'Grief on top of grief:' Fort Worth pastor returns from Uvalde

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) -- A Fort Worth pastor who went to Uvalde following the Robb Elementary School mass shooting is back in town and sharing his experience Sunday.

"Grief on top of grief on top of grief," New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, Pastor Kyev Tatum said. "While we were grieving the loss of the children, while we were grieving the loss of the teachers…"

He worked with an Uvalde church and other Christian counselors to help those who are grieving in the community. 

"The victims were not just those who died and their families, that entire city and region are victims," Tatum said. 

Less than 24 hours after a gunman shot and killed 19 young students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School, Tatum drove down to Uvalde to offer help. 

"Clergies For Safe Cities asked me, 'Did we know a pastor in Uvalde that we can connect with to help them through this process?' And then that's when I went into action," Tatum said.

He connected with an Uvalde church with members who have ties to some of the shooting victims. 

"The elder statesmen said, 'Two girls in our church passed away in that shooting,'" Tatum said. "'The girl on the right is my great granddaughter, my heart…. The one on the left, she loved coming to church.'"

Tatum is working with The Circle of Compassion was formed with Christian leaders from all over the United States.

"We met, we prayed, we've cried, we've paid respects to the children at the memorial," Tatum said. 

The work isn't done yet. Now he's taking supplies and toys that were donated for his community back to Uvalde in hopes it can help. 

"They gave us these incredible toys right? And so we know that toys, balls are therapeutic outdoors," Tatum said. "They're okay therapy, those kids are going to need a lot of therapy. But it's not going to be the traditional therapy, it's just putting them in spaces and places where they can have f-u-n."

Pastor Tatum plans to go back to Uvalde. He said there will be a Circle of Compassion meeting this week to lay out a more long-term plan to support the community.