Rep. Payne, Jr. Honors Victims of Jersey City Shooting

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. visited the site of the Jersey City shooting today before he attended the wake for Jersey City Det. Joseph Seals, one of the victims of an attack that killed four people December 10.  The Congressman’s visit comes a day after he paid a Shiva call to the Ferencz family to mourn the death of another victim, Mindy Ferencz.  Law enforcement officials have called the attack an act of domestic terrorism and could label it an Anti-Semitic hate crime when their investigations conclude.

Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. said he was shocked that such violence could occur in Jersey City and wanted to make the visits to show respect to the families.

“These deaths are a loss for our entire community,” said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr.  “There is no place for hate in our country.  I know that Jersey City is proud to be a multicultural haven that welcomes Americans of all cultures and creeds.  I hope people do not let this incident become a label for the city and its residents.

Again, it is difficult to express my anger and upset when I hear about another senseless act of gun violence.  The two murderers bought their guns at a New Jersey pawn shop and a gun shop in Ohio.  We passed a background checks bill for gun ownership in the House that might have alerted law enforcement officials to these purchases and denied them these weapons.  It is time for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his colleagues to stop putting political party over people’s lives.  How many more mass shootings do we have to tolerate before they realize that guns are a major problem in this country?”

A wake, sometimes called a viewing, is a Christian ritual where friends and loved ones give their condolences and prayers to the family and deceased the day before a funeral.  A Shiva is a Jewish ritual where friends and loved ones visit the family of the deceased to offer prayers and condolences during a seven-day gathering.

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