Raphael Warnock: “I rise today in shock and sorrow and in grief for my home State. And, if I am honest, I rise really with a deep sense of…”

“I rise today in shock and sorrow and in grief for my home State. And, if I am honest, I rise really with a deep sense of anger about what is happening in our country in the area of gun violence and death. I stood here in March of 2021 after a gunman went on a rampage across Metro Atlanta and snatched eight precious souls--people with families and friends who loved them dearly. And here I am standing again, this time with the tragedy having occurred in midtown Atlanta, right in my own backyard. While this is still a developing situation, according to media reports, so far, at least five people were shot--five--on a random afternoon. There has been one fatality. The others were taken to the hospital. I want to take a moment and thank law enforcement officials for keeping us as safe as they can. I want to thank them for their work trying to apprehend this individual. I am also thankful for local media who are keeping all of us informed, and I am grateful for our first responders, the people in healthcare, the people on the front lines. We count on them every day to care for those who are injured, to respond to people in peril. That is what makes this particular shooting ironic and deeply upsetting, because it underscores the fact that none of us is safe no matter where we are. This happened in a medical facility where people are trying to find healing.…”