SENATE RESOLUTION 89--EXPRESSING THE CONDOLENCES OF THE SENATE AND HONORING THE MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE MASS SHOOTING IN AURORA, ILLINOIS, ON FEBRUARY 15, 2019; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 37
(Senate - February 28, 2019)
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[Page S1603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 89--EXPRESSING THE CONDOLENCES OF THE SENATE AND
HONORING THE MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE MASS SHOOTING IN AURORA,
ILLINOIS, ON FEBRUARY 15, 2019
Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Ms. Duckworth) submitted the following
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 89
Whereas, on February 15, 2019, a gunman opened fire at his
coworkers in the Henry Pratt Company warehouse in Aurora,
Illinois;
Whereas 5 innocent people were tragically killed in this
mass shooting, and others, including officers of the Aurora
Police Department, were wounded;
Whereas the innocent employees who lost their lives that
day were--
(1) Russell Beyer, age 47, of Yorkville, Illinois, a 25-
year company employee, proud union man and shop chairman, a
loving father of 2 children and a beloved son and brother,
and a ``fun, loving gentle giant of a guy,'' who ``would
truly give you the shirt off his back'';
(2) Vicente Juarez, age 54, of Oswego, Illinois, a 15-year
company employee and union man, a loving husband and father
of 3 children and grandfather of 8, who had a passion for
working on his 1969 Chevy Impala;
(3) Clayton ``Clay'' Parks, age 32, of Elgin, Illinois, a
2014 graduate of the College of Business at Northern Illinois
University, a loving husband and father to his 9-month-old
son, a leader and mentor, and an avid Chicago sports fan with
a contagious smile and laugh, whose greatest joy was his
family;
(4) Josh Pinkard, age 37, of Oswego, Illinois, a plant
manager for the company since 2018, and a loving husband and
father of 3 children, whose heartbreaking final message to
his wife was, ``I love you, I've been shot at work''; and
(5) Trevor Wehner, age 21, of Sheridan, Illinois, a senior
at Northern Illinois University who was killed on the first
day of an internship, a loving son, brother, and boyfriend,
and a high school and college baseball player active in his
community who ``never met a stranger'' and ``made friends
with everyone young and old'';
Whereas officers from the Aurora Police Department swiftly
arrived at the shooting scene within 4 minutes of the first
911 call;
Whereas the officers who arrived were fired upon by the
gunman almost immediately, 5 officers were wounded, and more
officers rushed in to take their place;
Whereas Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman said that--
(1) ``Every time an officer was shot, another went in. No
one retreated. They forged ahead with shields and weapons as
true warriors do and no one backed down until the threat was
eliminated.''; and
(2) ``The officers who were shot that day put their own
lives at risk to save others. They are what it means to be a
warrior. Those who were in the gunfight and those who stood
ready to battle are just as worthy of the term hero.'';
Whereas the 6 officers wounded or injured were--
(1) Officer Diego Avila, who has served since 2016;
(2) Officer John Cebulski, who has served since 1988;
(3) Officer Marco Gomez, who has served since 2005;
(4) Officer Adam Miller, who has served since 2015;
(5) Officer Reynaldo Rivera, who has served since 1995; and
(6) Officer James Zegar, who has served since 1993;
Whereas the Aurora Fire Department and a broad array of
municipal, county, State, and Federal law enforcement and
medical support agencies also responded to the emergency
promptly and assisted capably in the initial crisis and the
subsequent investigation;
Whereas the people of Illinois and the United States are
thankful to law enforcement officers, firefighters, 911
emergency dispatchers, and emergency medical teams for their
heroic response to the shooting;
Whereas the Aurora shooting that took the lives of 2
members of the Northern Illinois University community took
place one day after the February 14th anniversary of the 2008
mass shooting at Northern Illinois University that killed 5
students and wounded 17 others;
Whereas communities across Illinois, including the city of
Chicago, and across the United States have suffered from the
epidemic of gun violence in the United States;
Whereas the people of Aurora, Illinois, have now joined the
ever-growing list of communities that have suffered from a
mass shooting; and
Whereas the Aurora community has come together in support
of the families and loved ones of the victims and those
injured by this mass shooting and, will, in the words of
Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, ``emerge as a stronger city'':
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) expresses its sincere condolences to the families,
friends, and loved ones of those who were killed in the
tragic shooting on February 15, 2019, in Aurora, Illinois:
Russell Beyer, Vicente Juarez, Clayton Parks, Josh Pinkard,
and Trevor Wehner;
(2) extends its support and prayers to those who were
wounded or injured and wishes them a speedy recovery;
(3) commends the law enforcement officers, emergency
responders, and medical personnel who responded to the
shooting with professionalism, dedication, and bravery;
(4) expresses its support for the Aurora community in this
difficult time; and
(5) stands in solidarity with the victims of senseless gun
violence in communities across the United States.
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