Arizona Senator Mark Kelly on political violence

(NBC, KYMA) - Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) says America is a very divided nation, and experiencing a rise in political violence.

Senator Kelly made those remarks in an interview with a reporter from Telemundo Arizona.

He said the assassination of Charlie Kirk reminded him of the day when he got word his wife had been shot.

"I received a very similar phone call that I imagined Charlie Kirk's wife did last Wednesday. For me, it was 14 years ago in January 2011 when I was told that Gabby was shot and that she was shot in the head. Later, it was reported that she had died.

So when he was shot last Wednesday, I went back to that day in January. I was just thinking about how this woman and her family has received the same kind of news, and my heart goes out to her and what they are going through."

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)

Former Representative Gabrielle Giffords was seriously wounded in 2011 while meeting with constituents at a shopping center in Arizona.

Kelly says his heart goes out to the Kirk family.

He says he hopes President Donald Trump will try to unite the nation with his speech at Charlie Kirk's memorial service in Arizona Sunday.

"Politically, we are a very divided nation. You combine social media and a fractured media environment where people get their information from all different kinds of sources. And a lot of times that information reinforces biases on both sides of the political spectrum. I think that's the reality.

So an event like what will happen on Sunday is an opportunity for the president of the United States to stand up and try to unite us, try to talk about the things we have in common, try to talk about why political division is tearing this country apart and try to find some common ground. I hope he does that.

At the same time, I don't have high expectations that he will."

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)