President John Kelly issued a statement Wednesday addressing the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

“I was immensely saddened to hear of the tragic loss of 21 lives, at the time of writing, 19 of whom were elementary school-aged children, and two adults,” Kelly said. “Our deepest sympathies are with the families and friends of these individuals, and with the greater Uvalde community.”

Kelly said the shooting hits close to home with FAU having a high school on the Boca campus and being close to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which suffered its own school shooting in 2018.

Kelly also noted the event came 10 days after the “racially-motivated” shooting in Buffalo, N.Y. that killed 10 Black people, as well as other racially-targeted events that occurred in Dallas, Texas, and Southern California earlier this month.

“These awful events underscore the importance of providing mental health services and awareness for anyone who feels they need help during these very emotional times,” Kelly said.

Kelly included resources at FAU in his statement that students can reach out to, including contact information for the professionals at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). He also included the contact information for faculty and staff along with CAPS in the statement.

“Please do not hesitate to utilize these resources if help is needed,” Kelly said. “The health and safety of the entire university community is always paramount, especially during challenging times such as these.”

Richard Pereira is the News Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @Rich26Pereira.