Matthew McConaughey returned to his grieving hometown of Uvalde, Texas, after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary school left 19 children and two teachers dead.
After learning of the horror unfolding, McConaughey released a lengthy statement on social media about the tragedy.
On Friday, the 52-year-old actor headed to the small town of Uvalde himself in a bid to help mourners “heal.”
McConaughey was accompanied by Republican Representative Tony Gonzales as he consoled the community where he spent the first 12 years of his life.
The Oscar winner – whose mother Kay McCabe was a teacher at St Philip’s Episcopal School in Uvalde, according to local outlets – visited staff in the city’s school district.
He did not address the press during his brief visit.
“Thank you Matthew for helping to heal our community,” Gonzales tweeted. “Your visit brought so many smiling faces to Uvalde. See you soon my friend.”
Gonzales shared images of McConaughey embracing staffers and students during his visit.
“Appreciate Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey helping us heal,” he said. “This week was a solemn reminder that evil exists in the world, but we will never let it break us.”
“We’ll unite to be an even more powerful reminder that love never fails & together we can change things,” Gonzales added.
On Wednesday, McConaughey issued a call to action on social media to combat gun violence.
“As you all are aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my hometown of Uvalde, Texas,” the actor wrote on social media.
“Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us.”
McConaughey called for an end to making “excuses and accepting these tragic realities as the status quo.”
The actor, who moved from Uvalde seven hours away to Longview, Texas, when he was 11, said the endless news of gun violence in the US is “an epidemic we can control.”