WHEREAS, on a quiet Sunday morning, November 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, a rural Texas community of less than four-hundred residents forty miles outside of San Antonio, a lone gunman armed with a fully automatic Rugar AR-556 weapon descended upon the First Baptist Church and opened fire upon the congregation; and
WHEREAS, in the deadly carnage that followed, the lives of twenty-six innocent people ranging in age from five to seventy-seven were taken, and twenty others were wounded by gunfire; and
WHEREAS, the attack upon Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church by a gunman dressed in black tactical gear is the largest mass murder in the history of the State of Texas; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of this tragedy by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, eight members of one family, including a pregnant woman, a seventeen-month-old girl and the visiting pastor, Bryan Holcombe, were counted among the fatalities; and
WHEREAS, acting upon instinct, motorist John Langendorff who was driving past the church as the shooting happened responded immediately; and
WHEREAS, John Langendorff observed the gunman exchanging fire with another member of the community; and
WHEREAS, the citizen called out for back-up assistance and got into the John Langendorff truck to pursue the armed assailant at a high rate of speed; and
WHEREAS, shots fired by John Langendorff struck the assailant in the leg and stomach resulting in the suspect vehicle to crash; and
WHEREAS, upon investigation it was determined that the assailant was dead as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound; and
WHEREAS, if not for the swift and decisive response of John Langendorff it is probable that this mass shooting would have resulted in many more fatalities had the suspect vehicle managed to escape, now therefore
WHEREAS, the membership of the Chicago City Council assembled this eighth day of November, 2017 do hereby join with the nation in expressing our deepest sorrow to the ...
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