Kamala Harris condemned the deadly shooting that took place at a Georgia high school on Wednesday, calling it a “senseless tragedy” and saying, “We must put an end to this epidemic of gun violence in our country.”

The US vice president and Democratic presidential candidate paused before beginning a speech on economic issues during her campaign in North Hampton, New Hampshire, to address the incident.

She shook her head and called the killings “outrageous” in her comments on the first mass shooting at a school since she became the nominee.

“We are still gathering information about what happened, but we know there have been multiple deaths and injuries, and our hearts go out to all the students, teachers and their families,” she said.

She added: “Of course we are grateful for the first responders and the law enforcement that were there. But this is just a senseless tragedy on top of so many senseless tragedies, and it’s just outrageous that every day in our country, in the United States of America, parents have to send their children to school wondering if their child is going to come home alive.”

Visibly frustrated, Harris continued: “It’s senseless. That’s what it is. We’ve got to stop it, and we’ve got to end this epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all. You know, it doesn’t have to be this way. It doesn’t have to be this way.”

Four people are dead and several others injured. The suspect is currently in custody, authorities said.