Obama, First Lady, To Attend Navy Yard Memorial
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will visit with families of victims of the Washington Navy Yard shooting on Sunday and attend a memorial at the Marine Barracks Washington, the White House said.
The memorial also is scheduled for Sunday at the historic barracks, not far from the Navy Yard where 12 people were fatally shot by 34-year-old Aaron Alexis, who was killed by law enforcement Monday.
The Marine Barracks Washington, the oldest active post in the Marine Corps and founded in 1801, supports both ceremonial and security missions in the nation's capital. It is home to the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the Marine Band the official Marine Corps Color Guard and the Marine Corps Body Bearers. The site also contains the Home of the Commandants, which is a registered national historic landmark along with the barracks.
Capt. Jack Norton, a spokesman for the barracks, said the event is scheduled to start late Sunday afternoon, and it is not open to the public. Norton said invitations are being sent to roughly 4,000 people.
The Navy Yard re-opened on Thursday for normal operations, though the building where the shooting took place remained closed.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday the president wants to mourn the loss of life in Monday's massacre and share in the nation's pain after another mass shooting.
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