‘Police violence is also gun violence,’ Julian Castro says

Former U.S. Housing Secretary Julián Castro says that “police violence is also gun violence” and that he would not give officers “another reason to go door to door” by supporting mandatory surrender of assault weapons.

WATCH: ‘No excuse’ for shooting of black woman in her Fort Worth home, police chief says

Castro was the first candidate on Tuesday’s 2020 Democratic primary debate stage to raise last weekend’s shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson, killed in Castro’s home state of Texas after a neighbor called 911 requesting a welfare check on her Fort Worth home because the front door was ajar. Jefferson was playing video games early Saturday with her 8-year-old nephew when Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean fatally shot her within seconds of arriving at her house.

Castro’s remarks were met with applause by the audience.