Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear Gets Emotional About Minneapolis Catholic School Shooting

At a press briefing on Thursday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) shared his personal experience with losing a friend in a shooting.

Transcript

00:00Yesterday, our country suffered yet another tragedy, and it's always hardest when it impacts

00:06the youngest among us. Deadly school shootings tear at the fabric of who we are as a society.

00:15This one in Minneapolis was a horrific and senseless act that took the lives of at least

00:21two children, injuring 17 others. I mean, we talk about everybody being a child of God. These

00:26are children. Every American child should be safe when they go to school. Every American child should

00:31feel safe when they go to school, and no parent should have to go through the pain and suffering

00:36of these parents, and so many like them have faced. As a dad, it's hard to comprehend. As a person who

00:44lost one of his best friends in these shootings, it's hard every time they happen. It's wrong that

00:50we live in a time where there is something, this is something, that children and teachers and families

00:56and school staff have to face. But until there is more change, we must do everything in our power

01:03to protect our children, our schools, and everyone within them. In Kentucky, we're making progress

01:09to ensure that's the case. We just released a 2024-2025 annual school safety report. Now,

01:161,315 public schools in our commonwealth are following the state-mandated security requirements

01:22that is almost a 100% success rate. These security requirements include things like electronic

01:28locking front doors, surveillance, locked classroom doors, classroom window coverings,

01:34and a threat assessment team. I'm proud to report we also have 842 school resource officers guarding our

01:41schools every day. That's a 104% increase since my administration took office. These brave men and

01:49women are willing to run into danger to protect others, and I'm forever grateful to them.

01:53That's why this week we are naming everyone who show up every day to protect our kids. Those are the

01:59school resource officers, but also our teachers, school staff, everyone who is in our public schools.

02:04You are not just on our minds, our hearts, and in our prayers. You are our Team Kentucky

02:09All Stars. As a dad of two kids to go to public school, thank you for what you do. I hope that this

02:16will be the last of these shootings. Sadly, I don't think it will be. So to everybody that's hurting,

02:23let us remember to keep raising our voices and standing up for the safety of our children and of

02:27our fellow Americans and all that school staff out there as your governor, but also as a parent. Thank you.