Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
President Barack Obama boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews as he departs Washington for Newtown, Connecticut, to meet with families of victims of a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
By M. Alex Johnson, NBC News
President Barack Obama left the White House en route to Newtown, Conn., to visit the grieving community that is mourning the death of 26 people ? including 20 boys and girls just 6- or 7-years-old.
The president is expected to attend a private meeting Sunday afternoon with families of the victims and with emergency personnel who responded to the shootings. In the evening, he was to speak at an interfaith vigil at Newtown High School.
On Friday, a man identified as Adam Lanza opened fire inside Sandy Hook Elementary School shortly after killing his mother in her home. He later killed himself with a bullet the head. ?
Obama is scheduled to speak at 8:15 p.m. ET and is expected to last 10-15 minutes.?
Story: Portrait of the victims: A twin, talented teachers?
"As a nation, we have endured far too many of these tragedies in the last few years," Obama said in his weekly radio address Saturday. "An elementary school in Newtown. A shopping mall in Oregon. A house of worship in Wisconsin. A movie theater in Colorado. Countless street corners in places like Chicago and Philadelphia."
For the president, this is yet another sorrowful trip to a town grieving community full of broken hearts from unimaginable violence.
Just last summer, Obama went to Aurora, Colo., to visit victims and families after a shooting spree at a movie theater in the Denver suburb left 12 dead. He went to Tucson, Ariz., in January of last year after six people were killed and 13 were wounded, including then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, outside a grocery store.
In November 2009, Obama traveled to Fort Hood, Texas, to speak at the memorial service for 13 service members who were killed on the post by another soldier.
"We have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this. Regardless of the politics," Obama said in his broadcast remarks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.?
The parents of two students who survived the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary speak with TODAY's Lester Holt about how their children are coping.
James Holmes Minka Kelly sex tape Colorado shooting Colorado shooting victims aurora Angie Everhart tom hardy
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.