Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on the killing of two police officers Saturday afternoon in Bedford-Stuyvesant:

“On behalf the people of the Ninth Congressional District of New York and all people of good will from throughout our city, I would like to share my most profound condolences with the families and friends of the two police officers, Officer Wenjian Liu and Officer Rafael Ramos, who gave their lives in service to Brooklyn, and our city and were killed today in the line of duty. I would like to extend my  deepest sympathies to the entire New York City Police Department, the men and women who make New York City the one of the safest cities in the world.

“Murderous and violent attacks on the public servants who are charged with the duty of protecting our public safety are a threat to all of us. This heinous act was despicable and inexcusable.This assassination was indeed an attack on our entire city.

“As we mourn the deaths of these two police officers, let us be resolved that their lives will not have been taken in vain. Let us renew our fight and commitment to removing illegal guns from our communities and ending the epidemic of gun violence that continues to threaten our lives.

“For the sake of all that is decent and just, we must continue to press for comprehensive gun control legislation that makes the trafficking of handguns a federal crime.  Let us be strong in our resolve to fight until such laws become the law of our land.”

U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Ethics, and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.