[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 79 (Tuesday, June 21, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     TRAGEDY VISITED ON SPOKANE, WA

  (Mr. FOLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, yesterday a mindless tragedy was visited on 
my home city of Spokane, WA. Twenty-two people were wounded and four 
killed when a discharged Air Force lab technician opened fire with an 
AK-47 rifle in the base hospital annex attached to the Fairchild Air 
Force Base. Two of the critically wounded are children ages 3 and 5.
  Both facts and the assailant's motivation remain unclear, but the 
airman was recently discharged from the Air Force on psychiatric 
grounds earlier this year. The man reportedly took a taxi to Fairchild 
Air Force Base, walked into an off-base Air Force medical facility, and 
opened fire. The first person reportedly killed was the psychiatrist 
who had recommended the gunman be discharged from the Air Force. It 
will probably be days before all the questions are answered, and I am 
merely reporting here information drawn largely from press reports.
  Mr. Speaker, I am a native of Spokane, WA. I have spent most of my 
adult life living in and serving the citizens of Spokane and eastern 
Washington. Over that period, the community has suffered through 
economic recession and natural disasters. We have dealt with those 
adversities and persevered. But the senseless tragedy that was visited 
on the Spokane community and the Fairchild Air Force Base community 
will certainly challenge both communities' resilience and courage.
  There has always been a sense of community between Spokane and 
Fairchild Air Force Base. My wife Heather and I offer our prayers to 
the victims, their families, and the united community which must now 
surmount this horrific incident. Together we will manage to overcome 
this tragedy.

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