"I am saddened by the senseless deaths of Alison Parker and Adam Ward,” the Democratic presidential candidate told The Hill in a statement. "Jane and I have their families and friends in our thoughts.”

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Television reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were shot and killed Wednesday morning while broadcasting live near Roanoke, Va. The suspected gunman, Vester Flanagan, was a former employee of the television station who went by Bryce Williams on-air, police say.

Unlike his chief rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton, Sanders did not call for action on gun violence in his initial response to the shooting.

“We must act to stop gun violence, and we cannot wait any longer,” Clinton tweeted Wednesday.

The Democratic candidates have different records when it comes to firearms, with Clinton more firmly in favor of stricter regulations.

Sanders voted against the original Brady Act in 1993, which required background checks for most gun purchasers, but voted to expand background checks to all gun sales in 2013.

He also voted to ban assault weapons but also to allow guns on trains.