“A parent’s worst nightmare”: Tammin Sursok reveals daughter’s lockdown for school shooting
Former Home and Away star Tammin Sursok has revealed her daughter’s school in Nashville was placed on lockdown after a mass shooting took place at the school next door.
Sursok, 39, who lives in Nashville with her husband Sean McEwan and their two children, took to Instagram to explain the “nightmare”.
The 39-year-old shared that the shooting, which took place at The Covenant School, was just next-door to her nine-year-old daughter Phoenix’s school.
“There’s been an active shooter, in Nashville, in one of the schools in Greenhills,” Sursok said in her video.
“It’s right next to my daughter’s school. She’s in lockdown. She’s fine.
“It’s really close to home, I know it’s close to home for a lot of you.
“I know a lot of mothers are just completely hysterical and shaking right now.
“I just can’t believe this keeps happening, and you always think that it’s not going to happen to you.”
The shooter has been identified as a woman, 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who opened fire killing three children and three staff members. She was also a former student of the Covenant school.
Hale was shot and killed by police at the scene.
Sursok later posted a follow-up video saying she wasn’t sure what to do after hearing of her daughter’s lockdown.
“Do we go to the school, do we wait until they tell us they’re out of lockdown?” she said.
“It’s just really hard to even fathom that this happens so much.
“I can’t even let my brain go there, because it’s just too hard to think of.”
Sursok then wrote a lengthy message about the shooting and weighed in about gun control.
The post saw an image of her and Phoenix, wearing tops that read “Love More”.
“Our community in Nashville is in shock,” she wrote, adding a shooting trigger warning.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families going though this unimaginable tragedy.
“Today I got a call that I never thought would happen but at the same time expected because I live in the USA.
“My daughter’s school was on lockdown. There was an active shooter somewhere.”
“A parent’s worst nightmare,” she wrote.
“As you’ve now seen on the news, a school in Nashville has lost children and adults at the hands of a 28-year old-woman.
“That school was next door, walking distance from my daughter’s school.
“The argument when these horrific events happen is don’t get political, now is not the time, guns don’t kill people, people kill people.
“I call BS.
“... people with access to assault rifles cause mass destruction.
“Why do we sell in the USA weapons of mass destruction to civilians?
“Why do we sell weapons that can shoot hundreds of bullets in seconds?
“Read that sentence again.
“Hundreds of bullets in seconds.”
The actress pointed out that in most American states, a person can buy an AR-15 - a semi-automatic rifle - once they turn 18.
“The AR-15 (and military style weaponry) is not designed for hunting or ‘sport’,” she wrote.
“It’s meant to kill people. Lots of people all at once.
“How is this allowed? Please explain it to me.”
She said she felt numb, angry, and “at a loss”.
“Parties need to come together on both sides. I don’t care what side you are on,” she added.
“We can come together to AGREE to uphold the freedom of America and its constitution AND keep our children safe.
“We can do BOTH!
“You know this doesn’t make sense. You know this isn’t normal.
“You know children shouldn’t live in fear like this.”
Sursok’s followers flooded the comments with support, with most agreeing gun control is a major issue in the US.
“It only took one major incident for Australia to see what mattered most ... Lives not Guns,” one person wrote, referencing the Port Arthur massacre Tasmania saw in 1996.
“Absolutely horrific,” another wrote.
“When I am in the US I always think about that each person I am passing by could have a gun,” wrote a third.
“Cannot imagine living with this thought every day.
“You are right, the gun laws finally have to change. Sending lots of love.”
Image credit: Instagram