Photos | Victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting

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123 Responses to Photos | Victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting

  1. Sign Stolen from Playground Honoring Sandy Hook Victim, Thief Claims Shooting Was a Hoax: Official

    grace mcdonnell playground

    http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Sandy-Hook-Playground-Grace-McDonnell-Mystic-Stolen-Sign-Hoax-258463251.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_CTBrand

    A sign was stolen from a playground in Mystic honoring Sandy Hook victim Grace McDonnell on Tuesday. The person who stole it reportedly called Grace’s mother to say he did it because he believes the shooting at Sandy Hook was a hoax.

    A man stole a 50-pound vinyl peace sign from a Mystic playground built in memory of a Sandy Hook shooting victim then called the slain girl’s mother to tell her why he did it, according to one of the playground’s supporters.

    William Lavin, the organizer of the “Where Angels Play Foundation” that built the playground honoring Grace McDonnell, said Lynn McDonnell received a phone call from a man on Tuesday claiming he had stolen the sign from the playground because he believes the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax. The caller told McDonnell her daughter “never existed.”

    The playground, which was opened on April 27, is one of 26 the foundation is building in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey to honor the victims of the Dec. 14, 2012 massacre.

    Lavin says McDonnell was upset, and worried about how the theft might affect those who helped build the playground.

    “The McDonnell family is the strongest and most inspiring I have come across,” Lavin said

    The foundation has ordered a replacement sign.

    “We are going to keep moving forward,” said MaryKate Lavin, executive director of the foundation. “This is not going to stop us, but it is heartbreaking.”

    The sign was stolen days after another playground constructed in honor of a child killed in the shooting was vandalized. Hartford police are investigating that incident.

  2. Newtown families on gun control, part one

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUXLA5BFdtY

    Newtown families on gun control, part two

  3. Sandy Hook Families Bring Emotion to Federal Gun Laws Debate

    http://www.countytimes.com/articles/2013/04/07/news/doc516175aba97ac404413007.txt

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Bringing their emotional advocacy to the national gun debate, families of those killed in the Connecticut school shooting are appearing with President Barack Obama and walking the halls of Congress to plead for stricter regulations.

    They already have helped push through the nation’s most restrictive firearms law, which Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, D-Conn., signed Thursday.

    With no lobbying background and fueled by the power of their emotions, a group of Sandy Hook Elementary School families can take credit for helping shape the measure as it moved through the state Legislature.

    Now they’re trying to do the same in Washington, where gun legislation is facing tough resistance. Congress is returning from spring break, and Newtown, Conn., families plan to spend the coming week on Capitol Hill.

    _______________________

    Good on you! Get it done!

    I’m standing up for the 20 little children killed. Nothing else matters.

  4. No more gun sales where semiautomatic used in Sandy Hook shooting was bought

    The Riverview Gun Sales shop in East Windsor, Connecticut, is still open but no longer sells guns.

    The Riverview Gun Sales shop in East Windsor, Connecticut, is still open but no longer sells guns.

    http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/05/us/connecticut-sandy-hook-gun-store/index.html

    (CNN) — A Connecticut store that sold a gun used to kill 26 people last December at Sandy Hook Elementary School no longer can legally sell firearms.

    Debora Seifert, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told CNN on Friday the Riverview Gun Sales shop in East Windsor, Connecticut, lost its federal firearms license December 20 — six days after the massacre about 65 miles southwest in Newtown.

    That day, after killing his mother in their Newtown home, Adam Lanza drove to the elementary school and shot dead 20 young children and six adults using a semiautomatic Bushmaster .223-caliber model XM15 rifle.

    The shooter’s mother, Nancy Lanza, bought the Bushmaster firearm two years ago at Riverview Gun Sales, according to Detective Matthew Carl of the East Windsor Police Department.

    The ATF spokeswoman did not comment on why the store’s license was revoked, including if it had anything to do with the Newtown rampage.

    But Carl said “probably the reason the ATF raided the store on December 20 was for poor keeping of the records.”

  5. Investigators: Adam Lanza surrounded by weapons at home; attack took less than 5 minutes

    http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/28/17501282-investigators-adam-lanza-surrounded-by-weapons-at-home-attack-took-less-than-5-minutes?lite

    Adam Lanza left a home stuffed with weaponry and carried out the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in a 154-bullet barrage that took less than five minutes, investigators said Thursday in the first detailed account of his surroundings and troubled state of mind.

    Search warrants from the second-worst school shooting in American history revealed that the home Lanza shared with his mother in Newtown, Conn., was a veritable arsenal: Authorities found at least nine knives, three Samurai swords, two rifles, 1,600 rounds of ammunition and a 7-foot, wood-handled pole with a blade on one side and a spear on the other.

    Authorities also recovered a National Rifle Association certificate, seven of Lanza’s journals, drawings that he made and books from the house, including an NRA guide to the basics of pistol shooting.

  6. Investigators “found a holiday card Lanza’s mother gave him containing a check for… a firearm.”

    http://wapo.st/Zrgw85

    ***************

    I’m just going to say it….what a crazy bitch giving a person with severe mental illness a check to buy a firearm. I’m tired of biting my tongue when it comes to this crazy bitch and her obsession with guns. Those beautiful little innocent children would be ALIVE if it wasn’t for her. She took a person with severe mental illness to a gun range and then gave the mofo access to the guns. Hell, she KNEW his mental illness was severe b/c she took him out of school. Both Adam and his crazy mother are to blame for the deaths of those little innocent children.

  7. In Newtown, an Effort to Preserve a Mountain of Sympathy Cards

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/nyregion/in-newtown-an-effort-to-preserve-a-mountain-of-sympathy-cards.html?_r=0

    NEWTOWN, Conn. — In the 1,500 or so cards and letters in Box 58 at the Newtown Municipal Center, a mother named Ursula recalled the 6-month-old she lost in an auto accident; a 9-year-old, Hayden Toland-Yeh, pondered mortality; and Robert M. Sutton, a lawyer from Myrtle Beach, S.C., wrote movingly about the gun violence that ravaged his family when he was 6.

    “Where to begin? What to say?” began the letter from the employees at American Builders and Nu World Graphics in Las Vegas.

    “We live in a great country,” Gail Porter of Bend, Ore., wrote, “but this has brought all of us to our knees.”

    “I have been praying for you nonstop for the past week,” Makenna Hewitt wrote. “I know we have never met, but I hope you understand what I mean when I say I think of you as friends.”

