‘I’m sick to my stomach’: LA Galaxy star Sacha Kljestan pleads for gun control in an emotional press conference after Highland Park massacre, as he says he ‘doesn’t give a s***’ about talking about soccer amid a ‘sick, vicious cycle’
- LA Galaxy midfielder Sacha Kljestan used his media duties to talk on gun control
- The 36-year-old revealed that the lack of action in the US ‘makes me sick’
- Robert ‘Bobby’ Crimo III, 22, is suspected of killing six people in Chicago
- The Highland Park massacre is the 15th mass killing in the country in 2022
LA Galaxy midfielder Sacha Kljestan used his post-match press conference to plead for new gun laws following the Highland Park massacre in Illinois.
Robert ‘Bobby’ Crimo III, 22, is suspected of killing six people and wounding more than a dozen others during a July 4 parade. The US has now seen 309 mass killings so far this year.
Speaking after his side’s 4-0 victory over CF Montreal. of which he played 13 minutes, Kljestan sat down in front of reporters and said: ‘I’m actually going to keep this really brief and not answer any questions about the game. I’m not joking.
‘I’m sick to my stomach at what’s happened in Illinois today and I think we need to talk about gun control. You guys can write about the game if you want but I don’t really give a s***.
‘It’s a sick, vicious cycle that keeps happening over and over and we’re doing nothing about it, and it makes me sick.
LA Galaxy midfielder Sacha Kljestan spoke on the Highland Park massacre during media duties
Robert ‘Bobby’ Crimo III is pictured during his arrest after an hours-long manhunt in Illinois
Crimo, 22, is suspected of killing six people and wounding more than a dozen others during a July 4 parade
‘Congress, senators, if anyone sees this – do something. Our kids get shot up, we say ‘thoughts and prayers’ and it does nothing. We talk about it on social media and it does nothing. And then our government does nothing and then someone gets shot up again.
‘It’s sick, it p****s me off and I cannot think about anything else but that.
‘I’m not a politician but I’m a human being and my kids, I fear for them when they go to school and it pisses me off. If it doesn’t piss you off, if you don’t want new gun laws in this country then there’s something wrong with you.’
A member of the press pack then brought up the recent Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v Wade, once again giving states the ability to criminalise abortion.
‘It’s ridiculous that we have nine people who don’t really represent what the majority of americans want making decisions,’ the 36-year-old responded. ‘Then taking liberties away from women and putting everyone’s lives at risk by allowing these insane laws.’
The 36-year-old also spoke about the recent Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v Wade
Armed police carry out a search in the vehicle after Crimo’s arrest following a brief chase in Lake Forest yesterday
Kljestan was then asked if he had spoken to his kids on these issues. ‘It’s sick,’ he added. ‘They tell me they practice at school for if there is a shooter to come in. It’s sad.’
Crimo, a Donald Trump-supporting rapper with a seemingly successful music career, was arrested after an hours long manhunt that involved local and federal authorities.
Police have said he was ‘known to law enforcement’ but it is not yet known if this was due to the disturbing content he shared online which has now taken on a chilling relevance in the wake of the shooting.
So far, synagogue teacher Jacki Sundheim, a married mother, and grandfather Nicolas Toledo, 78, have been named as victims.
A total of 26 victims were also injured, 25 of whom suffered gunshot wounds. Six remain in hospital for treatment. The age ranges of the victims sits between eight and 85, with around four or five of those shot believed to be children.
Horror on Independence Day: A police officer bows his head in grief next to abandoned strollers and chairs after a shooting that killed six people in Highland Park, Illinois
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