Biden to visit Uvalde on Sunday in wake of school shooting

President Biden will travel to Uvalde, Texas, on Sunday to meet with community members and families in the aftermath of a school shooting that left 21 people dead, including 19 children.

Biden will be accompanied by first lady Jill Biden, the White House said. The two will “grieve with the community that lost twenty-one lives in the horrific elementary school shooting.” Both the president and first lady had previously indicated they would travel to Uvalde to mourn the shooting.

“The president and first lady believe it is important to show their support for the community during this devastating time and to be there for the families of the victims,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday at a briefing with reporters.

In the days since the shooting at Robb Elementary School, the president has expressed outrage over inaction on gun laws by Congress and frustration over the cycle of gun violence in the country. The Uvalde massacre came less than two weeks after a gunman killed 10 people inside a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Texas massacre marked the deadliest school shooting since a 2012 attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., which left 26 people dead, including 20 children. 

Much of the scrutiny in Uvalde is centering on the actions of law enforcement on the scene. Authorities originally said an officer engaged the shooter as he approached the school, but on Thursday police clarified nobody confronted the gunman before he entered the building.