Local elected officials, state lawmakers and a congressman who represents Columbia on Capitol Hill are condemning Saturday’s attempted assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.
Fox News is reporting that the FBI is investigating the shooting as an assassination attempt, and that the shooter has been identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Pennsylvania.
Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe tweeted this weekend that the news of the violence in Pennsylvania hurts her heart.
“My thoughts are with the victims’ families. Violent rhetoric and acts have no place in our democracy and further fuel division. We must work to do better together- regardless of party,” she wrote on Twitter.
State Rep. David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia) tweeted that violence has absolutely no place in our democracy.
“I unequivocally condemn any attempt on the life of Donald Trump or any political figure. We must strive for peaceful discourse and unity as we uphold the core values of our democratic society,” he wrote.
And U.S. Rep. Mark Alford (R-Raymore), who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, describes the attempted assassination as nothing short of despicable.
“Political violence has no place here in the United States, the greatest country on Earth. We appreciate the quick action of the Secret Service and other law enforcement officer,” he tweeted.
Congressman Alford, who represents Columbia north of Broadway as well as Centralia, Sturgeon and Hallsville on Capitol Hill, is also calling for a full investigation into the incident. “The American people deserve answers- from the Secret Service, the FBI and others,” he says.