Texas Rep. Roger Williams talked about surviving the Wednesday morning rifle attack.
A gunman opened fire at a practice session of a congressional charity baseball game early June 14.
Williams was clearly moved by the courage of the officers who stopped the gunman.
“We saw two people risk their lives to save the lives of others,” Williams said, praising officers Griner and Bailey, who stopped the gunman despite being wounded.
“We saw courage in the face of death, and we saw examples of why all Americans should be grateful everyday for law enforcement officers around this country,” he said.
Without the bravery of the two officers, Williams said that 25 or more people could have died on the baseball diamond where they were practicing for a the game.
Williams injured his foot running for cover. His aide, Zack Barth, was shot; Williams helped care for him.
Despite the attack, Williams said that life must go on. The baseball game must go on.
“They win if we give in,” Williams said.
“This is America—the greatest country in the world. If you punch us, we punch back. And we’re going to play baseball tomorrow,” he said.
Williams refused to make the attack into a partisan issue. “This person evidently has issues. I don’t think it was a Democratic, Republican issue—he just had an issue.”
“Nobody condones this,’ Williams added.
Williams concluded by saying the fraught dialogue between parties was part of the problem.
“I do think, candidly, our rhetoric could be turned down in this country a little bit,” he said. “The tone could be turned down a little bit. That’s what we have to work on.”