    “I guess when you see one of your friends, you never know if it’s the last time,” Hayden concluded. “So I have written you this letter because I want you to know I care.”

    Almost two months after 26 children and educators were massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School, local residents and officials are trying to figure out what to do with hundreds of thousands of letters, cards, posters, banners, photographs, paintings and quilts — a time capsule of grief and a reminder that even here catastrophe cannot last forever.

  8. Playgrounds memorializing Newtown victims to be built in Sandy-devastated towns

    Playgrounds memorializing Newtown victims to be built in Sandy-devastated towns

    http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2013/02/playgrounds_memorializing_newtown_victims_being_built_in_sandy-devastated_towns.html

    SEA BRIGHT – In wake of the Newtown massacre and storm that rocked the east coast, 26 playgrounds will be constructed in storm-ravaged areas, to memorialize the lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary and provide hope to children during the rebuilding process.

    The project, entitled “The Sandy Ground Project: Where Angels Play,” will kick off in Sea Bright with the building of a playground in memory of Anne Marie Murphy, who was a special education teacher killed while holding 6-year-old Dylan Hockley in her arms.

    In total, 10 playgrounds will be built in New Jersey, 10 in New York and six in Connecticut, with the last one at Sandy Hook Elementary School. They will include state-of-the-art equipment, all handicap accessible, and will have a reflection area.

  9. For those of you who would like to donate to the Josephine Grace Gay fund. Check out the link here.

    http://www.dougflutiejrfoundation.org/Donate-Joeys-Fund.asp

  10. Family Of Sandy Hook Victim Establishes Autism Fund In Her Honor

    http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/02/04/family-of-sandy-hook-victim-establishes-autism-fund-in-her-honor/

    BOSTON (CBS) – Last fall, Bob and Michele Gay were living in Newtown, Connecticut and planning a move to Massachusetts. Their daughter Josephine was one of the children cruelly taken in the first grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

    “This happened Friday, we were in shock on Saturday, and when we woke up Sunday I had the strong feeling we had to do something,” Bob said. “Because you have that anger and that anger for me was that I didn’t want December 14 or Sandy Hook School to be the last thing in my daughter’s life or define her life.”

    He’s a father on a mission, and he and his wife want to take action. The Gays have turned their unimaginable grief into hope for other families.

    “In Josephine’s case she was on the spectrum, mildly autistic but completely non-verbal,” Bob added.

    Joey couldn’t speak but her life spoke volumes.

    “One of the things we learned from heris that you really truly don’t need words to say I love you – actions speak louder,” Michele said.

    Knowing the expense and challenges faced by families with a child with autism, the Gays have set up “Joey’s Fund” at the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.

  11. Slain Sandy Hook teachers to get medal from Obama

    http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/slain-sandy-hook-teachers-medal-obama-215142021–politics.html

    President Barack Obama will present the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal to the six teachers and school administrators killed as they protected students at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., a White House aide confirmed.

    The Connecticut Post was the first to report that the six would receive the award posthumously in a Feb. 15 ceremony at the White House. Obama will present surviving relatives with the medal, which goes to “citizens of the United States of America who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.”

    Obama will honor Dawn Hochsprung, the principal, Mary Sherlach, the school psychologist, and teachers Rachel D’Avino, Lauren Rousseau, Anne Murphy and Victoria Soto. All six were slain, along with 20 first graders, on Dec. 14.

    In the aftermath of the tragedy, Obama has been pushing a package of proposals to combat gun violence, including renewing a ban on assault weapons, limits on ammunition clip size, and expanding and toughening background checks.

  12. Director plans movie related to Newtown shooting

    http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=789058

    RIDGEFIELD, Conn. (AP) — A film director is traveling to Connecticut to prepare for a made-for-TV movie related to the deadly Newtown elementary school shooting.

    Jonathan Bucari told News 12 Connecticut he planned to visit Ridgefield on Monday.

    Ridgefield is 20 miles southwest of Newtown, where a gunman fatally shot his mother before killing 20 first-graders, six educators and himself in December.

    WVIT-TV reports the Demian Productions film company says the film focuses on a 13-year-old boy with mental illness and a growing fear of his parents after the shooting.

    Bucari says he picked Ridgefield because of its similar look to Newtown and because he didn’t want to upset Newtown residents so soon after the killings.

    Ridgefield schools superintendent Deborah Low says the timing of the film’s crew visit is “poor.”

  13. LaPierre: Ban assault weapons and ‘you limit the ability to survive’

    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/02/03/lapierre-ban-assault-weapons-and-you-limit-the-ability-to-survive/#comment-787555193

    National Rifle Association (NRA) CEO Wayne LaPierre on Sunday argued that banning assault weapons limited the ‘ability to survive’ and that high-capacity magazines should not be outlawed because women need more bullets.

    During an interview on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace pointed out to LaPierre that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had written that the right to bear arms described by the Second Amendment “was not unlimited.”

    The NRA chief countered that no new laws were necessary because “we already have all kinds of reasonable laws.”

    • Go to hell Wayne LaPierre! Ban Assault Rifles! They are used for no other reason than killing a large number of people. Noah Pozner’s mother had to view her 6 yr old child’s mouth & hand blown off. No mother should have to suffer that. We have had enough! I’m standing up for those 20 little precious children who were gunned down in Newtown Connecticut. Nothing else matters.

  14. [wpvideo SCsUUO89]

  15. Now is the time – A letter from Hinna

  16. stand up to NRA hate, do it for kids like 8-year old Grant Fritz

    Stand up to NRA hate, do it for kids like 8-year old Grant Fritz

  17. President Obama: “The only way we can change is if the American people demand it.”

    ******************
    For the safety of our children…demand change, America! Now Is The Time!

  18. President Obama signs 23 executive orders relating to gun violence

    President Obama signs 23 executive orders relating to gun violence

  19. Family Members Of Newtown Victims To Attend Obama Gun Announcement

    http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/family-members-of-newtown-victims-to-attend-obama

    Family members of some of the Newtown, Conn., massacre victims will attend President Obama’s gun control announcement Wednesday, the Hartford Courant reported.

    Obama is expected to unveil proposals to reduce gun violence in the wake of the mass shooting at 11:55 a.m. ET at the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

    According to CNN, the President will propose universal background checks, an assault weapons ban and a ban on high-capacity magazines.

