Social Media

Silicon Valley companies condemn recent shootings via social media

Protestors yell after police officers arrest a bystander following the shooting at a protest in Dallas on July 7, 2016.
Laura Buckman | AFP | Getty Images

Executives at Google, Apple and Facebook took to social media Thursday to express grief for the series of fatal shootings that took place across the country in recent days.

Google posted to their Twitter account Thursday evening saying that the company is devastated by the deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisianan and Philando Castile in St. Paul, Minnesota and that they "stand in the fight for racial injustice."

Tweet 1

And CEO Tim Cook also sent a tweet Thursday night condemning the "senseless killings" this week.

Tweet 2

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave his condolences to the families affected by the events this week and described the images seen as "graphic and heartbreaking."

Here's what Zuckerberg wrote:

"Yesterday, a Minnesota woman named Diamond Reynolds went live on Facebook immediately after her fiancé, Philando Castile, had been shot by police in his car. Philando later died from his wounds. In the video, Diamond's 4-year-old daughter is watching from the back seat.

My heart goes out to the Castile family and all the other families who have experienced this kind of tragedy. My thoughts are also with all members of the Facebook community who are deeply troubled by these events.

The images we've seen this week are graphic and heartbreaking, and they shine a light on the fear that millions of members of our community live with every day. While I hope we never have to see another video like Diamond's, it reminds us why coming together to build a more open and connected world is so important -- and how far we still have to go."