Biden to attend memorial for Chattanooga victims

Vice President Biden will attend a memorial service in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Saturday for U.S. service members killed in an attack on two military installations there.

Biden will join Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Gov. Bill Haslam (R) and other officials at the ceremony at McKenzie Arena, according to local reports.

The July 16 shootings shook the Chattanooga community and prompted concerns about security on military bases.

Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez is accused of killing five service members in a rampage at a recruiting facility and a U.S. Navy reserve center.

Abdulazeez, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Kuwait, was killed in a gunfight with police. The incident remains under investigation.

President Obama was criticized for not responding faster to the shooting. He eventually ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims.

Some lawmakers called for arming troops at domestic bases in response to the shootings. The Pentagon is considering steps to tighten security at bases.

Biden will attend Saturday’s ceremony following a family vacation to Kiawah Island, S.C. Obama and his family are on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. for a two-week getaway.

Other officials expected to be at the service are Tennessee Sens. Lamar Alexander (R) and Bob Corker (R), Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), and Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.