FRISCO, Texas — Legendary singer Dolly Parton is in Frisco, Texas, to host this Thursday night's Academy of Country Music Awards.
While artists from across the nation gather to celebrate the ACM awards, there is also a somber mood clouding the North Texas area.
The awards show will be taking place at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco - which is just 20 minutes away from the site of a deadly mass shooting on Saturday, May 6.
Eight people were killed and several others were injured at the Allen Premium Outlets mall after a gunman opened fire during a busy weekend afternoon. The shooter was fatally shot by an Allen police officer who happened to be there on an unrelated call.
While speaking about her upcoming host duties on Tuesday, Parton addressed the mall shooting and offered her condolences, while also asking questions about why it happened.
Here's what she said:
"Well we always think about that. Can you believe this crazy world that we’re living in? Actually, the song I’m singing on Thursday night is all about that and all about why can’t we love one another? Why can’t we help pull things together and all that?
So, of course we all hurt. We’re all the same people really. So anytime you see that you think, ‘not again!’ But I’m sure with this being your hometown it hits even harder like it did in Nashville with the shooting there at the Covenant School. We always notice it when it happens in our own hometown.
Thank you for asking and our hearts go out as everybody says. You can’t keep from feeling that seeing all the people. It could be your very own people. I hope everybody finds comfort in their source."
The eight victims who died have all been identified: The Cho family -- Kyu, Cindy and their 3-year-old son James; sisters Daniela Mendoza, 11, and Sofia Mendoza, 8; Christian LaCour, 20; Aishwarya Thatikonda, 27; and Elio Cumana-Rivas, 32.