begin quote from:
British politician Jo Cox dies after attack in Birstall, police say
| CNN | - |
London
(CNN) British politician Jo Cox, described as a rising star of the
opposition Labour Party, has died as a result of her injuries from an
attack in her constituency Thursday, police said.
Killing of British politician Jo Cox stuns nation
Story highlights
- Man detained for questioning ID'd as Tommy Mair
- British MP Jo Cox has died of her injuries after an attack Thursday, police say
London (CNN)British politician Jo Cox
died in a street attack on Thursday, a brazen and startling assault in a
country where attacks on politicians are extremely rare and the slaying
of a lawmaker is without parallel in recent history.
Described as a rising star of the opposition Labour Party, the 41-year-old is the first British lawmaker to be killed in office since Conservative MP Ian Gow was assassinated by the IRA in a 1990 car bombing.
Cox
was shot and stabbed in Birstall, near Leeds in northern England, the
Press Association news service reported, citing eyewitnesses.
She
died as a result of her injuries. She had just finished a regular
public meeting with constituents and came out of the meeting on her own.
British politicians at her level are rarely if ever accompanied a
security detail.
Photos: British politician killed in attack
Police stand guard on the perimeter of the crime scene.
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Photos: British politician killed in attack
Police tape covers the area where Cox was attacked.
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Photos: British politician killed in attack
Police stand guard near the area where Cox was attacked.
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Photos: British politician killed in attack
A member of the police forensics team works near the scene of the shooting.
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Photos: British politician killed in attack
Police
gather near the scene where Jo Cox, a member of the British Parliament,
was attacked in Birstall, England, on Thursday, June 16. The
41-year-old died as a result of her injuries, and police say they have
arrested a 52-year-old man in connection with the attack.
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Photos: British politician killed in attack
A
forensics officer takes photos of items at the scene of the attack.
Cox, a mother of two who represented Batley and Spen in Parliament, was
elected in May 2015.
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Photos: British politician killed in attack
Cox
was attacked outside the Birstall library after holding a regular
public meeting with constituents, said Robert Light, a councilor from
nearby Birkenshaw. British media reported she was shot and stabbed,
citing witnesses.
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Photos: British politician killed in attack
Police stand guard on the perimeter of the crime scene.
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Photos: British politician killed in attack
Police tape covers the area where Cox was attacked.
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Photos: British politician killed in attack
Police stand guard near the area where Cox was attacked.
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Photos: British politician killed in attack
A member of the police forensics team works near the scene of the shooting.
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Photos: British politician killed in attack
Police
gather near the scene where Jo Cox, a member of the British Parliament,
was attacked in Birstall, England, on Thursday, June 16. The
41-year-old died as a result of her injuries, and police say they have
arrested a 52-year-old man in connection with the attack.
Hide Caption
1 of 7
Photos: British politician killed in attack
A
forensics officer takes photos of items at the scene of the attack.
Cox, a mother of two who represented Batley and Spen in Parliament, was
elected in May 2015.
Hide Caption
2 of 7
Photos: British politician killed in attack
Cox
was attacked outside the Birstall library after holding a regular
public meeting with constituents, said Robert Light, a councilor from
nearby Birkenshaw. British media reported she was shot and stabbed,
citing witnesses.
Hide Caption
3 of 7
Photos: British politician killed in attack
Police stand guard on the perimeter of the crime scene.
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Her colleagues took the news of the death hard.
Alison
McGovern, a Labour Party politician, praised Cox's influence and cited
her role as a leading campaigner seeking a solution to the Syrian
conflict.
"Not everyone gets to
Westminster to represent their hometown and makes the impact that she
has," referring to the House of Commons.
Many constituents were dumbfounded and distraught over the death.
"Dreadful,
dreadful. Poor girl," one constituent said. "For the first time in many
many years we actually had an MP that was interested in Birstall, and
interested in us, and interested in the people and the businesses
here."
After the assault, a man was
detained close to the scene of the attack, said Dee Collins, Temporary
Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police. Weapons, including a firearm,
were recovered, she said.
The Press Association said West Yorkshire Police have detained Tommy Mair, 52, for questioning in connection to the shooting.
Witness: Attacker yelled 'Put Britain first'
Police have not commented on the circumstances surrounding the attack and a motive wasn't immediately clear.
But
one witness, Clarke Rothwell, who runs a cafe near the crime scene,
told the Press Association: "He was shouting 'Put Britain first.' He
shouted it about two or three times. He said it before he shot her and
after he shot her."
The gunman fired three shots, the final one at Cox's head, he told the Press Association.
Another
witness, Hichem Ben Abdallah, said the attacker kicked Cox as she lay
on the ground until a bystander intervened and the attacker produced a
gun and shot her, the Press Association reported.
"There
was a guy who was being very brave and another guy with a white
baseball cap who he was trying to control and the man in the baseball
cap suddenly pulled a gun from his bag," Abdallah said.
The
gunman was wrestling with Cox "and then the gun went off twice,"
Abdallah told the Press Association. "I came and saw her bleeding on the
floor."
