Iowa (RI)– A top Iowa lawmaker says he’s been told law enforcement immediately contacted all the Iowans listed in a notebook found in the vehicle used by the man accused of murdering a Minnesota legislator and her husband last week. Brian Meyer, the Minority Leader in the Iowa House, says that assurance made the Democrats currently serving in the Iowa House feel a little bit better about their personal safety.
Many Minnesota Democrats were on the list along with people from Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, and Michigan.
Screening devices and security officers have been posted at the public entrances to the Iowa Capitol for nearly 25 years — since shortly after the 9/11 attacks.
Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner says the kind of political violence that unfolded a week ago in Minnesota is horrendous, and Weiner says people must stand side by side with each other, regardless of their differences. State Representative Shannon Latham, a Republican from Sheffield, says it’s time to return to a society where civil discussions are possible.
Latham says she’ll continue to attend public events, but will be more cautious.
The governor of Illinois told reporters over 600 names of elected officials and abortion providers were found in the notebook recovered from the suspect’s vehicle and from papers found a room he had been renting.
(Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)
KIWA Staff Photo
