Fitzpatrick Statement on Minneapolis Shooting

Another life has tragically been lost in Minneapolis today, and beyond the headlines, a family now bears a grief that cannot be measured.

I pray for their loved ones as they mourn, and I pray for all law enforcement officers across our nation. Harm directed at anyone-in any direction-is never justified.

We cannot continue like this.

The rule of law is a solemn social contract. It exists so disagreements are settled through order and reason. So citizens can peacefully protest, and so law enforcement officers can enforce the law without facing violence themselves. When this social contract is compromised, our communities are less safe.

Now is the time to come together: to lower the temperature, reject reckless rhetoric, condemn violence and hatred in all their forms, and lead with respect, restraint, and above all, humanity-for one another, and for the rights and institutions that hold our society together.