Niecy Nash reflected on losing her brother in a school shooting back in 1993 while paying tribute to the 19 elementary school children who were killed in Uvalde, Texas, this week.
via Page Six:
“I’m so sad… my brother was killed on his high school campus,” the comedian, 52, wrote in a post shared to Instagram on Wednesday, along with a selfie and a series of posts about the mass shootingat Robb Elementary School.
“It hits different cuz school is a place you should feel safe. I don’t wish it on anyone ???.”
In the caption, she added, “My God ??? #ThisIsAmerica.”
Several of Nash’s friends and fans took to the comments section to share words of healing.
“I think of you and your family every damn time this happens. ?,” one person wrote.
“True Niecy! I’m sick of this! Bless You and prayers up for y’all!” a second person said, with a third adding, “Sorry for your loss something has gotta give smh.”
In February 1993, Nash’s brother, Michael Ensley, was tragically shot and killed by then-16-year-old Robert Lee Heard Jr. at Reseda High School in California. He was 17.
Heard Jr. was reportedly sent to a juvenile corrections facility in 2002. The next year, he was convicted of attempted first-degree murder and went to prison but was released in 2011.
In 2012, Heard Jr. was arrested again for allegedly stabbing and killing his wife, Demetra Doyle Heard.
“No family should have to endure the loss of a loved one at the hands of a previously convicted violent criminal,” Nash told TMZ at the time. “I am deeply saddened to hear that the man who murdered my brother, Michael Ensley, has been charged with murder again.”
She added, “I grieve for every family who has been victimized by this heinous individual. My prayers and love go out to the family of Demetra Doyle Heard during this trying time.”
On Tuesday in Texas, Salvador Ramos – an 18-year-old student at Uvalde High School – shot and killed 21 people, including 19 young students and two teachers, using an AR-15 rifle. He was killed by the police after the carnage broke out, authorities said.
Nash previously opened up about her brother’s slaying nearly a week after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Fla., where 14 students and three staffers were slaughtered.
“25 yrs ago today, my only brother, Michael Ensley, was killed on his high school campus by kid with a gun,” she tweeted at the time. “It’s 2018 and the death toll is rising while our spirits are still breaking. You don’t hear the pain. You hear the sound of NRA being exchanged. #NeverAgain.”
See Niecy’s post below.
View this post on Instagram
