President Barack Obama is attending a memorial service in Arizona to pay tribute to six people killed and 13 injured in a shooting in Tucson.
Mr Obama is speaking at the service for the victims of the attack being held at the University of Arizona.
Suspected gunman Jared Loughner has been charged with several offences and could face the death penalty if guilty.
Mr Obama visited US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was injured by a shot to the head during the shooting.
Thousands have gathered for the service at the University of Arizona's basketball arena, the McKale Memorial Center, in Tucson, where Mr Obama will speak.
The memorial began with a Native American blessing.
Addressing the crowd of about 14,000, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said: "We will go forward unbending and unbowed."
"We know that the violence that occurred Saturday does not represent this community, this state or this country," Homeland Security Secretary and former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano said during the service.
Mr Obama, accompanied by First Lady Michelle as well as Democratic and Republic lawmakers, was greeted at the airport by Ms Brewer.
The first stop for the president after arriving in Tucson was at the hospital where Ms Giffords and others are being treated.
"The president wanted to begin this solemn trip by stopping first at the hospital where Congresswoman Giffords and others continue to recover," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Mr Obama spent 10 minutes with Ms Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, in the intensive care unit at University Medical Center before meeting four others injured in the shooting, including two of Ms Giffords' staff members.
The president then moved to the site of the memorial where he held private meetings with the families affected by the shooting, which claimed the lives of six people and left 13 wounded.
His speech on Wednesday evening would aim to "reflect on how all of us might best honour their memory in our own lives", Mr Gibbs said.
House resolutionMs Giffords, a Democrat, remains in critical condition after being shot through the head in the attack outside a grocery store where she was holding a constituent event.
As many as 15,000 people are likely to attend the memorial service in Tucson Among those who died in the shooting were a nine-year-old girl, a prominent judge and one of Ms Gifford's aides, who was engaged to be married.
Mr Loughner, 22, has been jailed pending trial. The case has been assigned to California federal Judge Larry Burns.
All judges in Arizona were recused from Mr Loughner's trial because federal Judge John Roll of Arizona was among those killed in the shooting.
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday took up a resolution honouring Ms Giffords and other victims of the attack, with House Speaker John Boehner fighting back tears as he spoke about his ailing colleague.
"Our hearts are broken but our spirit is not," the Ohio Republican said.
The resolution declares the House "stands firm in its belief in a democracy in which all can participate and in which intimidation and threats of violence cannot silence the voices of any American".
Suspect: Jared Loughner
- Aged 22; lives with parents in Tucson
- Described by former class-mates as "disruptive" drug-user and a loner
- Reportedly posted series of rambling messages on social networking websites
- Online messages show deep distrust of government and religion, calling US laws "treasonous" and calling for creation of a new currency
- Was rejected by the US Army for drug use
Meanwhile, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has attacked as a "blood libel" suggestions that political rhetoric contributed to the fatal shootings in Arizona.
Some commentators have suggested that increasingly vitriolic political rhetoric in the US may have played some role in the attack, with some specifically criticising Ms Palin for using an online graphic containing crosshair symbols that marked targeted Democratic districts in the recent US mid-term elections.
Police stopNew details also began to emerge on Wednesday about the hours before the shooting took place.
Police have said Mr Loughner was stopped in his car for running a red light hours before he allegedly opened fire on the crowd outside the supermarket.
The Arizona wildlife officer who stopped the suspected shooter on Saturday morning took his name and vehicle registration, and released him with a verbal warning after learning he was not wanted on any warrants.
Investigators have also said they found a handwritten note among Mr Loughner's effects where he lived in Tucson bearing the words "Die, bitch", which they believe was a reference to Ms Giffords.
Mr Loughner's parents issued an apologetic statement on Tuesday, stating that they did not understand why "the heinous events of Saturday" had occurred.
"We care very deeply about the victims and their families," they added. "We are so very sorry for their loss."
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