Obama to Visit Colorado Shooting Victims

 The White House says U.S. President Barack Obama will travel to Colorado Sunday to visit with victims of Friday's mass shooting rampage and their families.

A White House spokesman announced plans for the trip Saturday night, and said it will include meetings with local officials.  The itinerary¹ was disclosed just hours after President Obama used his weekly radio address to call for national prayer and reflection, as the Denver suburb reels from the tragedy.

Twelve moviegoers were killed and dozens wounded early Friday as a gunman sprayed scores of bullets into a crowded theater.

Earlier Saturday, Aurora² Police Chief Dan Oates said bomb squads³ disarmed⁴ a tripwire and detonated a homemade explosive device at the suspect's apartment near Friday's crime scene.  Oates said the apartment was rigged to kill whomever first entered it.  He said in all likelihood that would have been a police officer.

Police identified the suspect as James Holmes, a 24-year-old student whom officials say was preparing to withdraw from a graduate studies program.

The heavily-armed Holmes was arrested just outside the theater right after the bloodbath, in possession of a rifle, a shotgun, two handguns, a gas mask and a bulletproof vest.

Officers then surrounded the young man's apartment building about six kilometers from the crime scene, and evacuated⁵ all residents. 

Police said the attacker's motivations remained unclear, nearly two days later.

President Barack Obama and one of the top Republican figures in Congress, House Speaker John Boehner, were among national leaders who have publicly mourned the victims and offered condolences to their families.

1 itinerary   

n.行程表，旅行路线；旅行计划

参考例句：

• The two sides have agreed on the itinerary of the visit.双方商定了访问日程。
• The next place on our itinerary was Silistra.我们行程的下一站是锡利斯特拉。

2 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

3 squads   

n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍

参考例句：

• Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
• Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句

4 disarmed   

v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
• The swordsman disarmed his opponent and ran him through. 剑客缴了对手的械，并对其乱刺一气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。