President Biden orders flags to be flown at half-staff following Texas shooting

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - President Biden has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff following a shooting at a Texas elementary school that left 18 children and three adults dead.

Gov. David Ige said the order takes effect immediately and runs through Sunday.

The action symbolizes the nation’s mourning following the massacre.

“I join our nation in mourning the tragic and senseless loss of these innocent victims, and I stand with the families of those affected by this horrific act of violence,” Ige said.

“On behalf of the state of Hawaii, I express my deepest condolences to the victims’ families, the faculty, staff and student body at Robb Elementary School, and the Uvalde community in Texas.”

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi also issued this statement following on the shooting:

“We are shocked and saddened by the senseless and tragic events that took place today at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and I join the people of Oahu in expressing our profound sorrow for the families that are having to endure this unimaginable pain. I simply cannot fathom the grief involved in parents sending their young, innocent children to school – a place we should all consider safe and sacred for our keiki – and having it be for the final time. Our hearts and our deepest sympathies go out to the families in Texas that had so much taken from them today.”