Kelly Clarkson hosted the 2018 Billboard Music Awards and she opened the show with a tearful tribute to the victims of the Santa Fe school shooting.
The Voice judge and proud Texan began the night's festivities with a respectful nod to the horrific events that happened over the weekend in her home state. On Friday, a gunman killed 10 people at Santa Fe high school in Texas. Reports confirm that eight students and two teachers were among those lost in the tragedy with another 13 people wounded after an active shooter opened fire during the early morning hours. The suspect was armed with a shotgun and a.38 caliber pistol. He was taken into police custody shortly after the shooting began, admitting to police that he entered the school with the intention to kill his fellow students.
The tragedy marks the 22nd school shooting this year in the United States and has been a particularly controversial incident in Texas, a state known for its pro-gun stance.
Clarkson began her speech by acknowledging the terrible events that happened before getting choked up.
