We are all too aware of the impact that events like this can have on a community. If there is anything Virginia can do to assist Governor Malloy and the citizens of Connecticut, we stand ready to do so.”
