House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) called the killing of 12 people in a shooting at a Colorado movie theater "senseless" and paid tribute to the victims as he delivered the weekly GOP address.
"My plan today was to share some thoughts with you about the economy. But life, they say, is what happens when you’re busy making other plans," Boehner said. "There is still so much, too much, to sort out about the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado. Words cannot capture the horror, or make sense of something so senseless. So I won’t try."
"This much I know. I know that when confronted with evil we cannot comprehend, Americans pull together and embrace our national family more tightly," he said. "We join President Obama in sending condolences and prayers to the loved ones of those who were killed and wounded. And we all say ‘thank God’ for the police, the first responders, the doctors, and the nurses whose swift and heroic efforts saved lives."
Authorities have arrested James Holmes, a 24 year old suspected of entering a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., after midnight on Friday and opening fire at a crowd of people attending a showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," the newest Batman film. Reports said the shooting left 12 dead and more than 50 injured.
The incident shocked Washington, with both President Obama and his GOP rival Mitt Romney leaving the campaign trail.
"At a time like this, we count our blessings. And as we do, we come to be reminded that the depth of our grief also reveals the depth of our love and our resolve," said Boehner. "Scripture tells us that the faith that sustains us is ‘the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.’ We may not yet see or fathom comfort for the mourning, but we’ll stand by them and we’ll stand together, as one nation, in the difficult hours that lie ahead."
In his weekly address, Obama repeated comments made earlier Friday, at what was scheduled as a campaign rally in Florida. "We may never understand what leads anyone to terrorize their fellow human beings. Such evil is senseless -- beyond reason," the president said. "While we will never know fully what causes someone to take the life of another, we do know what makes that life worth living."
