[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 37 (Thursday, February 28, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S1603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 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

  Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Ms. Duckworth) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 89

       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 Senate--
       (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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