Kendra AndrewsESPN
As the Kings prepared to host the Warriors on Sunday night, coaches Alvin Gentry and Steve Kerr talked about the mass shootings a few blocks from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento that left six dead and injured twelve others early Sunday morning. “It’s an incredible tragedy,” Gentry said during pre-match media availability. “I hope this does not put a black eye on our city … It is sad that something like this can still happen nowadays in an environment where everyone is just trying to have fun, to have a good time. The issue with weapons needs to change. “It’s a really sad day.” Kerr did not answer questions about basketball during the pregame availability before his team won 109-90 and only talked about shots. “So many lives have been destroyed,” he said. “We are all Warriors, we all share the grief of your city. There is not much you can do or say, but we are all devastated today.” Kerr, whose father was shot and killed in a terrorist attack in Beirut in 1984, has long spoken openly about armed violence and has devoted much of his professional life to calling on those in power to enact stricter gun laws. . “We will have a moment of silence before the game, which is right, but I will be honest, this is the ninth or 10th moment of silence I will experience as a Warriors coach when we are mourning. “the loss of people who lost their lives in mass shootings,” Kerr said. “I do not think the moments of silence will do anything. At some point, our government has to decide whether we will have common sense laws on weapons. “Eighty-nine percent of Americans support history checks. And you think about all the common sense laws that we could and should apply. Their own career paths, their re-election campaigns, in front of their own propaganda – are just that. there in front of us “. Sacramento police say at least two gunmen opened fire in the city center around 2 a.m. PT, just as bars and nightclubs were closed overnight and crowds took to the streets. The shooting site was about two blocks from the state Capitol and not far from the Warriors’s hotel. No one in Golden State knew about the shooting when it happened and the team only found out later on Sunday morning. “It’s happening in churches, it’s happening in schools, it’s happening right in downtown here in Sacramento,” Kerr said. “At some point, I would hope that we would really think about our fellow citizens and do something about it, instead of playing politics. Because that’s all we do.” Police had additional patrols in the city center ahead of Sunday’s match. Information from the Associated Press was included in this report.
