Authorities said that Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski and three other people were murdered in an automobile accident in her district on Wednesday afternoon.
An automobile heading northbound on SR 19 near Nappanee, Indiana, collided head-on with Walorski’s SUV, killing the 58-year-old father of three, according to a news release from the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office. The SUV’s three occupants were all killed in the crash.
Walorski, Zachery Potts, and Emma Thomson were the three victims identified by sheriff’s officials.
Authorities have identified the other driver as 56-year-old Edith Schmucker, who perished in the incident.
Potts served as Walorski’s campaign manager and is now the district director for the Indiana House of Representatives. Thomson served as Walorski’s director of communications.
Rep. Jackie Walorski killed in car crash in Indiana, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy says https://t.co/GvBCMjMsky
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 3, 2022
A statement from Walorski’s office was published by GOP Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Twitter, which he claimed was from Walorski’s office.
“This afternoon, Jackie was murdered in an automobile accident. To be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, she has returned to her eternal resting place. Keep her family in your thoughts and pray for them as well. Until further notice, we can make no further remark “read the statement.
The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana alerted Walorski’s spouse of her death, according to the statement.
Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District had been represented by Walorski, a Republican, since 2013.
According to her House profile, she and her husband have a son who “previously spent four years as missionaries in Romania, where they established a charity to give food and medical supplies for underprivileged children. When Jackie wasn’t working in the media, she worked as a development director for Indiana’s public institutions and as a television news reporter in South Bend, Indiana.”
Following the incident, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff, according to a tweet from the spokesman.
Adam Kinzinger, a Republican congressman from Illinois, expressed his condolences for Walorski’s passing in a single tweet on Wednesday.
“I’m speechless because my heart feels heavy. However, all I can offer is my heartfelt condolences to her family “He put pen to paper and began writing. As a public servant, she was “a good and honorable one.”
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden released a statement late on Wednesday night in which they expressed their “horror and sadness” over the loss of Walorski.
“The members of both parties respected her, even though we worked for different parties and disagreed on many subjects. Throughout the planning process for this year’s landmark White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, my team and I were grateful for her support “Biden remarked.
The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office and the Elkhart County Coroner’s Office are still investigating the crash.
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