April 30. US Rep. Alma S. Adams released this statement regarding the tragedy in Charlotte yesterday:

“Yesterday, our community witnessed a glaring example of the courage and bravery that our men and women in uniform, our first responders, and our medical professionals exhibit every day.

Adams

“Three members of the U.S. Marshals’ Fugitive Task Force and a member of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department lost their lives, and several others were injured, while working to remove criminals from our streets.

“Dozens of other people in our community rose to the occasion to secure our community, protect our schools, respond to tragedy, and treat the wounded.

“Our community and the four families these officers leave behind must now make sense of this senseless tragedy. Our law enforcement agencies must continue their vital work in the face of one of the deadliest days within their tight-knit community’s recent history. At times like these, we must all come together, uplift one another, and recognize the freedoms that we have because of the bravery of those who take up the call to action every single day.

“In the days and weeks ahead, my thoughts and prayers are with the families of these officers, their colleagues in our local law enforcement agencies, and our community as a whole.

“Today and every day, let us carry on the legacy of these officers by demanding better within our communities, from our lawmakers, and from our country. Our laws can be improved to prevent this, and our anguish must turn to action. Too many lives have been lost and too many families broken. Enough is enough.”

—Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. represents North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District (Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Cabarrus County) and serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Education & the Workforce, where she serves as ranking member of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee.