Vigil ceremony held following the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. (Joel Angel Juarez/AFP/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Two mass shootings occurred on American soil in less than 24 hours this weekend.
A shooting in El Paso, Texas Saturday left 20 people dead and many injured.
Only 13 hours later, a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio killed nine people and left 27 injured.
Now, Massachusetts officials are responding, and some are calling for gun reform.
“Waking up to the news of another mass shooting in less than 24 hours. There are no words. My condolences to the families who are mourning the death of a loved one as a result of gun violence. We need gun reform now,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh tweeted on Sunday.
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted Sunday that she is “heartsick for the 29 people killed this weekend in El Paso and Dayton — and all the other lives we lose every day due to senseless gun violence. We need to take urgent action to end the gun violence epidemic.”
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker offered support to the shooting victims following the El Paso shooting.
“While no words can provide solace for those lost loved ones to this senseless violence, Massachusetts joins the entire nation in praying for the victims, families and the entire community,” Baker wrote in a tweet.
Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis referred to the mass shootings as terrible tragedies, but he did not find them surprising.
“And all I can hope is that with this outrageous activity happening so quickly together, that it will spur people to action to try to stop some of this,” Davis told WBZ NewsRadio.
When asked if whether President Donald Trump's rhetoric on immigration fueled the violence in the El Paso shooting — reports show that the alleged gunman had shared anti-immigration sentiment online — Rep. Stephen told reporters that it "is not helpful."
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