Title: Expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives and honoring the memory of the victims of the mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois, on February 15, 2019.
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
This resolution expresses condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the individuals who were killed in the shooting in Aurora, Illinois, on February 15, 2019.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 162 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 162

Expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives and honoring 
the memory of the victims of the mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois, on 
                           February 15, 2019.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 28, 2019

  Mr. Foster (for himself and Ms. Underwood) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives and honoring 
the memory of the victims of the mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois, on 
                           February 15, 2019.

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 House of Representatives--
            (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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