Senseless. Evil. Tragic. Unimaginable. Heartbreaking.

So many words come to mind following a shooting spree in Lincoln County.

A mass shooting at three separate homes with a total of eight victims, including a sheriff’s deputy, is hard to even fathom. Here in Lincoln County, we feel safe, we feel protected, we assume that shootings like this happen somewhere else.

But we are wrong.

Our communities have been struck with violence before, but not like this. While the murders of 2015 shocked and scared us, this past weekend’s violence feels different.

Maybe it is because one man took the lives of eight people. Maybe it is because a sheriff’s deputy was among the dead. Maybe it is because so many families will now have to navigate life without a loved one.

Those families will never be the same. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office will never be the same. Lincoln County will never be the same.

In the face of tragedy, we often feel helpless. But there’s something we can all do. We can pray for the families and friends left behind. We can pray for the sheriff’s office. We can pray for Lincoln County.