The region of New England is still mourning from the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night, with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick being the latest member of the local sports community to offer his condolences.
The 71-year-old opened his Friday morning press conference with a statement.
"(I'd like to) send prayers to the people in Maine," Belichick said, per team-provided video. "It's obviously a tragic situation. They're great fans of ours, great friends up there. Maine's a great place and I feel bad for all of the pain up there and the situation they're going through. Bowdoin (College), I have a lot of connections and a lot of my friends went there so I know the area pretty well.
"It's sad, difficult and we're thinking about (Maine) down here with the Patriots."
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You can watch Belichick give the statement here.
The Boston Bruins issued a statement Thursday, while their foundation created a fund in support of the families of those affected in the tragedy. B's head coach Jim Montgomery, who attended the University of Maine, also provided a statement, as did Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Red Sox.
The shooting left at least 18 people dead and 13 others injured, according to local authorities. The suspect, Robert Card, is still at large as of Friday afternoon, which has resulted in a shelter-in-place order remaining in effect across the southern part of Maine.
Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
