[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 35 (Wednesday, March 25, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   OFFERING CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILIES OF VICTIMS OF TRAGIC AMBUSH 
                    SHOOTING IN CRAIGHEAD COUNTY, AR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Deal of Georgia). Under a previous order 
of the House, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry) is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise with great reluctance to address this 
body today. I am honored every time that I step into this Chamber, but 
this afternoon to be here and to speak on a topic that I am about to 
address, is the last thing I want to do.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to eulogize the lives of the five people, 
one woman and four little girls, who lost their lives yesterday in the 
senseless and tragic ambush shooting in Craighead County, Arkansas. I 
rise to offer my condolences to the families of these victims and to 
those that were injured and to the entire community as they struggle to 
make sense of the violence that we never dreamed would be visited upon 
our State.
  As nearly everyone in the country knows from the media reports that 
we have been receiving, yesterday afternoon someone pulled a fire alarm 
at Westside Middle School in Craighead County, Arkansas. As teachers 
and students evacuated the building, they were greeted by a torrent of 
gunfire from nearby woods.
  Among the victims is Shannon Wright. Mrs. Wright was a 32-year-old 
teacher who was shot while trying to shield sixth grader Emma Pittman 
from the hail of bullets. Mrs. Wright died at 7:53 last night, 
following surgery. Eleven-year-old Amber Vanover told reporters what 
she saw: ``He was fixing to shoot her, and Mrs. Wright moved in front 
of her.''
  Eleven-year-old Natalie Brooks also lost her life. Paige Ann Herring 
and Stephanie Johnson, age 12, and Brittany Varner, age 11, had their 
lives taken from them. A heartbreaking loss for their families and 
friends.
  Sara Lynette Thetford, who teaches social studies to Westside sixth 
graders, stepped in front of 13-year-old Brittney Lambie when the 
shooting began. Mrs. Thetford and Brittney remain in critical condition 
today. Eight more students were wounded in the shooting: Amanda Barnes, 
Jennifer Jacobs, Candace Porter, Ashley Betts, Tristan McGowan, 
Christina Amer, Jenna Brooks, and Whitney Irving.
  Inevitably, tragedies produce heroes and there was no shortage of 
heroes yesterday. In addition to teachers Shannon Wright and Sara 
Thetford, Sheriff Dale Haas and the Craighead County Sheriff's 
Department, as well as the Arkansas State Police, did a commendable job 
of containing the scene and securing the surrounding areas.
  The emergency medical response teams in Jonesboro and Craighead 
County, Emerson Ambulance Service, Patient Transfer Service, and Keller 
Ambulance Service, all showed great professionalism under difficult 
circumstances.
  The paramedics and medical technicians from those three agencies 
worked together as a team and did a tremendous job of administering 
care to the victims. The doctors and staff of St. Bernard's Regional 
Medical Center did an outstanding job of preparing themselves for the 
chaos that entered the emergency room yesterday afternoon. They have 
also done an outstanding job of keeping the community informed of the 
status of the survivors.
  I know that the families around Craighead County are thankful for the 
many counselors and ministers from Jonesboro and from around the State 
who have offered their services to help the children of Westside cope 
with this horrible tragedy. The people in the communities that make up 
Westside school district, Bono, Cash, and Egypt, will look to each and 
to the Lord in the wake of this tragedy. The fact that children were 
victimized in a place where they should be safe makes this ordeal even 
more difficult to comprehend.
  We are all asking ``Why?'' Why did these young lives have to be 
snuffed out so senselessly? That answer may never come, and as many 
have suggested, the answer may be beyond our comprehension. Craighead 
County is a wonderful place full of people who for many, many years 
have worked to strengthen their community. It is a place where 
traditional values, faith in God, love of fellow man, and commitment to 
family are the pillars upon which the community is built and the source 
of strength that they will have to rely on now.
  As is often the case when the world seems turned upside down, the 
Bible provides some solace. The 46th Psalm says, ``God is our refuge 
and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not 
fear, though the earth be removed and the mountains be carried into the 
sea.''
  If there is any place on earth that is capable of dealing with a 
tragedy of this magnitude, that place is Craighead County, Arkansas. 
Mr. Speaker, my wife Carolyn and I, and our children, send our 
heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families and to the community 
as a whole, as does the entire staff of the offices of the First 
Congressional District.
  We stand ready to assist in any way that we can and wish Godspeed to 
the people of Craighead County as we all continue to deal with this 
horrifying tragedy.

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