[WIRE] Pharmaceutical executive Vivek Ramaswamy responded to the shooting in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday after a racially motivated shooter killed three black people, asserting, "We have a mental health epidemic in this country."
Ramaswamy, who is running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, appeared on CNN’s "State of the Union" with host Dana Bash, who asked him his reaction to the shooting.
"This should not be happening in the United States of America, and it is wrong," Ramaswamy stated. "The reality is, we have a mental health epidemic in this country. There are reports that this particular individual, the perpetrator, was indeed evaluated for mental health deficiencies as well."
"And I think we need to have the courage in this country to bring back a practice of putting back psychiatrically ill people who pose a risk to their communities into psychiatric institutions, not just drugging them up, but faith-based approaches and other approaches that fill our longing for purpose and meaning in this country," he continued, adding, "We have to address that mental health epidemic, and we need leaders with the courage to do it."
When Bash noted that according to the local sheriff the shooter had three manifestos, and said specifically that he went to the store with the intent of killing black people, Ramaswamy responded, "I think that is heinous and deserves to be called out for what it is." 
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