Labour MP shot dead near Leeds

http://news.sky.com/story/1712952/live-updates-labour-mp-jo-cox-shot

Kay Burley ✔ @KayBurley
Jo Cox is in critical condition
11:14 AM - 16 Jun 2016
 32 32 Retweets   5 5 likes

roddymansfield 3 hours ago
Witness: "Her legs were in aid triangular way, like someone on a  bed. She was leaning a bit on the left-hand side, with her hair at the  back. Everybody was crying, the women. I'm absolutely shocked"

roddymansfield 3 hours ago
Witness: "All of a sudden we heard the second shot. Obviously, we remained in the restaurant for a couple of minutes. Then we decided to venture out and see what had happened. hen we went out and at first I didn't recognise that it was Jo. A lady was on the  floor, her face bleeding."

roddymansfield 3 hours ago
Witness: "She is still alive, I presume she's still alive We believe she is still alive but her condition has been described as serious. She looked as though she was still breathing."

The poor woman appears to have been stabbed, as well as shot.

The world truly has gone mad.

Best not to jump to conclusions, LL. Other witnesses are claiming two men were fighting and she intervened. Someone's in custody, at least, so hopefully there isn't an armed lunatic on the loose in Yorkshire.

roddymansfield 3 hours ago
The whole incident lasted about 15 to 20 minutes according to witness Mr Abdallah, and another bystander told him Ms Cox had also been stabbed.

He added: "He was kicking her and he was pulling her by her hair. A very courageous man from the dry cleaners tried to restrain him and he couldn't stop him because all of a sudden he pulled a gun. She was a standing still target for him when he shot her."

If that is correct, then it suggests it wasn't to do with politics? I hope to God it wasn't, and that it was 'just' a nutcase - she isn't the first MP to be attacked, sadly.

I know politicians are extremely annoying, but this is a democracy, and we have ballot boxes.

The media need to remember that people don't always see or hear things accurately in stressful situations, and to WAIT for accurate facts to come out - they've caused terrible trouble before with inaccurate, breathless reporting.

Look at all the conflicting stories about the Orlando massacre. There are times when I curse 24 hour rolling news.

Old Holborn ✘ ‏@Holbornlolz 3h3 hours ago
This appears to be the reason Britain First are linked.



More information is coming it, but so far, an 'eye witness' has identified someone who wasn't even there:

http://news.sky.com/story/1712982/mps-attacker-walked-off-coolly-witness

Hichem Ben Abdallah, who was in a cafe next door to the library where Jo Cox was believed to have been holding a surgery, described seeing a man wearing a dirty white baseball cap and a grey short jacket, aged between 60 and 70, pulling a gun out.

He then heard two shots.

Immediately prior to that he had seen the owner of a dry cleaners, who he hailed as "the hero of the scene", wrestling with the man.

and the man who has been arrested, far from being 60-70, is 52. So I don't think anyone - including the media - should be jumping to conclusions.

OMG, the police have just announced she has died.

That is so sad...... 

How absolutely awful. I don't have the words....

The police have said that a man in his seventies was also injured by the alleged killer, so that may be the person some witnesses misidentified.

This appears to be the alleged killer:

http://www.batleynews.co.uk/news/local/volunteer-at-award-winning-site-1-2976712

Thomas Mair has been helping at the Birstall park for over a year, and said it’s done him more good than all the physiotherapy and medication in the world.

Read more: http://www.batleynews.co.uk/news/local/volunteer-at-award-winning-site-1-2976712#ixzz4BluKy5EU

lily wrote:That is so sad...... 

Absolutely awful, Lily, there's nothing that can be said that changes anything. It doesn't - at this point - appear to be political, which is about the only crumb of comfort I can find.

I will say, I am - yet again - very angry with the media for spreading so many apparently baseless stories within minutes of it happening, and ramping up tensions even further.

And Hell mend anyone at all that tries to make political capital out of this tragedy.

I do feel for her family about this.  

It's been nothing but horrendous news for the past few days.....

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/680544/Birstall-stabbed-shot-library-injured-police



The suspect arrested has been named locally as Tommy Mair

Quote from article:

One witness claimed the gunman looked to be in his 60s or 70s.

A perfect example of why the media should be circumspect when dealing with witnesses in shock.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-06-16/stocks-sterling-surge-after-british-mps-death

Stocks, Sterling Surge After British MP's Death

I find myself increasingly despairing of humanity. People are now profiting from that careless first report.

As far as can be made out, Pedro, the man is mentally ill, this was no 'assassination' or anything.

bb1, with all do respect, mentally ill or not, that is no excuse to do such despicable crime. we shall see if a lawyer with the excuse of his mental illness will not find a way to make him innocent (which he his not) in front of the judges, because that would be totally insane. criminals like these don´t deserve a lawyer to defend them, because these type of crimes have no pardon.

I understand, Pedro. I am just utterly sickened by the way this poor woman's death at the hands of a man with known mental health problems, a woman who has left behind two young children, is being exploited by everyone from politicians to the stock market for their own ends.

I wish they would all STFU, let the police do their job, and show some respect.

bb1, your words are mine.

That is respectful and decent; I shudder to think what the tabloids will be like.