Actress Melissa Joan Hart shares her account of Nashville school shooting
Melissa Joan Hart, the American actress and director, has shared her personal experience of last week’s fatal school shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Speaking on her What Women Binge podcast, Hart spoke about the moment she saw a group of children running across a five-lane street, accompanied by a teacher. Hart’s husband, Mark Wilkerson, had initially thought that the group were on a fire drill until he saw a police helicopter hovering overhead. Although the former Clarissa Explains It All star could see that something was wrong, she didn’t realize that she was witnessing a shooting until later.
The Covenant School shooting resulted in the deaths of three teachers and three students, all of whom were nine years old. The shooter, a former student at the school, was shot dead by police at the scene, bringing the total number of shootings at US schools and universities to 19 so far this year.
Hart’s account of the event emphasizes the impact of the tragedy on the local community. The actress recounted how she helped the children to cross the road and how she later met a woman whose children were attending the school that had come under attack. Together they prayed for the victims.
The actress also noted how difficult it was to find the right words to describe the event. “Is tragic the right word? Is horrendous the right word?” she asked.
Hart’s podcast is aimed at women but this episode is likely to be of interest to a wider audience, given the continuing prevalence of gun violence in the United States. Hart’s call for donations to help those affected by the shooting is a reminder of the practical steps that individuals can take to support victims in the wake of such tragedies.
