Gabrielle Giffords Responds to Maryland Shooting

October 18, 2017

October 18, 2017 — Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Co-Founder of the gun violence prevention organization Giffords, today responded to the tragic shooting at Emmorton Business Park in Edgewood, MD that left at least three people dead and two others injured.

STATEMENT BY CONGRESSWOMAN GIFFORDS

“It’s unacceptable that here in America people go to work and fear getting shot. It’s unacceptable that schools are on lockdown because a dangerous man is terrorizing the community with a gun. This is not the nation we want to live in. We have to do better – we must do better.“My heart is with the victims, their families, and friends. And I’m praying for the safety of the responders who are searching for this shooter, putting their own safety at risk in order to protect their community.“The alarming frequency with which we watch terrifying scenes unfold in our communities is devastating – and it’s not normal. In addition to the massacre in Las Vegas that took the lives of 58 people and injured hundreds more, there have been 12 other mass shootings, just this month in states like Kansas, Arizona, Ohio, Texas and California. Today’s shooting in Maryland brings that number up to 14. “An average of 93 Americans are killed with a gun every day in our country. This rate of gun violence is unacceptable, and solutions to make our communities safer are possible. It’s time to stand together and demand that our lawmakers take urgent action.”

What we know about this shooting so far:

3 people killed, 2 injured: all employees at Advanced Granite Solutions in the Emmorton Business Park in Edgewood, Maryland [Fox News]
Police were on the scene in 4 minutes [Harford County Sheriff’s Office]
1 handgun was used in the attack [Harford County Sheriff’s Office] [Fox]
The suspect is at large and has been identified as 37 year-old Radee Prince. He is assumed to be armed and dangerous. Heis a convicted felon and is prohibited from owning guns. [Harford County Sheriff’s Office] [WJLA]
The suspect is was a terminated employee at Advanced Granite Solutions [WJLA]
Schools in the area are secure but on modified lockdown [WJLA]

The following policy, legal and law enforcement experts from Giffords are available for comment today:

Peter Ambler, Executive Director, Giffords

Robyn Thomas, Executive Director, Giffords Law Center

David Chipman, Former ATF Agent, Senior Policy Advisor, Giffords

Lindsay Nichols, Federal Policy Director, Giffords Law Center

Laura Cutilletta, Legal Director, Giffords Law Center