‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Showrunner Krista Vernoff Gets Emotional About Deluca’s Shocking Death

Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff is speaking out following Thursday night’s shocking death, and she’s just as heartbroken as fans. After the doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial tragically lost one of their own, Vernoff took to Twitter to offer some clarity on the character’s exit in an emotional post shared with fans of the long-running ABC medical drama. Warning: This post contained spoilers for Grey’s Anatomy Season 17, Episode 7, “Helplessly Hoping.”

During Thursday night’s episode, Giacomo Gianniotti‘s Dr. Andrew DeLuca died after being stabbed while pursuing and attempting to expose a sex trafficker. While his death broke more than just a few hearts and even sparked a little anger from fans, Vernoff explained that “is the story that demanded to be told,” echoing the words of Gianniotti, who told Entertainment Tonight that the “really beautiful” was “an opportunity to highlight a huge issue of human trafficking.” Applauding Gianniotti as an actor who “brought so much talent and so much heart to the role,” Vernoff shared that “we at Grey’s Anatomy are grieving the death of this character with all of you.”

“Giacomo played him so beautifully and took him on such a powerful journey — from intern, to romantic, to a mental health crisis and back again. Giacomo remains a member of our family not just in perpetuity but for more of this season,” she wrote. “You will see him again. As actor and as director. This is the story that demanded to be told. But sometimes we writers are just as grief-stricken by the stories as you are. This is one of those times.”

During the Season 17 midseason premiere, which was also a crossover event with Station 19, DeLuca attempted to follow suspected kidnapping kingpin Opal. Although he was able to track her long enough for police to arrest her, he was stabbed in the process, and he died on the operating table. He later appeared in Meredith’s dream sequence, where he saw his mother, who died suddenly in Italy. His time on the series ended with him running towards her.

Following the episode, Gianniotti also took to Twitter, writing, “So much I could say… but all that comes to mind is thank you. Thank you to all the fans who loved Deluca as much as I did. Telling his story was and will be one of the great honors of my life. Thank you.”

Gianniotti joined the ABC medical drama in 2015 when the series was in its 11th season, taking on the role of DeLuca, a medical intern. While his character has moved on, fans will get a little more of Gianniotti, as he directed Season 17, Episode 11, which will air later this year. New episodes of Grey’s Anatomy air Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.