Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke about the Sacramento shooting during a press conference ahead of Sunday’s basketball game against the Sacramento Kings.
The game was played at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center, a half-mile from where the early morning shooting took place.
“First and foremost, I just think of the city of Sacramento and all of the families involved, the victims, the survivors, the injured,” Kerr said. “So many lives have been destroyed. And so we all share with the warriors the sadness of your city.”
“There’s not much that can be done or said but we’re all devastated today as we try to prepare for this game,” Kerr added.
The problem is not just about politics; it’s personal. In 1984, while Kerr was in college, his father, Malcolm Kerr, who was president of the American University of Beirut, was murdered by gunmen.
“So this issue is very close to my heart because my family has had to deal with the loss of my father and my mother’s husband and we’ve had to deal with the aftermath since then,” Kerr said last March.
Police say an urgent search is still underway for several suspects in Sunday’s shooting. One person was arrested for assault and illegal firearm possession, police said Monday.
Authorities know a major fight ensued before the shooting and there are multiple shooters, Police Chief Katherine Lester said.
Ahead of Sunday’s game, the Kings requested a minute’s silence for the victims, but Kerr said he doesn’t think it “will make a difference.”
“I think observing a minute’s silence is the right thing to do, but I’ll be honest, it’s probably the ninth or tenth minute of silence I’ll experience as the Warriors coach as we mourn the loss of people who died in the mass shooting. ”
Kerr urged government officials to enact some “common sense gun laws.”
“It won’t solve everything,” he admitted, “but it will save lives.”
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there were more mass shootings than calendar days in 2022. Archival data shows there have been 120 in the US, including Sunday’s incident. A study by Everytown for Gun Safety found that California had the toughest gun laws in the country. Hawaii also topped the list with the lowest gun fatality rate in the country, while Mississippi led the country with the weakest gun laws and the highest gun fatality rate.
“It’s the same stuff over and over again,” Kerr said. “Everything changes for all of the victims’ families from here, and it’s just about time we did something about it instead.” [having] another moment of silence and then send thoughts and prayers.”