Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., decried the slaying of a California policeman killed in the line of duty by an illegal immigrant as an "American tragedy."
In a statement, King said the Dec. 26 shooting death of Cpl. Ronil Singh of the Newman Police Department should prompt renewed support in the new year for law enforcement officers around the country.
An illegal immigrant, Gustavo Perez Arriaga, was arrested two days later.
"This is an American tragedy, the murder of an immigrant from Fiji who played by the rules trying to fulfill the American dream for himself and his wife and 5 year old son," King said.
“Adding to the tragedy is the irony that his alleged murderer is an illegal immigrant who ignored the rules,” he said.
According to King, Singh’s death is the 144th of police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2018, a 12 percent increase over last year.
“As we enjoy New Year’s Eve celebrations, let’s take a moment to thank and honor the heroes in Blue and renew our support for them when they are criticized by cheap shot artists in politics and the media,” King said.
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