SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Three people, including a Minneapolis police officer and the suspected gunman, are dead after a mass shooting in the city on Thursday.
Representative Cedrick Frazier (DFL – New Hope), Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee, released the following statement:
“I offer my deepest condolences to the families, friends, and communities of Officer Jamal Mitchell whose life was tragically cut short in a horrific act of gun violence. As we mourn Officer Mitchell, this is a stark reminder of the gun violence epidemic plaguing our nation.
Gun violence continues to tear through our communities, regardless of race or background, leaving a trail of grief and trauma in its wake. No one is immune, not even those who dedicate themselves to keeping us safe. This cycle of horrific situations cannot be our new normal. We deserve better as a state and as a country.
“The common denominator is the perpetuation of violence in our society. The question we have to ask ourselves as a community and as a country is ‘what tragedy will be the one to catapult us into a different direction?’ We must turn away from the mythical fallacy of meeting force with force and expecting non tragic outcomes. We must attack the root causes of violence in our communities. It will not be easy because the roots predate the establishment of this nation. But it is necessary, and it must be done.”
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