In one of the more personal moments of the vice presidential debate, Gov. Tim Walz said his teenage son witnessed the shooting while playing volleyball at a recreation center near his high school.
Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, responded to a question about gun violence during Tuesday’s debate, saying the episode affected him and said, “Those things never leave you.”
The Harris campaign said Walz was referring to the shooting in January of last year in which a 26-year-old Jimmy Lee Recreation Center employee shot and killed a teenager. The center is located across the street from Central High School in St. Paul, where Walz’s son, Gus Walz, is a student who plays volleyball.
The story surprised many, including Walz’s Republican opponent, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio.
“Tim, first of all, I didn’t know your 17-year-old child witnessed the shooting,” Vance said. “And I’m sorry about that, but I just want to say, Christ, have mercy. It’s – that’s terrible.”
The governor has mentioned mass shootings in the past, including at a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, last month.
“My son was there where someone got shot in the head,” Walz told the Grand Rapids crowd. “A lot of us have this.”
