Son fights for gun reform after dad helps officer enter Covenant School
By Marissa Sulek
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) — Thousands of people made their way inside the Tennessee State Capitol to demand stricter gun laws.
As they made their way up the Capitol steps, they all had their signs, their reasons for gun control. But one man stayed hours after because he had an extra reason.
“My father is the school pastor there,” explains Jack Sullivan.
His dad, Matthew Sullivan, works at The Covenant School. He was there when the shooting happened Monday.
“He heard the fire alarms and wasn’t sure what was going on,” says Jack. “So he went outside for a fire drill.”
He says Matthew Sullivan was one of the few people outside when Metro Police officers arrived at the school. In fact, he’s the man you see next to the door in police body camera video. He gives his keys to Officer Rex Engelbert allowing him to get in the building and get to the shooter.
“I just started crying when I saw it,” says Jack Sullivan. “Thinking about what he was experiencing.
“I’m a teacher myself. I was in school and my phone started blowing up that there was shooter at my dad’s school and I was just terrified, all my thoughts running through my head.”
While Jack says his father is safe, he fears for the safety of his own students and kids across America.
That’s why he’s sitting on a bench in the Tennessee State Capitol hours later.
“I think lawmakers need to face the fact that what happened is such a tragedy and so preventable,” says Jack, adding he wants AR-15 assault weapons out of people hands.
Jack says his dad, Matthew, is still very much in shock. He says he’s a spiritual leader and is doing what he can to minister to families.
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