On December 14, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was the site of one of the most devastating mass shootings in U.S. history. Adam Lanza, 20, first killed his mother at home before entering the school, where he tragically took the lives of 20 children and six adult staff members before ending his own life.
Some of the most harrowing losses occurred in Room 8, a first-grade classroom where substitute teacher Lauren Rousseau and behavioral therapist Rachel D’Avino tried to protect the students by hiding them in a bathroom. Despite their heroic efforts, Lanza entered the room and fatally shot Rousseau, D’Avino, and 15 children. Fourteen children died on the scene, and one later succumbed to injuries in the hospital. A six-year-old girl survived by hiding and playing dead.
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In Room 10, first-grade teacher Victoria Leigh Soto attempted to shield her students by directing them to closets and bathrooms, even misleading Lanza by telling him the children were in the auditorium. Soto was killed, along with several children, though nine students managed to escape. Special education teacher Anne Marie Murphy was found covering six-year-old Dylan Hockley, both having tragically lost their lives.
The Sandy Hook massacre sparked national conversations on gun control and school safety, ultimately leading Connecticut to enact stricter gun laws, including background checks for all gun buyers and a ban on assault weapons. The courage and selflessness of the teachers and staff, alongside the memory of the young victims, continue to resonate across the nation.
Remembering the fallen: Lauren Rousseau, Rachel D’Avino, Victoria Leigh Soto, Anne Marie Murphy, Dylan Hockley, and the 20 children whose lives were tragically cut short. 🕊️