Obama addresses police-involved shootings for fourth time in two weeks

Just three days after President Barack Obama addressed the nation through a town hall meeting about race, policing and gun violence, the country was rocked by another shooting that left three officers dead and three wounded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Today’s statement marked the fourth major police-involved shooting in two weeks that the president has had to address.

“We as a nation have to be loud and clear that nothing justifies violence against law enforcement,” he said from the White House press briefing room. “Attacks on police are an attack on all of us, and the rule of law that makes society possible.”

Obama reiterated his point that these latest cop killers won’t be the last to try to make us turn on each other. “It remains up to us to make sure that they fail,” he said. The president has also spent more time with law enforcement in the past weeks, and sent condolences to all the families while making a commitment that “justice will be done.”

“It is so important that everyone — regardless of race, or political party, or profession, regardless of what organizations you are a part of — everyone right now focus on words and actions that can unite this country rather than divide it further,” Obama said. “We don’t need inflammatory rhetoric. We don’t need careless accusations thrown around to score political points or to advance an agenda. We need to temper our words and open our hearts.”

The full speech can be found here.