  20. Sandy Hook Promise- Ana was passionate. She was about loving God and loving people.

    Sandy Hook Promise- Ana was passionate. She was about loving God and loving people.

  21. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xLDULSFOfU

    Obama to announce gun control proposal Wednesday

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/01/15/gun-violence-biden-executive-action/1835957/

    WASHINGTON — President Obama will unveil a comprehensive gun-safety plan on Wednesday, a follow-up to his promise to come up with a proposal to bolster gun control in the aftermath of last month’s mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut.

    The president’s package will include calls for Congress to reinstate a ban on assault weapons and address the issue of high-capacity magazine as well as strengthen federal background checks of people buying guns—all are issues that Obama has previously endorsed and would require Congressional action, according to White House press secretary Jay Carney. But Carney declined to spell out what else might be in the plan.

    “The president and vice president will hold an event here at the White House tomorrow to unveil a package of concrete proposals to reduce gun violence and prevent tragedies like the one in Newtown, Conn.,” Carney said.

    Carney said Obama and Vice President Biden will be joined at the announcement by children from around the country who wrote to the president about the scourge of gun violence after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School last month that left 26 children and educators dead.

  22. Parents Of Slain Children Deliver The Sandy Hook Promise:
    ‘Things Must Change’

    Mothers read poem of promise

    http://www.mediaite.com/tv/parents-of-slain-children-deliver-the-sandy-hook-promise-things-must-change/

    Exactly one month after the tragic mass shooting that claimed the lives of 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the parents of those lost children held a press conference to deliver a poem, “The Sandy Hook Promise,” and a plan to move forward. Along with the press conference, the parents launched Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit dedicated to fulfilling the promise contained in the poem they read Monday morning, “To do everything in our power to be remembered, not as the town filled with grief and victims; but as the place where real change began.”

    Nicole Hockley, mother of the late Dylan Hockley, who was six years old at the time of his death, began the press conference speaking about the heartbreaking grief she continues to deal with. “At times, it feels like only yesterday, and at other times it feels as if many years have passed,” she said, adding “I still find myself reaching for Dylan’s hand to walk through a car parking lot.”

    Mrs. Hockley spoke of the ways in which the Newtown community pulled together in the aftermath of the tragedy, along with the wider community of families who have been touched by this kind of horror, from places like Aurora, Columbine, and Virginia Tech. “I do not want to be someone sharing my experience and consoling another parent next time,” she said. “I do not want there to be a next time.”

    Nelba Márquez-Greene, mother of Ana Márquez-Greene, who was taken from her mother at the age of six, also spoke, summing up the unimaginable shock and grief of that day in a sentence. “On Friday, December 14, I put two children on the bus,” she said, “and only one came home.”

    Mrs. Hockley and Mrs. Márquez-Greene each pledged to honor their children by fulfilling The Sandy Hook Promise:

  23. Honoring Victoria Soto, The First Grade Teacher Who Taught Us All

    Honoring Victoria Soto, The First Grade Teacher Who Taught Us All

    The first grade teacher Victoria Soto died while trying to protect her students during last Friday’s shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

    http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/01/15/victoria-soto-school-renamed-in-honor-of-heroic-sandy-hook-teacher/

    A proposal to name a Connecticut elementary school after heroic Sandy Hook teacher Victoria Soto received unanimous approval Monday night.

    Officials in Stratford, Conn., a city near Newtown, approved the mayor’s proposal to name a new building at HoneySpot Elementary School after the 27-year-old teacher who died trying to shield her students during a bloody rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

    Announced earlier this month by Stratford mayor John Harkins, the proposed name change was seen as a touching memorial by everyone in the tight-knit community, including Soto’s family.

    Town council member John Dempsey told Fox News Latino the decision to rename the school was a “no brainer.”

    _____________

    **tears**

  24. One Million Moms for Gun Control – Join our grass-roots movement

    http://onemillionmomsforguncontrol.org/volunteer/

    Please join our group for “instant grass-roots” force to lobby local, state and federal officials for stronger gun laws.

  25. Faith leaders launch gun control push

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/under-god/post/faith-leaders-launch-gun-control-push/2013/01/15/82d78632-5f2c-11e2-9940-6fc488f3fecd_blog.html

    Dozens of prominent faith leaders are launching a push Tuesday for gun control, using the post-Newtown climate to argue there is a spiritual imperative for action on gun violence.

    Progressive clergy have long preached for tighter gun measures but since the mass shooting at a Newtown, Conn. elementary school, their demands are getting much more specific and the clergy involved are coming from a broader base.

    Monday night, a few dozen national clergy who serve now or have as official advisors to President Obama issued a statement calling for “reasonable steps” such as the enforcement of universal background checks for people buying guns and the “collection and publication of relevant” data on gun violence.

    The statement is signed by leaders including the Rev. Larry Snyder, the head of the Catholic Church’s social service arm; National Association of Evangelicals Leith Anderson; and mainline leaders from the Episcopal and Lutheran churches, among others.

    “[We] call upon our communities and our elected officials to make every effort to save human lives, especially the lives of children, from senseless gun violence that does not represent the responsible citizenship intended by the Second Amendment,” the statement reads.

  26. Sandy Hook family: We’re still his parents

    [wpvideo xOjfQ1be]

  27. Obama to release gun recs as early as Wednesday

    http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/15/16525590-obama-to-release-gun-recs-as-early-as-wednesday?lite?ocid=twitter

    President Barack Obama will publicly announce his gun-safety proposals as early as Wednesday, with the new recommendations including some executive actions in addition to possible legislative proposals like a ban on assault weapons or large capacity magazines.

    The president met with Vice President Joe Biden Monday – a day ahead of schedule – to discuss the Biden-led task force’s recommendations after the group’s series of meetings with stakeholders in the gun violence debate.

    Congressional officials familiar with the task force meetings said late Monday that Biden and his staff have developed 19 areas where Obama could use executive orders to institute new gun control policy.

  28. Biden: W.H. readies 19 executive actions on guns

    http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/biden-guns-executive-actions-86187.html

    The White House has identified 19 executive actions for President Barack Obama to move unilaterally on gun control, Vice President Joe Biden told a group of House Democrats on Monday, the administration’s first definitive statements about its response to last month’s mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

    Later this week, Obama will formally announce his proposals to reduce gun violence, which are expected to include renewal of the assault weapons ban, universal background checks and prohibition of high-capacity magazine clips.

