GRIEVING: Obama wipes away a tear from his eye during the previously unannounced appearance in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC. — AFP photo
WASHINGTON: A grieving President Barack Obama wiped away tears and struggled to compose himself Friday as he mourned the dead in the Connecticut school shooting, and promised ‘meaningful’ action to stop gun tragedies.
“The majority of those who died today were children, beautiful little kids between the ages of five and ten years old,” Obama said.
“They had their entire lives ahead of them, birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own.”
Obama paused for several seconds, and breathed heavily, several times wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, as he gave his first reaction to the killing of 26 people including 20 children, in the White House briefing room. The shooter also died.
“Among the fallen, were also teachers, men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams,” Obama said, noting that he was reacting “not as a president, but as anybody else would, as a parent.”
“Our hearts are broken today, for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children and for the families of those who are lost.
“As a country we have been through this too many times,” Obama said, mentioning earlier shooting massacres, in Colorado, Oregon and Wisconsin.
“These neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, these children are our children. We are going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this regardless of the politics,” said Obama, the father of two young girls.
Earlier, the president ordered US flags on the White House, official buildings and at military facilities to half staff to honour the victims of the school shooting rampage, which he called a ‘heinous’ crime.
The order remains in effect until sunset on Dec 18, the president said in a proclamation. — AFP