Former vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine, a U.S. Senator, was lambasted for comments he made following the Ohio State University attack that left 11 people injured.
“Deeply saddened by the senseless act of gun violence at Ohio State this morning. Praying for the injured and the entire Buckeye community,” he wrote on Facebook.
Initially, the campus sent out an alert saying there was an “active shooter” on the campus before details poured in about the attack.
On Twitter, Kaine clarified his comment: “Updated reports say attacker used a vehicle & knife. Horrifying & senseless. Relieved the scene is secure & praying for victims’ recovery.”
Police say the attacker, identified as Abdul Razak Ali Artan, used his car and a butcher knife to attack people on the OSU campus. He first rammed his vehicle into a crowd of people before getting out and attacking pedestrians until a campus police officer arrived at the scene and fatally shot him.
University officials say the officer’s actions likely saved lives, NBC News reported.
Kaine, a Democrat, was accused of using the attack to push a political platform.
“Yes, it was a real tragedy how the attacker drove his gun through a group of people and then got out and started stabbing people with his gun,” wrote one person in response to Kaine’s comment.
“It’s scary to think, as misinformed as you are, you could’ve been our VP. Next time you wanna make the second amendment look bad, try doing research first on what actually happened. Now, will you call it ‘knife violence’?” added another.
