Shawn Johnson has called Nashville home for the past 10 years and it has given her everything she could’ve ever asked for. It’s not only where she went on her first date with Andrew East, but it’s where the couple tied the knot all in the Music City. Of course, it’s also where she welcomed her two children.
They started dating in 2013 and Johnson ended up moving to Nashville – where East lived – four months later. He proposed in July 2015 and they got married on April 16, 2016, in Franklin, Tennessee. They share two children together, a 4-year-old daughter Drew Hazel, and a 1-year-old son Jett James.
Nashville has given the family so much over the past 10 years, but that’s what made Monday’s shooting at The Covenant School so scary for Shawn Johnson and Andrew East. While her children don’t attend the Presbyterian school, they do attend a nearby school – which was on lockdown during the tragedy.
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On Monday, just hours after the shooting came to a conclusion, Shawn Johnson took to her Instagram Story to share her family’s experience earlier that day, offer her condolences to the six people (three kids) who died, and call for action to ensure no family has to go through what Nashville endured on March 27.
“I’ve seen children’s ambulances, countless police cars, buses of children being transported to safety, parents flying down the street laying on their horns, people sprinting in and out of churches and schools looking for their kids. Today has changed me,” she said – describing it as heartbreaking and horrific.
She went on to explain that she feels lucky and blessed to have her babies at home after the lockdown, but also feels incredibly sad for all the parents and families that can’t say the same. She also feels for all the children and adults who had to witness the ‘heinous acts of violence’ that occurred earlier that day.
“My mama heart is shattered, you guys. You don’t ever fully recover from this. Thinking of these beautiful innocent babies, their families, the first responders, the teachers, everyone affected by today’s heinous acts,” she continued, sharing a video Andrew took of the students in school buses being taken to safety.
Shawn Johnson Shares Photo of Her Holding Her Children Tight
As she continued to share her experience on her Instagram Story, Shawn Johnson shared a photo and video of her holding her children tight – clearly heartbroken with tears in her eyes. She also shared an Instagram photo that included the names of the six people who died as a result of the heinous shooting.
“Too close. We were literally across the street filming when chaos ensued. When we started getting the calls, heard the sirens, saw the parents flying to get their babies,” she wrote in the caption. “Hearing the news slowly come in about the 3 beautiful babies and the 3 staff members that were unfairly taken away from our world and their families.”
She explained how she woke up on Tuesday morning with tears streaming down her face. She was filled with ‘guilt and sadness’ at the fact that her family was okay and others were not but also felt scared to bring her children back to school – or anywhere, really – and feels sad for the entire country, as a whole.
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“I know prayers can’t take it back but I’m still going to pray like hell. I believe our God is good. It’s all I can believe in right now. My faith is all I can lean on right now. God, please save us all from this evil,” she concluded. Her sentiment has been shared by millions of people across the US as they call for action.
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