President Barack Obama addressed the shooting that left several people dead at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard, during a Monday speech that primarily focused on the state of the American economy.
“We do know that several people have been shot, and some have been killed. So we are confronting yet another mass shooting,” the president said. “And today it happened on a military installation in our nation’s capital.”
“These are men and women who were going to work, doing their job protecting all of us. They’re patriots,” Obama continued. “And they know the dangers of serving abroad, but today they faced the unimaginable violence that they wouldn’t have expected here at home.” The president went on to offer his thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families, and promised that “we will do everything in our power to make sure whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible.”
“And as we learn more about the courageous Americans who died today, their lives, their families, their patriotism, we will honor their service to the nation they helped to make great,” the president added. “And obviously, we’re going to be investigating thoroughly what happened, as we do so many of these shootings, sadly, that have happened, and do everything that we can to try to prevent them.”
Video of the president’s statement is below:
