Rev. Harris Dr. Kennedy Obama at Newtown vigil

Obama at Newtown vigil: US 'will have to change!

President Barack Obama, speaking to the grieving community of Newtown, Conn., Sunday evening said he would use every power of his office to prevent more tragedies like the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — He spoke for a nation in sorrow, but the slaughter of all those little boys and girls left President Barack Obama, like so many others, reaching for words. Alone on a stage after what he described to Gov. Dannel Malloy as the most difficult day of his presidency, the commander in chief was a parent in grief.

"I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depth of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts," Obama said at an evening vigil in the grieving community of Newtown, Conn. "I can only hope that it helps for you to know that you are not alone in your grief."