(Trends Wide) — President Biden traveled to Uvalde, Texas, with the difficult task of bringing comfort to a community reeling from the horrific shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers Tuesday at an elementary school.
This weekend would have been the first to celebrate summer in the community. Instead, funeral plans are underway for the 19 children and two teachers who were massacred in their classrooms two days before summer break.
Here are the latest details:
Biden hopes to provide ‘little comfort’ in Uvalde, adviser says
“He hopes to convey empathy and understanding of how incredibly horrible this moment is for them,” says an adviser traveling with the president this Sunday. “He hopes to provide some small comfort, if that is possible.”
President and First Lady Jill Biden’s first stop will be at the Robb Elementary School memorial. Throughout the morning, members of the community – adults and small children – have come to deposit flowers and stuffed animals on the site. A few moments ago a family was seen kneeling in prayer in front of the crosses that represent the 21 lives lost. Dozens of spectators have gathered near the barricades ahead of the president’s anticipated arrival.
A police officer walks near the makeshift memorial for shooting victims outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 28. (Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images)
After his stop at the elementary school, the president will attend Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, his traditional Sunday practice, but which takes on added meaning as he celebrates Mass with the bereaved community. He will then meet privately with the families of the victims and first responders. The White House has allotted several hours for the president and first lady to spend with families.
In addition to the horrific events that unfolded in Uvalde, this weekend also holds personal significance for the Biden family. Tomorrow marks seven years since Beau Biden passed away from cancer, a loss the president has often noted as he seeks to connect with grieving families.
Ahead of his visit this Sunday, Biden urged unity in trying to make America safer. “We can finally do what we have to do to protect the lives of our people and our children,” Biden said during his commencement address at his alma mater, the University of Delaware.
“As I speak, those parents are literally preparing to bury their children, in the United States of America, to bury their children, there is too much violence, too much fear, too much pain,” referring to the relatives of the victims in Uvalde.
Vice President Harris Calls for Assault Weapons Ban
Following the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, Vice President Kamala Harris called for a ban on assault rifles in the US.
“An assault weapon is a weapon of war with no place, no place in a civil society.” His comments came during a visit to Buffalo on Saturday, where he attended the funeral of a mass shooting victim who died in a racist attack targeting Black people.
Acts of kindness spread in the community
Residents of the troubled city of some 16,000 people have supported each other in the days after the shooting through prayers, hugs and donations. Omar Rodríguez, owner of a car business, made 250 hamburgers to raise funds for the families of the victims. He set up a large grill, tables and cooking utensils while his family and friends took rags and car wash soap for donations.
Patrick Johnson, a 58-year-old father of four, drove seven hours from his hometown of Harleton, Texas, to Uvalde and set up a table full of toys for children who haven’t smiled in days. “There are many ways to be a blessing to people,” he said.
Funeral services for the Uvalde victims will begin Monday
Local funeral homes announced wakes for at least one victim on Monday and other services are scheduled for next week. Two funeral homes in Uvalde have agreed to cover the costs of all the victims.
No confrontation with the police
The gunman was not confronted by police before he entered the school, a Texas police officer said Thursday, contradicting earlier comments by authorities and raising more questions about the police response to the massacre. A representative from the Texas Department of Public Safety said earlier this week that a school resource officer had “engaged” with the suspect before he entered the school.
