President Obama will visit Colorado on Sunday in wake of the recent deadly shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.
President Obama is heading to Aurora to meet with the victims and families of the theater shooting that occurred early Friday morning at a midnight premiere of the Dark Knight Rises.
"We need to embrace them and let them know we will be there for them as a nation," Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. "We will stand by our neighbors in Colorado during this extraordinarily difficult time."
Obama will also meet with local and state officials. The visit is a quick one as he will only be in the state for two and a half hours.
On Friday, 12 people were killed and 58 others were injured when James Holmes, 24, entered the movie theater during the Dark Knight Rises premiere and opened fire on the moviegoers. The victims included Alex Sullivan, 27, John Larimer, 27, Jessica Ghawi, 24, Micala Medek, 23, Jon Blunk, 26, Alex Teves, 24, Alexander "AJ" Boik, 18, Gordon Cowden, 51, Rebecca Wingo, 32, Matt McQuinn, 27, Jesse Childress, 29, and Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6, whose mother is in critical condition.
In his address, President Obama took time to remember the victims. "The people lost in Aurora loved and were loved. They were mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors. They had hopes for the future and dreams that were not yet fulfilled. And if there's anything to take away from this tragedy it's a reminder that life is fragile, our time here is limited and it is precious," he said.
For President Obama, the ages of the many young victims who died, including a six year old girl, hit close to home. He thought of his own young daughters. "I'm sure many of you who are parents had the same reaction I did when you first heard this news: what if it had been my daughters at the theater, doing what young children enjoy doing every day?" Mr. Obama said in his weekly address Saturday.
After the Colorado visit, Obama will fly to San Francisco where he'll continue his campaign on Monday. The previously scheduled three-day campaign trip includes a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Reno, Nev., fundraisers in California, Washington state, and Oregon and a speech to the National Urban League convention in New Orleans.
James Holmes, the suspected killer is in custody as police search his apartment for evidence. Holmes rigged his apartment with explosives meant to kill someone who tried to enter, however he told police about the trap upon his arrest.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
