‘Dancing With The Stars’ Contestant Alek Skarlatos Reacts To Alma Mater Shooting 

“Dancing with the Stars” contestant Alek Skarlatos is speaking out after a deadly shooting at his alma mater.

The Army National Guardsman attended the Roseburg, Ore. college where a gunman opened fire on Thursday, killing nine people and injuring at least seven others. According to CNN, the suspected perpetrator was also pronounced dead after law enforcement officials “neutralized the threat” and shot him on site.

Alek, who received global accolades after he and two other men thwarted an alleged terrorist attack on a Paris train in August, released a statement to Access Hollywood following the tragedy.

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“I was enrolled as a student at Umpqua Community College prior to my 2014 deployment to Afghanistan. While I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time in August aboard a train bound for Paris, I only wish that the same could be said for today,” the 22-year-old said.

“I praise the first responders who were on the ground today in Roseburg as they undoubtedly were integral in saving numerous lives and putting a stop to what could have been more than tragic than it is,” he continued. “My heart and prayers go out to this community, my community, right now.”

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During a taping of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on Thursday, Alek said he would have been on the Umpqua campus during the attack if it weren’t for “Dancing with the Stars.”

Roseburg is such a close-knit town, he added, that the residents are all likely experiencing personal loss.

“Everybody knows each other,” Alek said of his stomping grounds. “So with that many deceased I mean everybody’s going to know at least one person.”

Alek also Tweeted his remorse for the victims and their loved ones, asking followers to “send prayers out to ucc” as he headed to Roseburg to offer his support.

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President Obama mourned the rampage in a televised conference, bemoaning the nation’s continued gun violence epidemic.

“Somehow this has become routine. The reporting is routine. My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it. We have become numb to this,” the President said.

He went on to address why emotional turmoil alone won’t inflict the change needed to lessen the occurrence of these attacks. According to the Washington Post, in the 274 days of 2015, there have been 294 shootings in which four or more people were killed.

“Our thoughts and prayers are not enough. It’s not enough,” President Obama continued. “It does not capture the heartache and grief and anger that we should feel, and it does nothing to prevent this carnage from being inflicted someplace else in America — next week, or a couple months from now.”

Stars also shared their reactions, posting words of shock, heartache, fury and sadness across social media.

— Erin Biglow