  29. Exclusive: Newtown police chief adds voice to call for assault weapons ban

    http://nbcnews.to/UXZr6z

    NEWTOWN, Conn. – Police Chief Michael Kehoe has a message for the White House: “Ban assault weapons, restrict those magazines that so have so many bullets in them, shore up any loopholes in our criminal background checks,” he said in an exclusive interview with NBC News.

    As Vice President Joe Biden prepares to present his gun violence proposals to the White House this week, the residents of Newtown—including first responders and some families of the victims—are speaking out on gun policy for the first time.

    Few have a more personal connection to the issue than Kehoe: He was one of the first on the scene at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14 after reports came in of a shooting. He says he’s still haunted by flashbacks of what he witnessed when he entered the school from the rear — the eerie silence in the hallways, the smell of burnt gunpowder and then the bodies of dead children on the floor of the classrooms.

    “I was sickened. I was angry,” he said. “It was something I never could have imagined could have happened in any school in Newtown.”

  30. Newtown mom wants voice in gun control discussion

    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57563433/newtown-mom-wants-voice-in-gun-control-discussion/?tag=nl.e875&s_cid=e875

    The family of a boy shot dead in last month’s elementary school massacre said Thursday it has been contacted by the White House regarding its desire to be heard in the discussion over gun control in Washington, D.C.

    Alexis Haller, an uncle of 6-year-old Noah Pozner, said a White House official he met during President Barack Obama’s visit to Newtown after the Dec. 14 shooting encouraged him to reach out if he had any concerns. He said he asked officials earlier this month if victims’ families would be informed of initiatives stemming from the massacre and finally heard back Thursday evening about consultations between the White House and families.

    A White House spokesman said Thursday the Newtown families will have the chance to share their views before Obama makes any decisions.

    “There is no perspective more meaningful in this process than that of a parent who has lost a child,” spokesman Matt Lehrich said in an emailed statement.

  31. [wpvideo f8WVIwul]

  32. President Obama reacts as John Brennan briefs him on the details of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

    President Obama reacts as John Brennan briefs him on the details of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

  33. VP Biden meets with stakeholders, staff & Cabinet on policy proposals following the Newtown tragedy

    VP Joe Biden meets with Stakeholders, Staff & Cabinet on policy proposals following the Newtown tragedy

  34. President Obama leads white house staff in a moment of silence for the Newtown victims

    President Obama leads white house staff in a moment of silence for the Newtown victims

  35. Moment of silence, bells mark Newtown school shooting

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/moment-of-silence-bells-mark-newton-school-shooting/article6629051/

    A moment of silence was observed in Connecticut and around the United States on Friday to mark the passing of one week since the massacre of 20 small children and six staff at an elementary school.

    Bells tolled 26 times in Newtown, scene of the carnage. Outdoors, people stopped what they were doing and stood in driving rain to remember the victims.

    State Governor Dannel Malloy had called on Connecticut residents to reflect in silence at 09:30 am (1430 GMT), the minute on Dec. 14 that 20-year-old Adam Lanza burst into the Sandy Hook Elementary School and began his shooting rampage with a powerful military-style rifle.

    “Let us all come together collectively to mourn the loss of far too many promising lives,” Mr. Malloy said. “Though we will never know the full measure of sorrow experienced by these families, we can let them know that we stand with them during this difficult time.”

    State governors from Hawaii to Florida also called on their residents to observe their own moment of silence at 09:30 am local time in solidarity with Connecticut.

  36. Holding You In Our Hearts: First Lady Sends A Touching Message To Newtown!

    http://globalgrind.com/news/michelle-obama-letter-message-newtown-sandy-hook-school-shooting-holding-you-our-hearts

    Over the past week, we as Americans have been united in our grief as Newtown has laid to rest so many beautiful, innocent children, along with the heroic educators who worked every day to help them achieve their dreams.

    As a mother of two young daughters, my heart aches for you and your families. Like so many Americans, I wish there were something — anything — I could do or say to ease your anguish.

    But I know that I cannot begin to imagine the depths of your grief. I know that for many of you, the pain you are enduring right now seems unbearable; and many of you may be asking yourselves, how can we go on — as families and as a community?

    But I also know that we have already begun to see the answer to that question in the countless acts of courage, kindness and love here in Newtown and across America.

    Over the past week, I have been awed and inspired by Newtown’s heroes: the first responders who risked their lives at a moment’s notice; the educators whose devotion to their students shone brightest in one of our nation’s darkest hours; the children who comforted each other despite their fear; the families coming together to support each other as they grieve.

    And I am so proud of the outpouring of love and support that has come from every corner of America: from first responders from neighboring cities rushing to help however they could; from people in Cleveland and Charlotte and Juneau and so many other communities joining together to honor Newtown with their thoughts and prayers; and in living rooms and houses of worship and the halls of our government, where we are beginning to have those difficult conversations about how we can build a safer, more peaceful tomorrow for all our children.

    And I want you to know that this is just the beginning. As my husband has said, in the coming weeks, he will use all the powers of his office to engage citizens from across this country to find ways to prevent tragedies like this one. And please know that every minute of every day, we are thinking of you, and praying for you, and holding you and your families in our hearts as you begin the slow and wrenching work of healing and moving forward.

    In the months and years ahead, may the memories of those beautiful children and those heroic adults be a blessing for their families, for your community, and for our country, and may God bless you all.

    First Lady Michelle Obama, Washington, D.C.

  37. A letter 6-year-old Jack Pinto's best friend wrote him

    A letter 6-year-old Jack Pinto’s best friend wrote him

    ___________________

    …Sweet Jesus!

  38. Hallelujah – The Voice

  39. The Littlest victims Madeleine F.  Hsu

    Madeleine Hsu Obituary

    http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=madeleine-hsu&pid=161726087

    Madeleine Hsu was a shy and quiet 6-year-old — but she would light up around dogs.

    Karen Dryer, who lived on the same street as the Hsu family, would see Madeleine’s mom waiting for her at the bus stop at 3:15 every afternoon. Dryer would wait too, for her son Logan, who is in kindergarten. Dryer usually brought the family’s golden retriever with her.

    “She would come off the bus and her face would light up when she saw the dog,” Dryer said.

    Her mom would give her a big squeeze, and Madeleine would hug her little sister. “She was just an absolute doll,” Dryer said. “She seemed very shy, but she was just so sweet.”

