Minneapolis Mayor on Motive for Shooting: ‘It Doesn’t Matter When There Are Kids that Are Dead’

On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) responded to a question on if he has any information on why or how the shooter in Minneapolis was able to carry out the shooting by stating that “I’ve heard tidbits about what’s in this manifesto. I don’t know a whole lot more yet. But, truthfully, it doesn’t matter when there are kids that are dead. That’s what matters.”

Host Erin Burnett asked, “I did, unfortunately, watch the video that the shooter had posted, and, in just trying to understand what happened, it’s incomprehensible. I’m just wondering if you have any information as to why or how somebody so depraved is out there and was able to get all these — all the things that happened, right? All the things that happened and the surveillance and the planning and all of these things happened, and, at this point, we don’t understand that anybody raised any red flag about it, and maybe more reporting will come out. But we don’t have it at this point. Do you know anything about why or how this person was even able to do this?”

Frey responded, “I don’t. I think we can all speculate. But the reality is, is that anybody that would be willing to commit some sort of horrific act is not stable. It’s an act of cowardice. It is horrific. And let’s call a spade a spade, you can’t do something like that. And, no, I, obviously, have heard a ton of rumors, as I’m sure you’ve heard. I’ve heard tidbits about what’s in this manifesto. I don’t know a whole lot more yet. But, truthfully, it doesn’t matter when there are kids that are dead. That’s what matters. What matters is wrapping our arms around these families. What matters is making sure that, as a Minneapolis family, as an American family, we’re doing everything possible to hold these families close because they are going through the very worst moments that they will ever experience in their entire lives right now. In Minneapolis, we’re strong, we’re resilient, we get knocked down seven times, we get back up eight. But what makes us special is that there is this kind of compassion and this love for one another. And I know that these families are going to be feeling a whole lot of it right now, and they need it.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett