“This is a mental-health problem at the highest level.”
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
President Donald Trump on Monday blamed “mental health” for a shooting rampage that left at least 26 people dead in a Texas church early Sunday. Speaking during a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, Trump appeared to shrug off concerns over gun control. “This isn’t a guns situation. This is a mental-health problem at the highest level. It’s a very, very sad event,” he said. “Mental health is your problem here,” he said, adding that “preliminary reports” suggest the shooter was a “very deranged individual.” Trump went on to offer his “thoughts and prayers” to the victims of the shooting and call for unity, but he stopped short of calling for any policy changes. Authorities have yet to release details on a motive in the shooting in Sutherland Springs. The alleged shooter has been identified as Devin Kelley, a New Braunfels resident who received a bad-conduct discharge from the Air Force in 2014. He was found dead by police after the shooting spree.
