Following the shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, on the fourth of July, Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey told a crowd that it was time to "move on" and "celebrate." And that didn't sit well with everyone.
The shooting at the Independence Day parade in the Chicago suburb broke out at around 10:15 a.m. on Monday, just minutes after the parade had started.
Police have confirmed that the gunman had been using a "high-powered rifle" and killed at least six people, injuring dozens more.
At about noon Bailey took to Facebook, live streaming to his followers from Skokie, 20 minutes south of where the shooting occurred.
Bailey, who is running for governor in Illinois, shared what had happened and that several people were shot before calling for prayers for those involved.
"They've done an amazing job. There's a lot of confusion and frustration that the parade's being canceled, but they did the right thing because people's safety has got to come first," he said.
Bailey continued, saying, "let's pray for justice to prevail, and then let's move on and let's celebrate the independence of this nation."
The gubernatorial hopeful, standing with a group of people holding campaign signs, then went on to criticize those he is running against, saying voters need to "get corruption and evil out of our government," before going on to call for the celebration to continue.
"Bless us and protect us as we go about our day celebrating the most amazing country," Bailey said.
A spokesperson for Bailey sent a statement to VICE News saying, "I apologize if in any way we diminished the pain being felt across our state today. I am heartbroken by today's tragic events and the pain and loss felt by so many. My intent was to pray for the victims and those affected by today's tragedy and for the shooter to be caught and prosecuted without further loss."
He added that he hopes "we can all come together in prayer and action to address rampant crime and mental health [sic] issues to make sure these horrific tragedies don't happen again."
Bailey's comments have left many feeling sour, including Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker released a statement shortly after Bailey's live stream. Still, he has said the Republican "represents the worst of Donald Trump's agenda."
"Prayers alone will not put a stop to the terror of rampant gun violence in our country," Pritzker said in his statement.
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