  40. The Littlest Victims Allison Wyatt

    Allison Wyatt: Turned Home Into an Art Studio

    http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Allison-Wyatt-Made-the-World-a-Better-Place–184002071.html

    Allison Wyatt was a sweet, smart little girl who would turn parts of her family’s Newtown home into an art studio by taping her pictures to the walls, her family said in a statement. For her six short years, she made the world a better place.

    Allison Wyatt, daughter of Cheyanne and Ben Wyatt, was one of 20 first graders killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on Friday.

    Wyatt’s family released a statement on Tuesday and a photo of a smiling Allison in a green floral dress sitting in front of a pink cake, celebrating her sixth birthday.

    “Allison was a kind-hearted little girl who had a lot of love to give, and she formed special bonds with most people who spent any amount of time with her. She loved her family and teachers especially, but would often surprise us with random acts of kindness – once even offering her snacks to a complete stranger on a plane,” her family said.

    Allison loved drawing and wanted to be an artist, her family said.

    “She loved to laugh and was developing her own wonderful sense of humor that ranged from just being a silly six-year old to coming up with observations that more than once had us crying with laughter,” her family said.

    “Allison made the world a better place for six, far too short years and we now have to figure out how to move on without her. She was a sweet, creative, funny, intelligent little girl who had an amazing life ahead of her. Our world is a lot darker now that she’s gone. We love and miss her so much.”

  41. An entire class murdered - Emilie Parker missing from the picture

    An entire class murdered – Emilie Parker missing from the picture

    ______________________

    Lord Have Mercy!

  42. The Littlest Victims Daniel Barden 7

    Sandy Hook Elementary Victim 7-Year-Old Daniel Barden Was ‘Old Soul’

    http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/12/sandy-hook-elementary-victim-7-year-old-daniel-barden-was-old-soul/

    Though he was only in first grade, Daniel Barden was very much an “old soul,” his family said today. He was one of the 20 children who died Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

    At the age of 4, he displayed an empathy for others remarkable for a child so young. It didn’t go unnoticed — teachers chose Daniel to be paired with a special education student at his school.

    His mother, Jackie Barden, said she was always struck by “how unusual he was.”

    “Our neighbors always said, ‘He’s like an old soul,’” Barden said during an interview on “Katie.”

    He carried that kindness with him as he got older.

    “He would hold doors open for adults all the time,” said his father, Mark Barden.

    He laughed, remembering the times he’d be “halfway” across a parking lot and see his son still holding a door for strangers.

    “Our son had so much love to give to this world,” Barden said. “He was supposed to have a whole lifetime of bringing that light to the world.”

    • What a precious cutie. I keep seeing this little sweetie in my head with the two missing teeth. May your kindness shine bright in heaven. RIP Daniel Barden.

      The sadness & heartbreak is just too much…

    • Ametia says:

      Daniel’s sweet countenence will shne eternally. What a living example of LOVE. Thank you, Mr. Barden for sharing Daniel’s LOVE IN MOTION with us.

  43. Meet Jessica Rekos

    Jessica Rekos was among the 20 children killed Friday when a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, Connecticut.

    Jessica was born May 10, 2006. She was six years old. Her parents are Rich and Krista Rekos. Krista Rekos is a sixth grade teacher at the Bridgeport School District.

    Her family issued a statement Sunday:

    “Jessica loved everything about horses. She devoted her free time to watching horse movies, reading horse books, drawing horses, and writing stories about horses. We had promised her she could have her very own horse when she turned 10. She asked Santa for new cowgirl boots and a cowgirl hat. She was a creative, beautiful little girl who loved playing with her little brothers, Travis and Shane. She spent time writing in her journals, making up stories, and doing “research” on orca whales – one of her passions after seeing the movie Free Willy last year. She said her dream was to see a real orca. Thankfully her dream was realized in October when she went to SeaWorld.

    Jessica was our first born. She started our family, and she was our rock. She had an answer for everything, she didn’t miss a trick, and she outsmarted us every time. We called her our little CEO for the way she carefully thought out and planned everything. We can not imagine our life without her. We are mourning her loss, sharing our beautiful memories we have of her, and trying to help her brother Travis understand why he can’t play with his best friend. We are devastated, and our hearts are with the other families who are grieving as we are.”

    • Little beautiful Jessica. You’re a girl after my own heart. I love horses & cowgirl boots too. So happy your dream of seeing a real Orca came true. They’re a beautiful sight to see.

      May you create & write stories and share them with the Angels. RIP precious one.

    • Ametia says:

      may Jessica’s light shine eternally and she continue on her journey of creating beauty.

  44. Boyfriend Planned To Propose Christmas Eve To Woman Killed In School Massacre

    http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/12/sandy-hook-elementary-school-shooting-rachel-d-avino-engaged-anthony-cerritelli

    The boyfriend of Rachel D’Avino, one of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, was about to propose to her — on Christmas Eve.

    Only days before the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, Anthony Cerritelli has asked Rachel’s parents for permission to marry her, according to her friend, Lissa Lovetere Stone who spoke to the Associated Press.

    D’Avino, 29, was a behavioral therapist who had only recently started working at Sandy Hook Elementary School. As RadarOnline.com previously reported, D’Avino was one of 26 people killed at the school when 20-year-old Adam Lanza opened fire last Friday morning. 20 of the victims were small children. In addition, Lanza also killed his mother prior to going to the school, where he took his own life after his heartbreaking crime.

    Lovetere Stone said she met D’Avino in 2005 when D’Avino was assigned to her son, who has autism, in their town of Bethlehem, CT. She says D’Avino was so dedicated, she’d make home visits and constantly offered guidance on handling situations such as helping her son deal with loud music at a wedding.

  45. Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung Memorial Fund CT Teachers Credit Union PO Box 2121 Waterbury, CT 06722 http://www.wctfcu.com

  46. NRA, 20 innocent little 6 -7 year old kids were killed because of the monster you created. Time to put a stop to this madness!

  47. Obama grieves, promises to use power to help

    http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Obama-offers-love-prayers-of-nation-to-Newtown-4122181.php#photo-3903041

    NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — He spoke for a nation in sorrow, but the slaughter of all those little boys and girls turned the commander in chief into another parent in grief, searching for answers. Alone on a spare stage after the worst day of his tenure, President Barack Obama declared Sunday he will use “whatever power” he has to prevent shootings like the Connecticut school massacre.

