President Barack Obama on Monday called on Americans to unite against intolerance after the fatal shootings over the weekend in suburban Kansas City.
The timing of tragedy right before the Passover and Easter holidays makes it all the more painful, Obama said at an Easter prayer breakfast in the White House.
Three people were killed in the shootings on Sunday at a Jewish community center and Jewish assisted living facility in Overland Park, Kansas. The alleged gunman, 73-year-old Frazier Glenn Cross, has a history of anti-Semitism and was videotaped shouting “Heil Hitler” after his arrest.
“Nobody should have to worry about their security when gathering with their fellow believers,” Obama said on Monday. “Nobody should have to fear for their safety when they go to pray.”
The president said the federal government will provide whatever assistance is needed to support the investigation.
“As Americans not only will we open our hearts to the families, we’ve got to stay united against this kind of terrible violence that has no place in our society,” he said.
Obama added: “We have to keep coming together across faiths to combat the ignorance and intolerance, including anti-Semitism, that can lead to hatred and to violence, because we are all children of God, all made in his image. We’re all worthy of his love and dignity, and we see what happens around the world when this kind of religious-based or tinged violence can rear its ugly head.”
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