These are the first pictures of the victims who died in a shooting
rampage when a ‘deeply disturbed’ gunman went classroom to classroom at a
Connecticut school.
Ana Marquez-Greene, seven, was killed when the shooter opened fire on
children and teachers at 9.30am on Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary
School. Twenty-six people died in the mass shooting.
The little girl and her older brother had attended Linden Christian
School nearby, before moving with their parents to Newtown in July and
enrolling at Sandy Hook. Both children were inside the school when the
shooting began.
Innocence: Ana Marquez-Greene, seven, was named as one of the first victims of the Connecticut shooting on Friday
Tragedy: Jesse Lewis, six, pictured with his father Neil Heslin, was killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School
Ana Marquez-Greene’s father is Canadian jazz musician Jimmy Greene.
The distraught father told MailOnline today that he couldn’t find the
words to express the loss of his daughter Ana.
Neighbors said that the family had only arrived in the affluent
neighborhood two months ago and they hadn’t had the chance to get to
know them.
The number of cars outside the family residence suggested that the
grieving family had been joined by loved ones since yesterday’s tragic
shooting.
Another victim has been named as six-year-old Jesse Lewis. His father Neil Heslin told the
New York Post that
he dropped his son off at school that morning and planned to return in
the afternoon to join parents in the holiday tradition of making
gingerbread houses.
Distraught:
Jazz musician Jimmy Greene could not put into words the loss of his
daughter Ana at the school shooting in Connecticut on Friday
Grace McDonnell, six, who was also killed, has been described as
‘utterly adorable’ and ‘full of life’. She had blue eyes and hair that
was so blonde that friends thought she looked like a ‘little doll’.
Her parents are going through ‘indescribable’ pain, MailOnline has learned.
In a chilling twist, Lynn McDonnell, 45, a housewife, and
Christopher, 49, a business executive, live in a $500,000 detached home
in Sandy Hook, Connecticut that is just one street away from where
alleged shooter Adam Lanza lived.
Grief-stricken members of the community tied white balloons to the
sign for Sandy Hook school today in honor of all those who lost their
lives.
Outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown,
Connecticut, mourners left teddy bears, flowers and lit candles for
victims.
Rest
in peace: Flowers and candles are laid at a makeshift memorial for the
victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting on December 14
Overwhelming:
A memorial piled high with flowers, stuffed toys and candles outside
Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut
Outpouring of grief: White balloons are tied to the Sandy Hook school sign and place flowers for the victims
United in grief: A banner on the highway reads ‘We love you Sandy Hook Elementary’ after 26 people were shot dead by a gunman
Passion: Victoria Soto, 27, was killed by the gunman after she threw herself in front of her students to save them
Law enforcement sources said today that the bodies of the deceased
have all been identified after being removed from the school in the
middle of the night.
Over the course of the evening, parents were led into Sandy Brook
Elementary school and asked to identify the bodies, sources said.
Further details from the medical examiner were expected later today.
The three teachers murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School all died heroes trying to save their students from the gunman.
Principal Dawn Hochsprung, 47, school psychologist Mary Sherlach, 56,
and 27-year-old Victoria Soto, a first grade teacher, as three of the
eight adults found dead on Friday.
Twenty-eight people died in the shooting rampage, including 20 young
children between the ages of five and ten, alleged gunman Adam Lanza,
who took his own life, and his mother, who was shot before the school
massacre.
MailOnline can now reveal that Miss Soto sacrificed herself to save
her students – throwing her body in front of the young children.
When Lanza began started firing at the school in suburban Newtown,
Connecticut, some teachers dived under tables – but the Mrs Hochsprung
and Mrs Sherlach never hesitated.
They ran into the hallway to confront the danger – and were murdered
execution-style as a result . The New York Times reports that Mrs
Hochsprung buzzed Lanza into the school, bypassing the newly-installed
security system – recognizing him as the son of Nancy Lanza. It’s
unclear what Nancy Lanza’s connection to the school was, if she had one
at all.
Little did she know that Adam had already killed his mother at the
home they shared nearby. He took three of her guns and used her car to
drive to the school.
Murdered: Principal Dawn Hochsprung, left, and school psychologist
Mary Sherlach, right, were killed after confronting the Connecticut
school gunman
Hero: Vicki Soto, 27, was trying to shield her first grade students from the gunman when she was shot
Diane Day, a school therapist, told the
Wall Street Journal that she and several other teachers were in a meeting with Mrs Hochsprung and Mrs Sherlach when the shooting began.
‘We were there for about five minutes chatting and we heard, “pop pop pop,”‘ she said. ‘I went under the table.’
The principal and the school psychologist had other ideas. They
jumped out of their seat and ran toward the sound of the gunfire.
‘They didn’t think twice about confronting or seeing what was going on,’ Ms Day said.
Killer: Adam Lanza shot dead 26 people, among them 20 children, at a Connecticut school on December 14
Rabbi Shaul Praver told MSNBC that Mrs Hochsprung and Mrs Sherlach were killed execution-style.
Tributes for all educators poured in on Friday night. A deeply
distraught 10-year-old boy is a former student of Miss Soto, who had
taught at the school five years, said she was ‘really nice and funny.’
The woman’s cousin, Jim Wiltsie, told ABC News that police said the
27-year-old was trying to shield her students and usher them into a
closet when she came face to face with the gunman.
‘She put herself between the gunman and the children and that’s when she was tragically shot and killed,’ Mr Wiltsie said.
‘I’m just proud that Vicki had the instincts to protect her kids from harm,’ he continued.
‘It brings peace to know that Vicki was doing what she loved, protecting the children and in our eyes she’s a hero,’ he added.
Grieving:
Jim Wiltsie, the cousin of victim Vicki Soto, said the family finds
peace knowing that in her last moments Vicki was caring for her students
Devastation: Sandy Hook Elementary School, home to 700 students, was attacked by a crazed gunman on Friday
Fire drill: Mrs Hochsprung tweeted a photo her students at Sandy Hook Elementary performing an evacuation drill
Jacob Riley told MailOnline Miss Soto liked to chew gum in class –
something is not usually allowed for teachers. He said he often teased
her about her habit – and she playfully teased him back.
She was popular with all the students, the young boy said.
Former school superintendent John Reed told the
Connecticut Post that Mrs Sherlach was warm and cared deeply for her students.
‘If there ever was a person, by qualifications and personality, to
work with children, to be a school psychologist, it was Mary,’ he said.
She was married and had two grown daughters in their 20s and enjoyed
gardening, reading and the theater, according to her school biography.
Mrs Hoschspring was happily married to her second husband and tweeted
dozens of pictures of her school.
Mourning:
Newtown residents turned out for memorial ceremonies on Friday night
across the city – including at Lima Roman Catholic Church
Friends and neighbors said it was immediately clear to everyone she knew that she loved her students and her school.
‘I don’t think you could find a more positive place to bring students to every day,’ she told a local newspaper recently.
Another tale of heroism came from an eight-year-old student who said a teacher pulled him from the hallway as bullets rang out.
‘I saw some of the bullets going down the hall that I was right next
to and then a teacher pulled me into her classroom,’ the boy
told CBS News.
‘It sounded like someone was kicking a door,’ he said of the piercing sound of the gunfire.
His relieved mother agreed, saying that the teacher saved her son’s life.
Saved: This eight-year-old student said a teacher pulled him from the hallway into her classroom as bullets rang out
YNaija.com
