Congressman Discusses Nephew's Murder
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- On Capitol Hill Wednesday, Congressman Elijah Cummings spoke about the personal tragedy affecting his family: the death of his nephew, Christopher.
Mary Bubala reports his comments came during a committee hearing that touched on violence and firearms.
"Over the past week, my family suffered a horrific tragedy that, in some way, is similar to your own," said Cummings.
He spoke directly to the family of a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed in a violent gun battle.
Those comments came just days after his 20-year-old nephew Christopher was gunned down and killed after an intruder entered the home he shared with four others, just yards from the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk.
"You want to know if something could have been done to prevent their death and you want to prevent it from happening to anyone else in the future," Cummings said.
On Saturday, he will be back in Baltimore at the Victory Prayer Chapel to deliver the eulogy at Christopher's funeral.
Christopher Cummings was studying criminal justice and had a 3.5 grade point average. His family says his life was full of promise. On his Facebook profile, he listed President Barack Obama and his uncle, Congressman Elijah Cummings, as the people who inspired him most. He wanted to follow in his uncle's footsteps on Capitol Hill.
"Nobody can really know how that feels until they go through it themselves," Cummings said.
His wake will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday. The funeral follows it at 11. Public viewings will be held at the March Funeral Home on Wabash Avenue beginning Thursday.
Police have not released any new information on a suspect in this case.
