Judd Apatow on Louisiana theater shooting: We ‘need to find a way to do better’

Amy Schumer, Judd Apatow and Universal Pictures have responded to the shooting that left three dead and nine injured in a Lafayette, La., movie theater during a screening of their new film “Trainwreck.�

“My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana,� Schumer, the star and screenwriter of the film, wrote on Twitter on Thursday night, within hours of the shooting.

Director Apatow added in a statement Friday, “One of the reasons we make these movies is because the world can be so horrifying and we all need to laugh just to deal with it. So to have this happen in a room where people were smiling and laughing devastates me. My thoughts and love go out to the victims and anyone touched by this madness or any madness. We, as a country, need to find a way to do better.�

A statement from the studio said, “All of us at Universal Pictures send our heartfelt sympathies to the victims of this senseless tragedy and their families in Louisiana.�

The shooting took place about 7:30 p.m. local time at Lafayette’s Grand Theatre, officials said. At least 100 people were in the theater.

The shooter, identified as John Russell Houser, a 59-year-old drifter from Alabama, took his own life after initially attempting to flee the scene, authorities said.

The American Film Institute said in a statement: “Going to a summer movie is a celebration of the American creative spirit and one of our nation’s most beloved pastimes. Let us stand together in these times of tragedy and embrace what is precious to us — churches, schools and places where the arts can send our spirits soaring. As a national community of artists and audiences, AFI offers our heartfelt sympathies to the victims in Louisiana and their families.�

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