In response to today’s St. Paul African-American Community Leaders news conference, of course we are sorry this happened.

The officer, who has been terminated as we communicated earlier, violated numerous university policies, including our prohibition of firearms on campus, as well as values we cherish. We tried to condemn his words and actions in the strongest language.

We’re very sorry for the impact this unfortunate event had on our entire community: police officers who responded in the dark of night, African-American men who might have been endangered or unjustly profiled or accused, neighbors who were very frightened, and of course the entire St. Catherine family community.

What happened over these past few days perpetuates a dangerous stereotype and echoes our country’s tragic and continuing history of racism. No one can ever afford to rest in the pursuit of justice and fairness in our society. St. Kate’s, as a Catholic institution founded for women a century ago by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, remains steadfast in this pursuit.