Obama sending AG to Chicago to discuss fatal beating

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is sending Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan to Chicago next week to discuss the recent beating death of a 16-year-old honors student.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says Holder and Duncan will meet Wednesday with school officials, students and residents and talk about school violence.

Earlier this week, Gibbs described as "chilling" a cell phone video showing the fatal beating of Derrion Albert.

Chicago prosecutors have charged four teenagers in the beating of the sophomore honor roll student. Officials say Albert was walking to a bus stop when he got caught up in street fighting.
On Wednesday, Gibbs said cell phone video showing the fatal beating is "chilling" and had come up Obama's morning meeting in the Oval Office.

Gibbs said the video of teens viciously kicking and striking Albert, a sophomore at Fenger High School, with splintered railroad ties is among the most shocking anyone can see.

He told reporters Wednesday that they should expect an announcement on an administration response to the "heinous crime" soon. While he said government cannot regulate what's in people's hearts, he adding that the White House believes such crimes call for community involvement.