A Fox News anchor offered "thoughts and prayers" to the families of country music fans killed in a Thousand Oaks mass shooting, after one victim's mother specifically said she did not want any.
Susan Schmidt-Orfanos, whose son, Telemachus Orfanos, was killed Wednesday night after surviving a mass shooting last year in Las Vegas, said she wanted gun control -- not platitudes.
“My son was in Las Vegas with a lot of his friends and he came home, he didn’t come home last night," she said. “I don’t want prayers, I don’t want thoughts — I want gun control, and I hope to God nobody sends me any more prayers.”
Anchors Bill Hemmer and Sandra Smith came out of a video segment showing Orfanos' comments and reported the 18-year-old niece of former Fox News reporter Adam Housley, who reportedly left the network over its pro-Trump coverage, had also been among the shooting victims.
"Horrible news," Smith said.
"Hits very close to home, and to Adam and the rest of his family, I know they're grieving a lot now," Hemmer said. "We're sending you our best strength we can out in California."
Smith was unable to help herself, and violated Orfanos' request.
"Love, thoughts and prayers to all of them," she said. "Adam's been a colleague a long time."
