On Wednesday, Family Research Council (FRC) was the target of what the FBI is calling an act of domestic terrorism.
A gunman, identified as Floyd Corkins, invaded our headquarters in
Washington, D.C., armed with a 9mm pistol, approximately 50 rounds of
ammunition and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches.
The gunman was
confronted by an unarmed member of the FRC staff, Leo Johnson. When the
gunman pulled the gun from his backpack and aimed the weapon at Leo, Leo
moved toward the gunman to disarm him. Despite being shot in the
process, Leo was able to subdue the shooter and call for others on the
staff, who helped admirably. One of the investigators, based on their
preliminary findings, told me Leo's actions saved a lot of lives.
I
was with Leo around midnight Wednesday night in the recovery room when
he came out of surgery. I told him he was a hero—not just in the opinion
of his FRC colleagues, but in the opinion of people
all across the nation. Still a bit groggy from the anesthesia, he said,
"This hero business is hard work!"
Obviously, Leo hasn't lost his
sense of humor. It will take time and more surgeries, but he will be
back with us soon, for which we are all grateful. In the meantime, let
me say thank you on behalf of the FRC team for the outpouring of concern
and support for our colleague and friend, as well as for the entire FRC
team who have been affected by this attack.
This unfortunately
changes the way FRC will do business, but not the business that we do.
We'll enhance our security to ensure that each and every member of the
FRC team, as well as our guests, are secure. What we will not do is
allow the threats and actions of those who oppose us to intimidate or
silence us.
After the shooting, I assembled most of our 80-member team, and we prayed
together. We prayed for Leo, for each other, for our mission and for
the assailant. We also discussed the new level of hostility that we now
face because of the inflammatory rhetoric that has been used against us.
But I want you to know that these increased obstacles and challenges do
not change our calling or our mission. You can
continue to count on the FRC team to credibly represent you and the
millions of other Americans who share our concerns for the family and
for our country.
Because I do not want to jeopardize the ongoing
criminal investigation in any way, I will not go into great detail about
the shooting. However, I will share with you what I said in front of
the FRC headquarters yesterday afternoon to a crowd of reporters.
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