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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Jamie Roberts

Melissa Joan Hart tearfully tells how she helped children escape Nashville shooting

Melissa Joan Hart has emotionally explained how she helped a group of kindergarten kids escape the tragic scenes in Nashville as a shooter killed six people.

The Sabrina the Teenage Witch actress, 46, who now lives in Nashville described how it was her second experience of school shootings and declared "enough is enough".

She revealed she previously lived near Sandy Hook, where another mass shooting killed 26 people, including 20 children in 2012.

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, mum-of-three Melissa was close to tears as she spoke about helping the kids across a busy road to safety - admitting the situation was "too raw" to post in the immediate aftermath.

In the upload she had captioned 'prayers today, action tomorrow', she said: "We moved here from Connecticut where we were in school a little ways down from Sandy Hook, so this is our second experience with a school shooting with our kids being in close proximity. Luckily we are all okay."

Melissa Joan Hart gave an emotional message on how she helped kids escape the scene (Instagram/ @melissajoanhart)
She said it was her second time being close to a school shooting (Instagram/ @melissajoanhart)

She went on to explain how she and husband Mark Wilkerson, with whom she shares sons Mason, 17, Braden, 15, and Tucker, 10, had to help the youngsters who were "trying to escape" the area.

Melissa continued: " My husband and I were on our way to school for conferences. Luckily our kids weren't in today."

She choked up as she went on: "We helped a class of Kindergartners across a busy highway. They were climbing out of the woods, they were trying to escape a shooter situation at their school. So we helped these tiny little kids cross the road and get their teachers over there.

" We helped a mom reunite with her children and I just ... I don't know what to say. Enough is enough. Just pray, pray for the families."

Audrey Hale killed six people in Nashville (Metropolitan Nashville Police De)

The tragic scenes saw shooter Audrey Hale kill Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all nine-years-old.

Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher, Mike Hill, 61, a janitor, and Katherine Koonce, 60, who was the head of the school, were all also killed in the horrific shooting.

Hale, who was later killed by officers, was a former student at Covenant School.

Further background and motives behind the horrific crime remain unclear as more details emerge from the authorities' investigation.

Authorities described Hale as a "lone zealot", who had written a manifesto ahead of the attack which police are analysing, along with some writings, to understand the shooter's motives.

If you're struggling and need to talk, and you are in the UK, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch

For the US, if you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

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