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STATEMENT BY ATTORNEY GENERAL JANET RENO

"Last night, a gunman walked into the Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. He opened fire on the worshipers and shattered a youth prayer service. 13 people were shot. His gunfire killed 7.

"The thought of gunfire in a place of worship should be inconceivable, but for families, for others, last night the inconceivable became a reality.

"As a nation, we are profoundly touched by these tragic deaths, by the pain of the innocent victims, their families and friends, the congregation of the Wedgewood Baptist Church, and the community as a whole. Our hearts go out to all of them.

"The FBI has been on the scene since last evening, lending its assistance to the local authorities. We have offered continued assistance to the Ft. Worth police and to the mayor of Ft. Worth. We are prepared to assist in any way that we can.

"In 1999 alone we have watched as innocent people were gunned down while attending school, while walking home from a church or synagogue, while playing at a summer camp, while working in their offices, while delivering mail, and now, while worshiping in their church.

"This morning we have many more questions than answers about last night's tragedy. We will search for those answers and try, as another community mourns its dead, to find a way to end this type of senseless and destructive violence.

"It's going to require the commitment of all Americans to look at the issue of how we handle guns, of how we deal with mental illness, of how we deal with hate. We do not know what the situation is here, but all of these events cry out for America to come together and to address them in an effective, permanent manner."

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