Jo Cox death: Labour MP's last words revealed as 'my pain is too much' by assistant who tried to fight off attacker
Fazila Aswat's father said she tried to fight off the gunman during the attack in Birstall
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“My pain is too much.” Those are reported to be the last words of Jo Cox after she was shot and stabbed on her way into a constituency surgery.
Her assistant, Fazila Aswat, tried to help the politician stand up after the attack outside Birstall Library but her injuries were too grave.
Ghulam Maniyar, Ms Aswat’s father, told ITV News: "She said her [Jo's] injury was so bad and she was in her arms. There was lots of blood.
"She said 'Jo, get up' but she said 'no, my pain is too much, Fazila'. And I think those were the last words Jo spoke.
"She could not do anything else. She tried to comfort her. Then the police came, the air ambulance came, they took her to hospital. She was a witness and her clothes were full of blood.”
Mr Maniyar, a former Labour councillor for Batley, described the "wonderful" 41-year-old MP as "like a daughter" to him, saying she called him uncle.
"I think she's a caring person, not just an MP but she liked to help every human being, every single person," he added.
"She worried about Syrian people, she worried about ordinary people. Whenever you approached her, she'd come forward with a smile and try to help you.
"It's shocking, not just for my daughter but the whole community. We’re living in harmony."
Mr Maniyar said his daughter had tried to stop the attack by hitting Mrs Cox’s assailant but that he turned to attack her, then drove off a growing crowd to return and shoot the MP for a second and third time.
Mrs Cox, a mother of two children, was pronounced dead around 45 minutes after the attack at 1pm.
Her husband, Brendan, said his wife’s family and friends would work against the “hate that killed Jo” for the rest of their lives.
"Jo believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life with an energy and a zest for life that would exhaust most people,” he said.
"Jo would have no regrets about her life, she lived every day of it to the full."
David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn united to pay tribute to her life and legacy in Birstall today, while the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Ukip have announced they will not contest the upcoming Batley and Spen by-election as a mark of suspect.
Campaigning in the EU referendum has been suspended on both sides and MPs have been recalled from their Parliamentary recess to attend a memorial to Mrs Cox in the House of Commons on Monday.
A man arrested following Thursday's attack remains in custody.