The Acacia Strain Vocalist Responds After Ohio Shooter Reportedly Wore Band’s Merch
A gunman killed nine people and injured 27 others during a mass shooting early Aug. 4 in Dayton, Ohio, authorities said in reports offered by CNN and The Washington Post. It was the second deadly mass shooting in the U.S. within 24 hours after a similar rampage in El Paso, Texas, left 20 dead the day prior. But this weekend, metalcore band the Acacia Strain were called out by a television news anchor for apparently being a part of the Ohio shooter's wardrobe.
Correspondent Jim Heath took to social media to lambast the band's song "Ramirez" as "hateful and vengeful" after a purported photograph shows the alleged Ohio gunman wearing a supposed Acacia Strain sweatshirt brandished with lyrics from the song. See the message down toward the bottom of this page.
"Suspect in #Dayton shooting was wearing shorts with a black sweatshirt that read: 'No heart to fear, no soul to steal,'" Heath said Sunday on Twitter. "The slogan is believed to be from a hateful and vengeful song called Ramirez by The Acacia Strain, a metalcore band"
The photo in question has been "circulating across social media that shows a man face down, wearing that Acacia Strain hoodie, featuring the 'No heart to fear, no soul to steal' quote," as reported by Metal Injection. According to lyrics database Genius, the following are the words to the Acacia Strain's "Ramirez":
The Acacia Strain, "Ramirez" lyrics
I wanna see the pieces fit into place
I wanna feel your body temperature drop
I wanna feel the wind against my face
I wanna hear your heart stop
I have a perfectly good idea of how the fuck you're going to die
We fear what we don't understand
And I'm afraid of everything
Hail Mary, the virgin whore
I can't fucking take this anymore
Hail Mary with the broken face
You name the time I'll name the place
I wanna tell her I felt it in my heart
But I have no heart to feel
I wanna tell them I know who stole my soul
But I have no soul to steal
I believe that Hell is real
Hell is other people
I am a burning building
You can't save me
Hail Mary, the virgin whore
I can't fucking take this anymore
Hail Mary with the broken face
You name the time I'll name the place
The Acacia Strain vocalist Vincent Bennett replied to the news, saying it made him sick and "Anyone who knows anything knows we don’t condone this behavior. No one has the right to take another’s life." Bennet also added, "We will be taking action to help the families of the victims however we can."
See his full response below:
This story is developing. We'll update it with more info as it becomes available.
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