[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9917]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRAGEDY AT EMANUEL AME CHURCH

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I don't know another way to describe what I 
heard this morning in my morning briefing and then the news accounts of 
this sickening revelation of what took place in South Carolina last 
night.
  Think about this. The sanctity of a house of worship was violated as 
a gunman opened fire in the historically Black Emanuel AME Church in 
Charleston, SC.
  We know now at least nine people are dead, and others, of course, are 
hurt. I don't know how to describe it. This individual was like a wolf 
in sheep's clothing. He sat among the congregation for a substantial 
amount of time before he pulled out a weapon and started firing at 
people. The thought of people who were in a house of worship being 
gunned down as they gathered to pray is heart-wrenching, devastating, 
and is the ultimate act of cowardice and hatred.
  As our good Chaplain said, our hearts go out to the families and 
friends of the people who were gunned down in that church. It is hard 
to even comprehend anything so awful. So, on behalf of the Senate 
family, we send our support and our sympathy.
  We hope Charleston law enforcement are able to capture this murderer, 
and the perpetrator be swiftly apprehended and brought to justice.
  Mr. President, I had some remarks I was going to give, but they could 
be deemed partisan in nature and I can give them some other time. I 
don't feel it would be appropriate for me now to talk about these 
things that are definitely inappropriate today with this pall hanging 
over our country.
  Based upon that, I would ask that the Presiding Officer announce the 
business of the day.

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