British lawmaker, Jo Cox
A British politician was brutally shot and stabbed on the street in broad daylight on Thursday. The
lawmaker was killed as she tried to stop two men from fighting on the street.
The woman identified as Labour politician Jo Cox, 41, was attacked in Birstall, West Yorkshire. She couldn't make it after she was airlifted to Leeds General Hospital. She was pronounced dead at 1:48 p.m.
A 77-year-old man, who has not been identified, suffered from minor injuries, according to a statement from Dee Collins of the West Yorkshire Police.
The alleged gunman, later identified as 52-year-old Tommy Mair, was arrested following the incident.
“A lady was down on the floor. The man pulled a gun – it was a makeshift gun, not like something you see on television,” the owner of a nearby restaurant, Hichem Ben-Abdallah, told the Yorkshire Post.
“After the second shot I turned and ran. He walked away very calmly, down the steps. Nobody stopped him – he had a gun,” he told the paper.
After hearing screams, Ben-Abdallah darted outside his cafe to see what was going on and noticed two men in a violent scuffle. He recalled seeing Cox lying on the pavement in her own blood following the incident.
“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,” he said.
“He was fighting with her and wrestling with her and then the gun went off and then she fell between two cars and I came and saw her bleeding on the floor.”
Cox is a graduate of Cambridge who was elected as Labour MP for Batley and Spen in 2015. She was scheduled to meet with her constituents to talk about their concerns on Thursday but because of the incident was unable to do so.
British Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted:“Very concerned about reports Jo Cox has been injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with Jo and her family.”
Cox is also the former head of policy for Oxfam.
“Oxfam is deeply shocked to hear the news. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Jo and her family at this difficult time,” said Mark Goldring, Oxfam’s chief executive, according to the BBC.
Cox leaves behind her husband Brendan Cox and her two children, Lejla and Cuillin. Her husband currently works as an advisor to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
