Local politicians are reacting to news that snipers shot 12 police officers, five fatally, at a peaceful protest Thursday night. Two civilians were also shot.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich released a statement on Twitter:
“Our hears are heavy for the police officers lost in last night’s violence in Dallas, for their families and their fellow officers. … Our communities can only be strong when we have mutual respect between police and those they serve.”
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump released the following statement:
“Last night’s horrific execution-style shootings of 12 Dallas law enforcement officers – five of whom were killed and seven wounded - is an attack on our country. It is a coordinated, premeditated assault on the men and women who keep us safe.
We must restore law and order. We must restore the confidence of our people to be safe and secure in their homes and on the street.
The senseless, tragic deaths of two motorists in Louisiana and Minnesota reminds us how much more needs to be done.
This morning I offer my thoughts and prayers for all of the victims’ families, and we pray for our brave police officers and first responders who risk their lives to protect us every single day.
Our nation has become too divided. Too many Americans feel like they’ve lost hope. Crime is harming too many citizens. Racial tensions have gotten worse, not better. This isn’t the American Dream we all want for our children.
This is a time, perhaps more than ever, for strong leadership, love and compassion. We will pull through these tragedies.”
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan released this statement:
“We are all stunned by the events last night in Dallas. We are all outraged. An attack on the people who protect us is an attack on all of us.
Our hearts are with the Dallas Police Department. Our hearts are with the victims, and especially with their loved ones. They wear the badge too. I know that to be a cop’s wife or a cop’s husband is to prepare for the worst, but who could fathom such horror as this.
There is no cause or context in which this violence this kind of terrorist justified. None at all.
There will be a temptation to let our anger harden our divisions. Let’s not let that happen. There’s going to be a temptation to let our anger send us further into our corners. Let’s not let that happen. That script is just easy to write it’s too predictable. Let’s defy those predictions.
A few perpetrators of evil do not represent us. They do not control us. The blame lies with the people who committed these vicious acts, and no one else. And as the president rightfully said, justice will be done.
We also have to let the healing be done as well. This has been a long week for our country. It’s been a long month for America. We have seen terrible, terrible senseless things.
Every member of this body every Republican and every Democrat wants to see less gun violence. Every member of this body wants a world in which people feel safe regardless of the color of their skin. And that’s not how people are feeling these days.
Sometimes we disagree on how to get there. Sometimes we disagree passionately on how to get there. But in having this debate, let’s not lose sight of the values that unite us. Let’s not lose sight in our common humanity.
The values that brought those protestors to the streets in Dallas, the values that brought those protestors to the streets in Washington last night respect, decency, compassion, humanity. If we lose these fundamental things, what’s left?
We need to take a moment here. For reflection, for thought, for prayer, for justice, for action. Right now, let’s let justice be done, and let’s also let some healing occur, too.”
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