December 10, 2007
Dear Fellow Nebraskans:
This past week will be remembered by each of us forever. I appreciate the response and support that we have received from Nebraskans and I want to share a few thoughts with you.
Wednesday, December 5th was a day of highs and lows. That morning my wife and I welcomed the President of the United States to our great State. I accompanied him to tour a health care facility in south Omaha.
That afternoon, about an hour after the President had left Nebraska, I was notified that there had been a shooting at the Westroads Mall in Omaha. As the hours passed, we learned more. By late afternoon, eight innocent victims were dead and the individual responsible for their deaths had shot himself.
I was shocked. I was stunned and I was in disbelief. Like most Nebraskans, I spent much of the rest of the day watching television, learning more about what had happened. By that night, our entire State was grieving.
Thursday morning, I joined Mayor Fahey, Police Chief Warren and Fire Chief Dahlquist at a news conference in Omaha. We were all saddened by the shooting and we offered our condolences to the victims and their families. I asked all Nebraskans to immediately lower their flags to half-staff.
Mayor Fahey praised the police and fire response. He thanked them for their "professional response and management of the situation." I agree. The police and fire response was swift and immediate. In addition to thanking the Omaha Police and Fire Departments, I want to thank the Douglas County and Sarpy County Sheriff's Offices, the LaVista Police Department, the Nebraska State Patrol, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance. I would also like to thank the many people that are providing grief counseling to the victims and their families. Many of these people are volunteers and the services that they are providing are invaluable.
Tragedies like this are not supposed to happen in Omaha. They are not supposed to happen in Nebraska, or anywhere for that matter. The sad reality is that they have happened. In time, we will move forward. Now, however, we must begin the healing process. This will take time, patience and understanding. Already some are focused on placing blame. It is human nature to want to find fault because it gives us hope that there is something we can fix. I want to be very clear here; this individual was determined to hurt himself and others in the misguided pursuit of personal publicity.
Even though this is a difficult time for all of us, I know that we are coming together and that we will bring comfort to each other. I ask that you join me in putting all of the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers. I also want to acknowledge Nebraskans who have previously lost loved ones to needless violence who are also affected by this and are reliving their sorrow. This event has hurt many people in many ways and coming together helps us all through this difficult time.
Thank you.
