Vice President Mike Pence on Friday called the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, “every parent’s worst nightmare.”
Speaking at a Republican National Committee event in San Antonio, Pence recounted several stories of victims and heroes from Wednesday’s rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which left 17 dead.
Pence, a father of three, said that “no parent should ever have to fear for their sons and daughters when they kiss them goodbye in the morning.”
The vice president told the event’s attendees that the administration will “continue to bring the full resources of the federal government to bear in support of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and in support of this investigation.”
On Friday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a review of how the Justice Department and FBI respond to tips of potential violence after the bureau revealed that it had not acted on a tip about Wednesday’s shooter.
“At present, the FBI has approximately 250 personnel working on this matter,” Pence said, adding that the Justice Department is “already working with other agencies to study the intersection of mental health and criminality.”
In the wake of the shooting, President Donald Trump focused on mental illness, tweeting on Thursday: “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
“Now is also the time for renewed vigilance,” Pence said, echoing the President’s tweet about the shooting. “If you see something, my fellow Americans, say something.”