In a speech to Latino politicians in Las Vegas, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addressed Wednesday night’s deadly church shooting in South Carolina, calling it a "horrific massacre."
"We have to face hard truths about race, violence, guns and division," Clinton said in remarks Thursday afternoon to the National Association of Latino Elected Leaders, or NALEO.
Noting that she had visited Charleston just one day before the shooting, Clinton said, "I left feeling not only great about Charleston, but great about America." When she arrived in Nevada, she said she learned about the murders. "The shock and pain of this crime of hate strikes deep."
She also referenced the school shooting in Sandy Hook, Conn., and the theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., asking: "How many innocent people in our country -- from little children to church members to movie theater attendees -- how many people do we need to see cut down before we act?"
Clinton wasn't the only presidential contender to speak about Thursday night's violence in South Carolina.
"Today the body of Christ is in mourning," said Republican Ted Cruz, speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's conference in Washington, D.C. "And I just want to begin with a moment of silence remembering those who were murdered last night."
Republican Rand Paul also addressed the same group. "What kind of person goes in a church and shoots nine people? There’s a sickness in our country. There's something terribly wrong," he said.
"But it isn't gonna be fixed by your government; it’s people straying away, it's people not understanding where salvation comes from."
And in a released statement, Republican Jeb Bush -- who canceled his scheduled campaign event in Charleston -- said: “May the families and the city of Charleston be lifted up by the prayers of our entire nation.”
