A resolution expressing the condolences of the Senate and honoring the memory of the victims of the mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois, on February 15, 2019.

III 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 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. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 28, 2019 Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Ms. DUCKWORTH) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Expressing the condolences of the Senate 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 Au- rora, Illinois; Whereas 5 innocent people were tragically killed in this mass shooting, and others, including officers of the Aurora Po- lice 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:17 Feb 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR89.ATS SR89 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 89 ATS 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 gun- man 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:17 Feb 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR89.ATS SR89 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 89 ATS 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 emer- gency 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 mem- bers 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; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:17 Feb 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR89.ATS SR89 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 89 ATS 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 (1) expresses its sincere condolences to the fam- 2 ilies, friends, and loved ones of those who were killed 3 in the tragic shooting on February 15, 2019, in Au- 4 rora, Illinois: Russell Beyer, Vicente Juarez, Clayton 5 Parks, Josh Pinkard, and Trevor Wehner; 6 (2) extends its support and prayers to those 7 who were wounded or injured and wishes them a 8 speedy recovery; 9 (3) commends the law enforcement officers, 10 emergency responders, and medical personnel who 11 responded to the shooting with professionalism, dedi- 12 cation, and bravery; 13 (4) expresses its support for the Aurora com- 14 munity in this difficult time; and 15 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:17 Feb 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR89.ATS SR89 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 89 ATS (5) stands in solidarity with the victims of 1 senseless gun violence in communities across the 2 United States. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:17 Feb 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR89.ATS SR89 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS