Washington Navy Yard killer Aaron Alexis’ mom says her “heart is broken” over her son’s shooting spree and offered an emotional apology Wednesday morning to the families of his victims.
Reading from a brief statement, Cathleen Alexis of Brooklyn said: “His actions have had a profound and everlasting effect on the families of the victims.”
“I don’t know why he did what he did, and I’ll never be able to ask him why,” she said in a trembling voice.
“Aaron is now in a place where he can no longer do any harm to anyone, and for that I am glad.”
She added: “To the families of the victims, I am so, so very sorry that this has happened. My heart is broken.”
Cathleen, a nurse, made the remarks while standing inside her Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment, clad in black and wearing slippers.
There were no pictures of her son visible, said CNN reporter Deborah Feyerick, who was the only reporter allowed inside.
Cathleen was flanked by Bishop Willie Billips of the Faith, Hope and Charity House of God and Bishop Gerald Seabrooks of the Rehoboth Cathedral, who kept one arm wrapped around the visibly distraught mom.
In addition to reading the prepared statement, which was recorded for broadcast, Cathleen said off-microphone that there were inaccuracies in various news reports about her son, but wouldn’t elaborate.
She has been holed up in her apartment ever since the shooting.
When one of the ministers suggested she had also suffered a tragedy, she responded: “No, no, it’s not about me,” Feyerick said.