Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke about the Sacramento shooting during a news conference before Sunday’s basketball game against the Sacramento Kings.
The game was played at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center, half a mile from where the shooting happened early that morning.
“First and foremost, just thinking about the city of Sacramento and all the families who are affected, the victims, the survivors, the people who are injured,” Kerr said. “Just so many lives devastated. And so everybody with the Warriors, we all share in your city’s grief.”
“There’s not a whole lot you can do or say, but we’re all crushed today as we try to prepare for this game,” Kerr added.
The issue isn’t just about policy; it’s personal. When Kerr was in college, his father, Malcolm Kerr, who was president of American University of Beirut, was assassinated by gunmen.
An urgent search is still underway for multiple suspects in Sunday’s shooting, according to police. Authorities know a large fight took place prior to the gunfire and there are multiple shooters, Sacramento Police Chief Katherine Lester said.
Before Sunday’s game, the Kings asked for a moment of silence for the victims but Kerr said he doesn’t think it’s “going to do anything.”
“I think it’s the right thing to do to have a moment of silence but I’ll be honest, it’s probably the ninth or tenth moment of silence that I will have experienced as a coach of the Warriors, when we mourn the losses of people who have died in mass shootings.”
“It’s not going to solve everything,” he admitted, “but it will save lives.”
“It’s just the same stuff over and over and over again,” Kerr said. “Everything changes from here for all the victims’ families and it’s just time for us to do something about it instead of [having] another moment of silence and then send thoughts and prayers.”
