UVALDE, Texas — Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic nominee in the race for governor of Texas, lashed out at Gov. Greg Abbott and other officials holding a press conference about Tuesday's deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
After Abbott finished discussing preliminary findings of the investigation and mental health outreach opportunities for the community, O'Rourke stood up and called the shooting “totally predictable when you choose not to do anything.”
O’Rourke was eventually escorted out while members of the crowd yelled at him, with one man shouting profanities at O’Rourke.
Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said to O'Rourke: “You’re out of line and an embarrassment.”
O’Rourke, as he was being escorted out, turned around, faced the stage, pointed his finger and said: “This is on you until you choose to do something different. This will continue to happen. Somebody needs to stand up for the children of this state or they will continue to be killed just like they were killed in Uvalde yesterday."
Abbott took the mic again after the disruption, telling those watching to do something "other than think about ourselves. Think about the people who are hurt, and help the people who are hurt."
Upon being escorted from the premises, O'Rourke addressed a gaggle of media that awaited him.
"He's refused to support a ban on AR-15s and AK-47s," O'Rourke repeatedly told the press. "Why are we letting this happen in our country? Why are we letting this happen in this state? Year after year, we refuse to do something. I will do something... We could've stopped this if we stood up after Sante Fe and El Paso. We will stop the next one."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.