[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 112 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 112
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 9, 2023
Mr. Foster (for himself, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Kelly of Illinois,
Mr. Casten, Mr. Schneider, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Underwood, Mr. Jackson
of Illinois, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Budzinski, Mr. Quigley, Mrs.
Ramirez, Mr. Sorensen, and Mr. Garcia of Illinois) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight
and Accountability
_______________________________________________________________________
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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