On the recordMay 18, 2017
I hadn't planned to speak again, but a gentleman on the other side was just completely incorrect in what he said, and I have the bill here. The bill does establish the death penalty for attempted killing, and here is the language. The bill is very short. It says: The law is amended by inserting after paragraph 16 the following: Paragraph 17, killing or targeting of law enforcement officer. A. The defendant killed or attempted to kill, in the circumstance described in subparagraph B, a police officer, etc. And B says: The circumstance referred to in subparagraph A is that the person was killed or targeted while he was engaged in performance of his duties, basically. So this implies the death penalty lists, as an additional aggravating factor for the death penalty, someone who killed or attempted to kill a police officer, a probation officer, a firefighter while they were engaged in their duties--killed or attempted to kill. That is what it means when it says killing or targeting. Targeting means attempting to kill. It is very clear. You cannot misread this. Maybe the drafter made a mistake, but it is very clear. This applies the death penalty to someone who kills or attempts to kill. It is the first instance I know of in the entire corpus of American law where an attempted murder, attempted killing, an attempted anything is given the death penalty.
