'Filled With Rage': Michigan Rep. Slotkin Remarks on 2nd School Shooting in 15 Months

US Representative Elissa Slotkin from Michigan’s 7th congressional district said she was “filled with rage” on Tuesday, February 14, as she spoke to press in East Lansing following a deadly shooting at Michigan State University (MSU).

“As the representative of Oxford, Michigan, I cannot believe that I am here again doing this 15 months later and I am filled with rage that we have to have another press conference to talk about our children being killed in their schools,” Slotkin said.

The previous incident Slotkin referred to happened at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021, during which a 15-year-old student fatally shot four classmates and injured seven others.

The interim Deputy Chief at MSU Police and Public Safety, Chris Rozman, confirmed that three people had died and five were injured in the shooting at MSU on Monday. Rozman 43-year-old Anthony McRae as the suspected shooter during Tuesday’s press conference. Credit: MSU Police and Public Safety via Storyful

Video transcript

- [INAUDIBLE]

GRETCHEN WHITMER: Well, we start by thanking law enforcement, including the Michigan State [INAUDIBLE] all of our local agencies, first responders, all those departments and officers as far away as the [INAUDIBLE].

Also, I thank the medical professionals [INAUDIBLE] for working to [INAUDIBLE] for those injured, as well as all the community members that shared tents so that everyone, of course, got [INAUDIBLE].

We mourn the loss of beautiful souls today and pray for those who are continuing to fight for their lives. Every [? Spartan ?] student, parent, and staff member should know that Michiganders and Americans everywhere are thinking of you today. President Biden and I spoke last night. He pledged his support and the thoughts of the entire nation. We will work together to do what is necessary to halt MSU [INAUDIBLE].

- Yeah.

GRETCHEN WHITMER: We're all broken by an all-too-familiar feeling, another place that is supposed to be about unity and togetherness shattered by bullets and bloodshed. We know this is a uniquely American problem. Today is the fifth anniversary of the Parkland shooting. We're mere weeks past the Lunar New Year shooting at a dance hall and a few months past the shooting in an elementary school in Uvalde.

We're looking back at a year long of shootings at grocery stores, parades, and so many other ordinary, everyday situations. We cannot keep living like this. Our children are scared to go to school. People feel unsafe in their houses of worship or local stores. Too many of us scan rooms for exits when we enter them.

And many of us have gone through the grim exercise of figuring out who our last call would be to. Last night, a lot of kids on this campus made those calls. They worried for their lives and for their friends, for their fellow Spartans. Parents across Michigan were on pins and needles, calling their kids to tell them that they loved them.

As parents, we tell our kids, it's gonna be OK. We say that all the time. But the truth is, words are not good enough. We must act. And we will.

But today, let's hold the MSU and East Lansing communities close. And let's think of the families and friends of those who have lost those fighting for their lives and the countless Michiganders whose lives are forever changed by yesterday's shooting. We will get through this together.

And we will do it with the full support of the state of Michigan and the US federal government. And with that, I'm going to hand this over to our congresswoman, Elissa Slotkin.

ELISSA SLOTKIN: Thanks, Governor. I want to echo what the governor said about the response of law enforcement. Those of you who might have been listening on the scanner, you heard how deeply complex this operation was yesterday, with young people calling in tips constantly with just an unbelievably difficult area and environment to navigate. Law enforcement did an incredible job. We had hundreds respond from across the state.

And I just-- I think it's a testament to those who hold the thin blue line for us, the ones that hesitate-- or do not hesitate when we need them. And I think we should recognize how desperately needed they were last night and in our society in general. I want to thank the doctors and nurses and staff at Sparrow Hospital. They were on it.

No one wants to live through a mass shooting like this, but they were prepared. And they handled it with grace and humanity. As a representative of Oxford, Michigan, I cannot believe that I am here again doing this 15 months later. And I am filled with rage that we have to have another press conference to talk about our children being killed in their schools.

And I would say that you either care about protecting kids, or you don't. You either care about having an open, honest conversation about what is going on in our society, or you don't. But please don't tell me you care about the safety of children if you're not willing to have a conversation about keeping them safe in a place that should be a sanctuary.

Now, the Spartan community is incredibly connected and proud. We've already seen people come together. But for me the most haunting picture of last night was watching the cameras pan through the crowds and seeing a young person wearing an "Oxford strong" sweatshirt, the sweatshirts that were handed out after those kids lived through a school shooting 15 months ago. And we have children in Michigan who are living through their second school shooting in under a year and a half.

If this is not a wakeup call to do something, I don't know what is. In the meantime, I feel confident that our law enforcement is doing everything that they can to understand the situation. I'm thrilled that federal law enforcement is on scene bringing their resources to the fight. We're not gonna rest until we understand. But I think the fact that we're having this conference so quickly after another mass shooting in our state should be a statement in and of itself. Thanks very much.