President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has sent a message of condolence to her counterpart, the President of the United States of America, Mr. Donald J. Trump, following the horrifying news of the death of at least 26 persons and injury of about 20 others in a shooting incident.

On November 5, 2017, a mass shooting occurred at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, about 30 miles (48 km) east of the city of San Antonio. The gunman, 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley of nearby New Braunfels, killed 26 and injured 20 persons. He was shot twice by a male civilian as he exited the church. Fleeing in his SUV, Kelley crashed after a high-speed chase and was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds.

This was the deadliest mass shooting by an individual in Texas, one of the deadliest in the United States, as well as the deadliest shooting in an American place of worship in modern history, surpassing the Charleston church shooting of 2015 and the Waddell, Arizona Buddhist temple shooting in 1991.

According to a Foreign Ministry release, the Liberian leader, in the message to President Trump, after learning about the horrifying news said, “The people of the Republic of Liberia join me in extending to you and the people of the United States, especially the families of the victims, deepest condolences for the irreparable loss sustained from this tragedy.”

President Sirleaf prayed that the Almighty God will grant President Trump and the people of the United States courage, strength and fortitude during this difficult period of mourning.