    “What choice do we have?” Obama said at an evening vigil in the shattered community of Newtown, Conn. “Are we really prepared to say that we’re powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard? Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?”

    For Obama, that was an unmistakable sign that he would at least attempt to take on the explosive issue of gun control. He made clear that the deaths compelled the nation to act, and that he was the leader of a nation that was failing to keep its children safe. He spoke of a broader effort, never outlining exactly what he would push for, but outraged by another shooting rampage.

    “Surely we can do better than this,” he said. “We have an obligation to try.”

    The massacre of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday elicited horror around the world, soul-searching in the United States, fresh political debate and questions about the incomprehensible — what drove the 20-year-old suspect to kill his mother and then unleash gunfire on children.

    A total of 6 adults and 20 boys and girls ages 6 and 7 were slaughtered.

    Obama read the names of the adults near the top his remarks. He finished by reading the first names of the kids, slowly, in the most wrenching moment of the night.

    Cries and sobs filled the room.

    “That’s when it really hit home,” said Jose Sabillon, who attended the interfaith memorial with his son, Nick, a fourth-grader who survived the shooting unharmed.

    • vigil2

      A woman covers her face as US President Barack Obama reads out the names of children killed during Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting at a interfaith memorial for victims and relatives at the Newtown High School on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were killed when a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary and began a shooting spree. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGANMANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images Photo: Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images / SF

      • vigil3

        NEWTOWN, CT – DECEMBER 16: A mourner wipes tears from her eyes before U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 at Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot dead, including twenty children, after a gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza also reportedly had committed suicide at the scene. A 28th person, believed to be Nancy Lanza, found dead in a house in town, was also believed to have been shot by Adam Lanza. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images) Photo: Pool, Getty Images / SF

  48. Ametia says:

    Is VIOLENCE the price for our FREEDOM?

  49. Ametia says:

    This is the FORTH time PBO has come to console and speak to family who have suffered MASS murders of their loved ones. #4!

  50. President Obama speaking in Newtown

    President Obama speaking in Newtown Connecticut

    __________________

    My President is emotional about these precious little children. His heart is broken & so is America. We’ve had enough!

  51. Sandy Hook Principal Dawn Hochsprung's daughter shares a photo of Obama holding Hochsprung's granddaughter

    Sandy Hook Principal Dawn Hochsprung’s daughter shares a photo of Obama holding Hochsprung’s granddaughter

  52. Ametia says:

    Thank you for this post. Putting faces and stories to these SOULS keeps the reality of their lives ALIVE.

  53. Pingback: Monsters Used To Come Out Of The Forest. « angrymanspeaks

  54. Seeing the pictures of all of those innocent little children can’t help but break the heart of anyone who has a heart–and that may very possibly EXCLUDE today’s strain of Republicans. I ran across another photo, actually a video, that breaks my heart even further. It’s of one of the young victims singing “”Come Thou Almighty King” with her little brother who plays the piano. :( I decided to post it on my Facebook this morning, Here’s the home video I posted:

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ndn-video-page,0,3091608.htmlstory?freewheel=90921&sitesection=dash&VID=23992704

    • Thank you, NCW! “Come Thou Almighty King: My Lord”. My Lord…. May she find joy singing before the King.

      This is the saddest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I have so many emotions going on from sadness, to crying, to anger. I need God to help heal my mind and heal the hearts of the families and communities that are grieving from this horrible tragedy.

    • Ametia says:

      LOST it…. May God grant this child everlasting love & peace. Lord have Mercy.

  55. Democratic senators want ban on assault weapons

    http://bigstory.ap.org/article/senators-want-commission-look-mass-shootings

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic lawmakers and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said Sunday that military-style assault weapons should be banned and that a national commission should be established to examine mass shootings in the United States.

    The proposals were among the first to come from Congress in the wake of Friday’s school shooting in Newtown, Conn. Gun rights activists remained largely quiet on the issue, all but one declining to appear on the Sunday talk shows. Meanwhile, Democrats vowed action and said it was time to hear from voters — not gun lobbyists — on how to prevent the next shooting.

  56. Miami Heat moment of silence for Newtown victims

  57. President Obama has arrived in Newtown, CT.

    Twitter

    Father give him the words to speak comfort to these grieving familes.

  58. CHARLOTTE BACON, 6

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    They were supposed to be for the holidays, but finally on Friday, after hearing much begging, Charlotte Bacon’s mother relented and let her wear the new pink dress and boots to school.

    It was the last outfit the outgoing redhead would ever pick out. Charlotte’s older brother, Guy, was also in the school but was not shot.

    Her parents, JoAnn and Joel, had lived in Newtown for four or five years, JoAnn’s brother John Hagen, of Nisswa, Minn., told Newsday.

    “She was going to go some places in this world,” Hagen told the newspaper. “This little girl could light up the room for anyone.”

  59. OLIVIA ENGEL, 6

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    The images of Olivia Engel will live far beyond her short lifetime. There she is, visiting with Santa Claus, or feasting on a slice of birthday cake. There’s the one of her swinging a pink baseball bat, and another posing on a boat. In some, she models a pretty white dress; in others, she makes a silly face.

    Dan Merton, a longtime friend of the girl’s family, says he could never forget the child, and he has much to say when he thinks of her.

    “She loved attention,” he said. “She had perfect manners, perfect table manners. She was the teacher’s pet, the line leader.”

    On Friday, Merton said, she was simply excited to go to school and then return home and make a gingerbread house.

    “Her only crime,” he said, “is being a wiggly, smiley 6-year-old.”

  60. DAWN HOCHSPRUNG, 47, principal

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    Dawn Hochsprung’s pride in Sandy Hook Elementary was clear. She regularly tweeted photos from her time as principal there, giving indelible glimpses of life at a place now known for tragedy. Just this week, it was an image of fourth-graders rehearsing for their winter concert; days before that, the tiny hands of kindergartners exchanging play money at their makeshift grocery store.

    She viewed her school as a model, telling The Newtown Bee in 2010 that “I don’t think you could find a more positive place to bring students to every day.” She had worked to make Sandy Hook a place of safety, too, and in October, the 47-year-old Hochsprung shared a picture of the school’s evacuation drill with the message “safety first.” When the unthinkable came, she was ready to defend.

    Officials said she died while lunging at the gunman in an attempt to overtake him.

