WUSTL statement on incident at Holocaust Museum

June 10, 2009 -- Washington University is dismayed and shocked to learn that an attack was made today at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. The university has a long-standing commitment to human rights and religious studies, including the Holocaust and Jewish studies, as well as being a sponsor of Holocaust lectures by experts from around the world.

The accused gunman is a person by the name of James W. von Brunn. Washington University records list a person by this name as a 1943 graduate with a bachelor of science in journalism. The university has scant information on this individual, and alumni records show no contact in recent decades with this individual.

The university is deeply saddened by this event and our hearts go out to the victims of this unwarranted attack. Washington University alumni have held prominent positions with the Holocaust Museum, including the current chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the museum's governing body.