South Cook News

Illinois State House District 26 candidate Audrey Barrett expressed concerns following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, stating, "It's time we fight for safer streets, jobs and a better life for our families." She made the statement in a July 15 Facebook post.

"Violence doesn't find race.... Just innocent lives," said Barrett, according to Facebook. "That is why I condemned the attempted murder of President Trump. It's not about politics in this time but about our children. It's time we fight for safer streets, jobs and a better life for our families."

According to an ABC News timeline of events, as former President Trump spoke about border crossing numbers at a July 13 rally in Pennsylvania, shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks fired as many as eight shots. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified Crooks, who had been seen by rally attendees climbing to the roof of a building 400 meters from where Trump was speaking but outside the perimeter. When the shots started, Trump reached for his right ear, then looked at his hand and crouched behind the lectern. As the Secret Service tried to shield Trump, he stood and pumped his fist to the crowd before being hustled off the stage.

Screensho of Audrey Barrett for Representative 26th District's July 15 Facebook post | Audrey Barrett For Representative 26th District Facebook page

Politico reports that there is an investigation into how the security breach allowed Crooks to get close to the Republican candidate for president, approximately 400 feet away. The incident is being investigated as a possible act of domestic terrorism, with the full force of the Pittsburgh FBI office and national headquarters committed to the investigation. According to a July 16 report by Politico, the FBI reported on July 15 that Crooks had purchased 50 rounds of ammunition from a gun shop in his hometown and said that the gun used in the shooting, an AR-style rifle, had been purchased legally, allegedly by his father.

Barrett’s statement concluded in her Facebook post: "Trump is not perfect but he took a bullet for this great country. I'm ready to fight for the protection of us and the future of our children that they deserve!"

South side native Barrett is a single mother of three children and CEO and Founder of Kingdom 4U Health and Wellness. She is a nurse specializing in pediatric home healthcare and works as a nurse manager.

According to her campaign website: "Barrett’s efforts have shifted in focus as a result of the scarcity of voices in our legislature who can empathize with those who are struggling. Crime, education, the drug crisis, and a lack of access to healthcare are problems wreaking havoc on our communities and ones she cares deeply about."