Footage circulated of a man on the ground after being apprehended by uniformed police officers.
At 1:48 p.m. local time, less than an hour after the attack, Cox was pronounced dead by a doctor working with a paramedic crew.
Police
said no one else is being sought in relation to the attack. A
77-year-old man was assaulted after the attack on Cox, but his injuries
were not life-threatening, Collins said.
Police search house of Tommy Mair
West
Yorkshire police were seen searching Mair's home in Birstall on
Thursday evening. A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said Mair
lived in the house being searched.
Police had the house cordoned off and could be seen coming and going.
The neighbor said she was questioned by police and asked if she knew Mair, and whether she had any information about him.
She
said there did not seem anything wrong with him, that he seemed to like
gardening and also tended to other neighbors' gardens.
Mair,
she said, lives alone and had lived in the house a long time. She
didn't believe he had a regular job and she said she would see him
around at odd hours.
Tensions high in Britain ahead of referendum
The killing comes as the momentous and contentious public referendum on whether to stay or leave the European Union is just one week away, with passions running high and toxic political discourse elbowing out civil debate.
Parliament
members have been the objects of public ire, accused of lying and
making up their arguments on both sides of the debate.
Cox,
elected a member of Parliament for Batley and Spen in Yorkshire last
year, was a supporter of Britain voting to remain in the European Union.
Her
husband and two young daughters were on a "Stronger In" boat
campaigning on the River Thames on Wednesday, she tweeted at the time.
Before
entering Parliament, Cox worked for aid agency Oxfam and for a
pro-European campaign organization, according to her website.
In
the wake of the attack, campaign groups on both sides of the debate on
next week's referendum announced they were halting their operations
Thursday.
Britain First, a fringe
nationalist political party that wants the nation to leave the European
Union, issued a statement denying any connection to the attack in light
of reports about the assailant's comments. The statement said the party
"would never encourage behavior of this sort."
Nation mourns
The MP's husband, Brendan Cox, said her killing marked the "beginning of a new chapter in our lives."
"More difficult, more painful, less joyful, less full of love," he said.
"I
and Jo's friends and family are going to work every moment of our lives
to love and nurture our kids and to fight against the hate that killed
Jo."
Vigils were held in Birstall and in Parliament Square, London, as people gathered to pay tribute to the slain politician.
British Prime Minister David
Cameron, who canceled a scheduled "Stronger In" pro-EU rally in
Gibraltar on Thursday after the attack, described the killing as
"dreadful, dreadful news."
"She
had a huge heart. She was a very compassionate, caring MP. She was a
bright star -- no doubt about it. A star for her constituents, a star in
Parliament, and a star right across the House."
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn
said the whole country would be in shock at the "horrific murder" of a
politician he said was "universally liked at Westminster."
"Jo
Cox died doing her public duty at the heart of our democracy, listening
to and representing the people she was elected to serve. It is a
profoundly important cause for us all," he said in a statement.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan paid
tribute to Cox, writing on Facebook that in her year as an MP, "she
made more impact than others make in a whole parliamentary career."
British politician: Jo Cox was courageous 03:07
"Everyone
who met Jo knew she was special. I knew her from her time as a fearless
campaigner working on behalf of some of the world's poorest and most
marginalized people," he wrote.
"I
knew that she would bring all her passion for social justice and
equality to Parliament and fight just as hard for her own community in
Westminster as she has for so many others around the world."
Fellow
Labour MP Mike Gapes described her as a rising star in the party, "one
of the most effective of the newly elected Labour MPs last year."
"She's
had a big impact already," Gapes said. "She's been one of the most
outspoken people calling for more to be done to stop (Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad's) barrel bombing in Syria and to get humanitarian
corridors to help for the refugees from Syria."
U.S.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said, "We are shocked and
appalled that a member of the UK Parliament, Ms. Jo Cox, was murdered
today in Birstall, near Leeds, in northern England, while doing her
public duty. "
French President
Francois Hollande expressed "deep emotion after the murder" and passed
along his condolences and solidarity with the British people.
Forensic police examine the scene of the attack.
Attack has similarities to shooting of U.S. congresswoman
The attack bore some similarities to the 2011 shooting of a U.S. congresswoman.
U.S.
Rep. Gabby Giffords, then 40, was shot in the head at a "Congress on
Your Corner" constituent event outside an Arizona grocery store.
Giffords, the main target of
gunman Jared Lee Loughner, survived, but six people were killed.
Giffords was hospitalized in critical condition and spent months
recovering.
She returned to the
floor of the House of Representatives seven months after the attack. But
in 2012, she announced her resignation to focus on her health and
recovery. She continues to struggle with the effects of the shooting.
Today's shooting resonated for Giffords and she commented on it in a statement.
"I
don't remember the constituent meeting where I was shot in the head and
nearly lost my life, but the scores of such events I and so many others
have hosted represent the importance of a democracy connected to its
citizens. Just like January 8, 2011, did not deter America from its
founding ideals, the British principle of pluralism and the nation's
democratic institutions will endure," Giffords said.
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