"Another senseless act" - Cowboys defensive end voices frustration over Texas shooting

Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence took to social media to voice his frustration over the deadly shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Lawrence said, on the day of the incident, that he was praying for those affected by the horrific school shooting.

The Cowboys star added that he’ll continue to use his platform to build better leaders because today’s leadership has let down Americans over and over again.

"Praying for those who affected by today's horrific school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde Texas. Another day, another senseless act of Gun Violence. I will continue to use my platform to build up better leaders because our leadership today has let us down time & time again!!"

On May 24, an 18-year-old gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, after he shot and killed his grandmother and crashed a car near the school.

As per an official from the Texas Department of Safety, the shooter entered the school and fired at "children, teachers, whoever was in his way." In the end, the gunman killed 19 children and two teachers.

Lawrence also called out Texas governor Greg Abbott on Twitter, stating emphatically that "enough is enough."

The tragedy in Uvalde is the second mass shooting in a period of less than 10 days as 10 people were shot and killed by another gunman in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York on May 14th.

DeMarcus Lawrence and his career with the Cowboys

Lawrence with the Dallas Cowboys

Lawrence was drafted in the second round (34th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Cowboys out of Boise State. In his first three seasons with the team (2014 - 2016), he had eight sacks, 19 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.

However, in the next two seasons (2017 - 2018), Lawrence racked up 25 sacks, 29 tackles for loss, and six forced fumbles. He made the Pro Bowl in these two seasons while finishing fourth in the AP Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2017.

That season, Lawrence was tied for the second spot in the NFL, in sacks, with 14.5, and tied for third with four forced fumbles. He played in just seven games for Dallas last season as the defensive end suffered a broken foot. Lawrence had three sacks, two forced fumbles, and five tackles for loss in 2021.

He signed a three-year, $30 million contract this offseason with Dallas to make certain that he'll be with the team for the foreseeable future.