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When Tim Walz told his son's story during Tuesday's debate, the revelation drew sympathy from JD Vance, who told his opponent, “I'm sorry.”

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Tuesday night's vice presidential debate featured a brief moment of shared empathy between the candidates as Gov. Tim Walz recounted a time when his teenage son witnessed a shooting.

While answering a question about gun violence, Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, said his 17-year-old son witnessed a shooting at a community center while playing volleyball there.

“These things don’t let you go,” Walz said on the debate stage Tuesday.

The admission prompted Walz's Republican opponent, JD Vance, to shake his head sadly and mutter, “That's terrible.”

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Gus Walz reportedly witnessed a shooting at the St. Paul Recreation Center in 2023

The personal moment came when Walz and Vance were asked about gun violence, particularly school shootings.

The Harris campaign told both the Washington Post and the New York Times that Walz was referring to a shooting that occurred in January 2023 at the Jimmy Lee Recreation Center in Saint Paul.

USA TODAY has reached out to the Harris campaign and a representative for Walz for more information.

A 26-year-old employee at the center shot and killed a teenager during a fight, according to Minnesota Public Radio, which reported on the attack. The center is across the street from Central High School in St. Paul, where Gus Walz is a student.

Although the 16-year-old victim survived, he had to have part of his skull removed and still suffers from seizures, MPR reported.

After talking about his son, Walz continued: “As a member of Congress, I sat in my office surrounded by dozens of Sandy Hook parents and they looked at my 7-year-old's picture on the wall. Their seven-year-old was dead and they were asking us to do something.”

Vance to Walz: “It’s terrible”

Walz's revelation appeared to elicit sympathy from Sen. Vance (R-Ohio), who called gun violence a “terrible epidemic” during the debate.

“Tim, first of all, I didn't know your 17-year-old was a witness to a shooting, and I'm sorry about that,” Vance said after Walz finished speaking.

“Christ have mercy,” he continued, “it is terrible.”

“I appreciate it,” Walz replied.

The candidates represent different views on responding to school shootings

While candidates on both lists have said they are gun owners, Vance and Walz largely disagree on how best to curb the epidemic of gun violence in the United States, the leading cause of death among children and teenagers.

Vance, who opposes most gun control legislation, focused on improving security around schools and blamed gun violence on immigration problems at the border.

“Unfortunately, I think we need to increase security in our schools,” Vance said. “We have to close the doors better. We have to make the doors stronger. We need to make the windows stronger, and of course we need to increase the number of school resource officers.”

Walz, meanwhile, focused on gun control legislation and touted his successes in Minnesota passing stricter background checks for the sale of firearms.

“We understand that the Second Amendment exists, but our first responsibility is for our children to figure that out,” he said.

Despite the political differences, Walz took a moment to note that he and Vance, both fathers, agreed that shootings were “abhorrent.”

“I think this is a good start to the conversation,” Walz said.

Contributor: Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and breaking news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]

On By John Fenwick

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