In response to a national request from the governor of Connecticut, Mayor Teresa Tomlinson is asking all houses of worship in Columbus to ring their bells 26 times Friday morning at 9:30 during a moment of silence honoring the 26 people who were killed in Newtown, Conn., last week.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy sent a request to all 50 states to encourage every community to take part in the tribute.

A heavily armed gunman stormed into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown last Friday, killing 20 children and six adults. The gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, then took his own life. Earlier, he had apparently killed his mother at her home.