The head doctor at a trauma center handling victims of the deadly Washington Navy Yard rampage gave an emotional plea to end gun violence in America.
“I may be the chief medical officer of a very large trauma center, but there’s something wrong here when we have these multiple shootings, these multiple injuries, there’s something wrong,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Janis Orlowski of MedStar Washington Hospital Center during a press briefing. “The only thing I can say is we have to work together to get rid of it.”
“I’d like you to put my trauma center out of business,” Orlowski added.
MedStar Washington Hospital Center has been treating three gunshot victims–all who are expected to survive—after a heavily-armed gunman opened fire Monday morning Washington, D.C.’s Navy Yard.
While authorities continue to investigate the attack, police have identified the shooter as Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old civilian contractor for the Navy. Officials said the 34-year-old civilian contractor for the Navy is now dead, bringing the overall death toll to at least 13. Many others were also injured.
President Obama addressed the pattern of shooting sprees in the country. “We are confronting yet another mass shooting,” Obama said. “And today it happened on a military installation in our nation’s capital.”
Following the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary school and the Aurora movie theater, the Obama administration has been pushing for tighter gun control measures across the country. But the Senate bill to require background checks failed, dealing a major blow to gun control advocates. More recently, Colorado recalled two state lawmakers who voted in favor of tighter gun restrictions.
Sarah Muller