    “She had an extremely likable style about her,” said Gerald Stomski, first selectman of Woodbury, where Hochsprung lived and had taught. “She was an extremely charismatic principal while she was here.”

  61. MADELEINE HSU, 6

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    Dr. Matthew Velsmid was at Madeleine’s house on Saturday, tending to her stricken family. He said the family did not want to comment.

    Velsmid said that after hearing of the shooting, he went to the triage area to provide medical assistance but there were no injuries to treat.

    “We were waiting for casualties to come out, and there was nothing. There was no need, unfortunately,” he said. “This is the darkest thing I’ve ever walked into, by far.”

    Velsmid’s daughter, who attends another school, lost three of her friends.

  62. CATHERINE HUBBARD, 6

    A family friend turned reporters away from the house, but Catherine’s parents released a statement expressing gratitude to emergency responders and for the support of the community.

    “We are greatly saddened by the loss of our beautiful daughter, Catherine Violet and our thoughts and prayers are with the other families who have been affected by this tragedy,” Jennifer and Matthew Hubbard said. “We ask that you continue to pray for us and the other families who have experienced loss in this tragedy.”

  63. CHASE KOWALSKI, 7

    Chase Kowalski was always outside, playing in the backyard, riding his bicycle. Just last week, he was visiting neighbor Kevin Grimes, telling him about completing – and winning – his first mini-triathlon.

    “You couldn’t think of a better child,” Grimes said.

    Grimes’ own five children all attended Sandy Hook, too. Cars lined up outside the Kowalskis’ ranch home Saturday, and a state trooper’s car idled in the driveway. Grimes spoke of the boy only in the present tense.

  64. JESSE LEWIS, 6

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    Six-year-old Jesse Lewis had hot chocolate with his favorite breakfast sandwich – sausage, egg and cheese – at the neighborhood deli before going to school Friday morning.

    Jesse and his parents were regulars at the Misty Vale Deli in Sandy Hook, Conn., owner Angel Salazar told The Wall Street Journal.

    “He was always friendly; he always liked to talk,” Salazar said.

    Jesse’s family has a collection of animals he enjoyed playing with, and he was learning to ride horseback.

    Family friend Barbara McSperrin told the Journal that Jesse was “a typical 6-year-old little boy, full of life.”

  65. ANA MARQUEZ-GREENE, 6

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    A year ago, 6-year-old Ana Marquez-Greene was reveling in holiday celebrations with her extended family on her first trip to Puerto Rico. This year will be heartbreakingly different.

    The girl’s grandmother, Elba Marquez, said the family moved to Connecticut just two months ago, drawn from Canada, in part, by Sandy Hook’s sterling reputation. The grandmother’s brother, Jorge Marquez, is mayor of a Puerto Rican town and said the child’s 9-year-old brother also was at the school but escaped safely.

    Elba Marquez had just visited the new home over Thanksgiving and is perplexed by what happened. “What happened does not match up with the place where they live,” she said.

    A video spreading across the Internet shows a confident Ana hitting every note as she sings “Come, Thou Almighty King.” She flashes a big grin and waves to the camera when she’s done.

    Jorge Marquez confirmed the girl’s father is saxophonist Jimmy Greene, who wrote on Facebook that he was trying to “work through this nightmare.”

    “As much as she’s needed here and missed by her mother, brother and me, Ana beat us all to paradise,” he wrote. “I love you sweetie girl.”

  66. JAMES MATTIOLI, 6

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    The upstate New York town of Sherrill is thinking of Cindy Mattioli, who grew up there and lost her son James in the school shooting in Connecticut.

    “It’s a terrible tragedy, and we’re a tight community,” Mayor William Vineall told the Utica Observer-Dispatch. “Everybody will be there for them, and our thoughts and prayers are there for them.”

    James’ grandparents, Jack and Kathy Radley, still live in the city, the newspaper reported.

  67. ANNE MARIE MURPHY, 52, teacher

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    A happy soul. A good mother, wife and daughter. Artistic, fun-loving, witty and hardworking.

    Remembering their daughter, Anne Marie Murphy, her parents had no shortage of adjectives to offer Newsday. When news of the shooting broke, Hugh and Alice McGowan waited for word of their daughter as hours ticked by. And then it came.

    Authorities told the couple their daughter was a hero who helped shield some of her students from the rain of bullets. As the grim news arrived, the victim’s mother reached for her rosary.

    “You don’t expect your daughter to be murdered,” her father told the newspaper. “It happens on TV. It happens elsewhere.”

  68. EMILIE PARKER, 6

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    Quick to cheer up those in need of a smile, Emilie Parker never missed a chance to draw a picture or make a card.

    Her father, Robbie Parker, fought back tears as he described the beautiful, blond, always-smiling girl who loved to try new things, except foods.

    Parker, one of the first parents to publicly talk about his loss, expressed no animosity for the gunman, even as he struggled to explain the death to his other two children, ages 3 and 4. He’s sustained by the fact that the world is better for having had Emilie in it.

    “I’m so blessed to be her dad,” he said.

    • Jack Pinto Age: 6

      Jack, a student at Sandy Hook Elementary School children killed in Friday’s shootings, had a love of wrestling. The Newtown Youth Wrestling Association’s Twitter handle stated that it was “sad to announce it had lost one of our youngest wrestlers. Our hearts ache for his family & all the families.”

  69. NOAH POZNER, 6

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    Noah was “smart as a whip,” gentle but with a rambunctious streak, said his uncle, Alexis Haller of Woodinville, Wash. Noah’s twin sister Arielle, assigned to a different classroom, survived the shooting. He called her his best friend, and with their 8-year-old sister, Sophia, they were inseparable.

    “They were always playing together, they loved to do things together,” Haller said. When his mother, a nurse, would tell him she loved him, he would answer, “Not as much as I love you, Mom.”

    Haller said Noah loved to read and liked to figure out how things worked mechanically. For his birthday two weeks ago, he got a new Wii.

    “He was just a really lively, smart kid,” Haller said. “He would have become a great man, I think. He would have grown up to be a great dad.”

  70. LAUREN GABRIELLE ROUSSEAU, 30, teacher

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    Lauren Rousseau had spent years working as a substitute teacher and doing other jobs. So she was thrilled when she finally realized her goal this fall to become a full-time teacher at Sandy Hook.

    Her mother, Teresa Rousseau, a copy editor at the Danbury News-Times, released a statement Saturday that said state police told them just after midnight that she was among the victims.

