As Britain struggled to comprehend a murder that has cast a shadow over next week's EU referendum, investigators in the northern English village of Birstall sealed off the home of the suspect -- named in the media as Thomas Mair -- and were seen carrying out a forensic search of his garden.
Residents of the unassuming settlement, nestled in the Yorkshire hills, spoke of a "surreal" atmosphere as the world's media and a crowd of onlookers gathered to watch Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn lay floral tributes.
"Today our nation is rightly shocked," said Cameron.
"She died doing her job... Her values, service, community, tolerance -- those are the values we need to redouble in our national life," he said.
A statue honouring local historical figure Joseph Priestley became the focal point for the mourning, with crying mothers carrying babies as they laid flowers.
Among the tributes was a handwritten message that read: "My heart breaks for your children. So many of your constituents are proud to have called you their MP. Our whole country is hurting right now."
Another read: "Jo, what a vile and tragic day."
- Champion of refugee rights -
Hichem Ben Abdallah, an eyewitness to the shooting, fought back tears as he told AFP he was still in shock at the killing -- the first murder of a serving British MP since 1990 when Ian Gow died in a car bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army.
"She stood for peace and transparency, fighting corruption, wanted justice for all. I think her flame will carry on," said Ben Abdallah, who campaigned in the last election alongside Cox.
"I hope we learn lessons from this," he added.
Cox, a former charity worker who was only elected to parliament last year, was best known for her campaigning in favour of refugee rights and for Britain staying in the European Union.
She grew up in the area and made an impassioned maiden speech in parliament about the ethnic diversity of her local community, which saw an influx of migrants from Ireland and the Indian subcontinent when it was a hub for the English textile industry.
"She absolutely worked across the diverse communities here," said Mark Umpleby, a priest in nearby Batley and a friend of the late politician.
As he was speaking, a stream of Christian and Muslim well-wishers filed into church to sign a book of condolences, ahead of a vigil planned for later on Friday.
"I spent two hours this morning walking around the market, shops and cafes chatting and there's just shock, a numbness," he told AFP.
"She had a real vibrancy. People talk about her being a Yorkshire lass and she certainly was," he added.
Sitting outside a local sports and social club, Stephen Lees said of the attack: "It's atrocious. It's not something you expect around here.
"It's not sunk in properly yet."
'You must be joking'
A mile across the village, home to around 16,000 residents, there was another police cordon.
It was here that chief suspect, 52-year-old "Tommy" Mair lived before being taken into police custody.
"I lived near him when I was a child," said Mary, 54.
"He was a lovely lad, Tom did everybody's gardens, old people who couldn't afford it.
"The lady who rang me to tell me there had been a shooting rang back and said 'oh I can't believe it, it's Tom', I said 'you must be joking'."
In London, mourners laid flowers on the roof of the house-boat where Cox lived with her husband and two young children, next to Tower Bridge.
Neighbour Anne Wainwright told mourners: "We have lost a dear, dear friend in the most tragic and outrageous circumstances."
"We pay tribute to our amazing, wonderful and spirited member of this community -- a beacon of hope who believed in love, friendship and values that we all so much need at this time.
"The community will continue to be inspired by her relentless energy and her commitment to all that is good."
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
