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WASHINGTON — This evening, Speaker Johnson – joined by Rep. Cleo Fields, Leader Steve Scalise, and Rep. Clay Higgins – led a moment of silence for the eight children tragically killed in Shreveport on Sunday. Before the moment of silence, Speaker Johnson delivered remarks on the House floor and said, “Life is a sacred gift from God, and as this horrific event reminds us, it can be too short.”

Click here to watch Speaker Johnson’s remarks.

Below are Speaker Johnson’s remarks as delivered:

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, our hearts are broken tonight, as they have been since Sunday morning. The news out of my hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, a city that is represented in part by Congressman Cleo Fields here with me now. Everyone has seen the stories in the news, but we stand here with one voice as members of the Louisiana Delegation, to express our deep sorrow for the lives that were taken too soon.

Eight young, innocent children, all between the ages of 3 and 11, were lost in a tragedy that can only be described as senseless, unspeakable evil. Jayla Elkins was 3 years old. Shayla Elkins, 5. Kayla Pugh, 6. Layla Pugh, 7. Markaydon Pugh, 10. Sariahh Snow, 11. Khedarrion Snow, 6. And, Braylon Snow, 5. As the details of their killing unfold, it’s difficult for us to put our emotions into words.

This tragedy confounds the minds and hearts of every parent in America, and we’ve been thinking a lot about this. We encourage mothers and fathers to go home tonight and hold your loved ones extra close. I think all of us are doing that. Life is a sacred gift from God, and as this horrific event reminds us, it can be too short.

The entire community of Shreveport needs our prayers right now. The first responders and law enforcement who descended swiftly on the scene, the classrooms and empty seats, and missing friends at school today, and most of all, the families whose lives have been forever changed by this tragedy. Hold all of them close in your hearts and your prayers, if you will. And we trust that God is close to the brokenhearted, as promised to us in Scripture.

And now, if we could all please join in a moment of silence in honor of the eight young and precious lives that were lost far too soon. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House now observe a moment of silence.