    “Lauren wanted to be a teacher from before she even went to kindergarten,” she said. “We will miss her terribly and will take comfort knowing that she had achieved that dream.”

    Her mother said she was thrilled to get the job.

    “It was the best year of her life,” she told the newspaper.

    Rousseau has been called gentle, spirited and active. She had planned to see “The Hobbit” with her boyfriend Friday and had baked cupcakes for a party they were to attend afterward. She was born in Danbury, and attended Danbury High, college at the University of Connecticut and graduate school at the University of Bridgeport.

    She was a lover of music, dance and theater.

    “I’m used to having people die who are older,” her mother said, “not the person whose room is up over the kitchen.”

  71. MARY SHERLACH, 56, school psychologist

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    When the shots rang out, Mary Sherlach threw herself into the danger.

    Janet Robinson, the superintendent of Newtown Public Schools, said Sherlach and the school’s principal ran toward the shooter. They lost their own lives, rushing toward him.

    Even as Sherlach neared retirement, her job at Sandy Hook was one she loved. Those who knew her called her a wonderful neighbor, a beautiful person, a dedicated educator.

    Her son-in-law, Eric Schwartz, told the South Jersey Times that Sherlach rooted on the Miami Dolphins, enjoyed visiting the Finger Lakes, relished helping children overcome their problems. She had planned to leave work early on Friday, he said, but never had the chance. In a news conference Saturday, he told reporters the loss was devastating, but that Sherlach was doing what she loved.

    “Mary felt like she was doing God’s work,” he said, “working with the children.”

  72. VICTORIA SOTO, 27, teacher

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/connecticut-shooting-victims_n_2308463.html

    She beams in snapshots. Her enthusiasm and cheer was evident. She was doing, those who knew her say, what she loved.

    And now, Victoria Soto is being called a hero.

    Though details of the 27-year-old teacher’s death remained fuzzy, her name has been invoked again and again as a portrait of selflessness and humanity among unfathomable evil. Those who knew her said they weren’t surprised by reports she shielded her first-graders from danger.

    “She put those children first. That’s all she ever talked about,” said a friend, Andrea Crowell. “She wanted to do her best for them, to teach them something new every day.”

    Photos of Soto show her always with a wide smile, in pictures of her at her college graduation and in mundane daily life. She looks so young, barely an adult herself. Her goal was simply to be a teacher.

    “You have a teacher who cared more about her students than herself,” said Mayor John Harkins of Stratford, the town Soto hailed from and where more than 300 people gathered for a memorial service Saturday night. “That speaks volumes to her character, and her commitment and dedication.”

  73. How to Help Families Affected by Newtown School Shooting

    http://newtown.patch.com/articles/ways-to-help-sandy-hook

    In the wake of the unimaginable tragedy at Sandy Hook School Friday people from all over the world—in Connecticut, California, Canada and much farther away in Australia and India—sent an outpouring of support and want to know how they can help.

    If you want to be notified via e-mail of ways to provide comfort and support during this difficult time, please post in the comments section: “I want to help.”

    Patch will continue to update this article with ways to help—posting updates to the story as well as in the comments thread, triggering an email notification to commenters—and if you know of an organization or fundraiser providing assistance, let us know in the comments section, too.

    Already the United Way of Western Connecticut, in partnership with Newtown Savings Bank, created the Sandy Hook School Support Fund to help provide support services to the families and community that are affected.

    Check donations may be mailed to:

    Sandy Hook School Support Fund
    c/o Newtown Savings Bank
    39 Main Street, Newtown CT 06470

    If you have questions on the fund, you may call 800-461-0672

  74. Help for victims of Sandy Hook Shooting

    http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/15/us/iyw-help-for-victims-of-sandy-hook-shooting/index.html

    An official fund for victims’ families, and the community as a whole, has now been established: The Sandy Hook School Support Fund, set up by the United Way of Western Connecticut will provide support services to families and the community. All donations to this fund will go directly to those affected.

    The Red Cross has also been on the ground, offering food and water to first responders, and providing more than 50 units of blood to Danbury hospital where some of the victims were transported. They have set up a center for emergency grief counseling.

    In addition, the nonprofit mental health clinic Newtown Youth and Family Services will be open all weekend from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for grief counseling. They say all donations made at this time will go to helping those impacted.

    The Newtown Parent Connection has also pledged to try and bring in extra counselors to help parents cope.

  75. Donna Brazile‏@donnabrazile

    How the GOP Promoted Gun Madness http://zite.to/WeoEh4 . Fight for the kids of Newtown and across USA!

  76. rikyrah says:

    I just can’t.

    I don’t know if I will be back to this thread. I look at those babies and can only see Peanut. So much innocence and goodness taken by evil

    • Ametia says:

      I feel you, Rikyrah. It’s too much; but these photos remind us that we MUST not give up on getting these MILITARY weapons out of the hands of the Adam Lanzas.

  77. Feinstein To Introduce Assault Weapon Ban

    http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/feinstein-to-introduce-assault-weapon-ban

    Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said that she will introduce an assault weapons ban in the Senate on the first day of the next Congress in January, during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.

    “It’s a first day bill I’m going to introduce in the Senate and the same bill will be introduced in the House, a bill to ban assault weapons,” Feinstein said. “It will ban the sale, the transfer, the importation and the possession — not retroactively but perspectively — and it will ban the same for big clips, drums or strips of more than 10 bullets. So there will be a bill. We’ve been working on it now for a year. We’ve tried to take my bill from ’94 to 2004 and perfect it. We believe we have. we exempt over 900 specific weapons that will not be — fall under the bill. But the purpose of this bill is to get just what Mayor Bloomberg said: Weapons of war off the streets of our cities.”

    “It can be done,” Feinstein said, when asked about the prospects of the bill passing.

  78. BREAKING on MTP: Dianne Feinstein says she will intro Assault Weapons ban on first day of the new Congress.

  79. Every state, every town and every city need to protest until these gun laws are changed. 6 & 7 year old kids riddled with 3-7 bullets? Now Is The Time to put a stop to this. If Congress don’t act, time to take it to the streets. Too much innocent blood has been shed. Enough!

  80. Ametia says:

    May GOD rest their precious SOULS.

    Yea though I walk through the valley of death; I shall fear no evil.
    Thy rod and thy staff; they comfort me…

  81. Xena says:

    Only a monster could kill those children and their teachers.

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