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Labour MP Jo Cox Pronounced Dead After Being Shot In West Yorkshire Attack [Breaking]

By Amanda Katherine
Published on: 03:43 PST, Jun 16, 2016

Labour MP Jo Cox, 41, was shot and stabbed outside of a library in West Yorkshire today, June 6, 2016, and was in critical condition up until reports broke this afternoon that she had been pronounced dead.

For those of you non-Brits, an MP is a Member of Parliament.

The British lawmaker was holding an event in the town of Birstall, West Yorkshire, when she was attacked. The Labour MP was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary.

Jo Cox In Critical Condition After Shooting
[Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]
Police have already arrested a 52-year-old man who they suspect to be the attacker. The shooter allegedly attempted to flee the scene and change his clothing, but he was captured by police moments later.

“At 12:53 today, police were called to a report of an incident on Market Street, Birstall, where a woman in her 40s had suffered serious injuries and is in a critical condition,” a spokesperson said.

“A man in his late 40s to early 50s nearby also suffered slight injuries. Armed officers attended and a 52-year-old man was arrested in the area. There are no further details at present.

“Police presence in the area has been increased as a reassurance to the community.”

The married mother of two was left bleeding on the street after the attack. A man in his 40s or 50s was also left slightly injured during the incident.

Jo Cox was elected as MP for Spen and Batley in the spring of last year and has been considered a shining star in the party.

Listen to the Labour MP speak at the general election last spring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7PN16CsLp4

On her Twitter page, the MP describes herself as “mum, proud Yorkshire lass, boat dweller, mountain climber and former aid worker.

Cox is the national chair of Labour Women’s Network and a senior advisor to the Freedom Fund, an anti-slavery charity.

She has been passionate about fighting to tackle poverty, suffering, and discrimination and has worked with organizations like Save the Children and the NSPCC. The motivation for the attack against Ms. Cox is still unknown. The attack appeared to be intentional and calculated.

According to live updates in the U.K., Ms. Cox was shot three times during the attack today, including once in the face. She suffered stab wounds and was apparently kicked by the gunman as she lay on the ground.

Birstall MP Jo Cox In Critical Condition
[Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]
Describing the gunman’s actions, witness Clarke Rothwell told BBC News what he saw during the incident.

“He shot this lady once, then he shot her again and she fell to the floor.

“[He] went over, shot her once more in the face area, somebody tried grabbing, wrestling with him, then he was wielding a knife, a hunting knife.”

Fellow MP and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted to his followers following the incident to express his shock and condolences.

British Prime Minister David Cameron also weighed in on the attack against the Labour MP via Twitter.

The prime minister went on to suspend the Gibraltar rally.

The attack on Jo Cox this morning is not the first attack that has been carried out against an MP. Six years ago, in 2010, Stephen Timms, the Labour MP for East Ham, was stabbed twice in the stomach by a Muslim woman with a kitchen knife. The attacker had said she intended to “punish” Timms for supporting the Iraq War.

Another incident occurred back in 2000, when MP Andrew Pennington was killed while trying to protect Lord Nigel Jones, the former member of parliament for Cheltenham who was stabbed in the hand by a constituent with a sword.

According to a study performed in early 2016 by Home Office psychiatrists, 80 percent of the MPs surveyed have been victim to intrusive and aggressive behavior towards them. Fifty percent of the group surveyed said that they have been targeted in their own homes. Forty-one percent of MPs have received threats with intent to harm them, and 120 out of the 239 participants (almost half) have been victims of prolonged campaign harassment or stalking.

Just one day prior to the attack, the Labour MP had posted a photo of her family on River Thames as a part of Remain Campaign.

After the news that Cox had been pronounced dead, Jeremy Corbyn made an on-camera statement to Sky News regarding the attack and murder of his colleague.

[Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]

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