Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Victims
Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Victims
Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Victims
Twenty bright first-graders were gunned down Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, Conn. Six school staffers, including a teacher and a principal, also died. Click through to
learn more about the victims Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Noah Pozner and his twin sister, Arielle, celebrated their 6th birthdays Nov. 20. Arielle, who was in
another class, survived.
Pozner's uncle Alexis Haller told The Associated Press that he was "smart as a whip," gentle but with
a rambunctious streak.
Haller told the AP that Pozner called Arielle his best friend.
"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."
Pozner was buried Monday afternoon.
Emilie Parker, the little girl with the blond hair and bright-blue eyes, would have been one of the
first to comfort her classmates at Sandy Hook Elementary School, had a gunman's bullets not
claimed her life, her father said.
"My daughter Emilie would be one of the first ones to be standing and giving support to all the
victims because that's the kind of kid she is," her father, Robbie Parker, said as he fought back tears,
telling the world about his "bright, creative and loving" daughter who was one of the 20 young
victims in the Newtown, Conn., shooting.
"She always had something kind to say about anybody," her father said. "We find comfort reflecting
on the incredible person Emilie was and how many lives she was able to touch."
Emilie was a budding artist who carried her markers and pencils everywhere. Her grandfather
recently died and Emilie paid tribute to him by slipping a special card she had drawn into his casket,
her father said.
Alissa Parker, Emilie's mother, told Katie Couric she doesn't know how to answer people anymore
when they ask how she is doing.
"I feel like the only way to move forward," she said, "is to think about these beautiful children and
their lives and be so thankful that we had them."
Emilie will be buried in the family's hometown of Ogden, Utah, later this week.WATCH: Emilie's
father speaks about his daughter
Jack's funeral was Monday.Jack was a fan of New York Giants and their wide receiver Victor Cruz,
who paid tribute to the 6-year-old during a game against the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 16.
"We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from so many people," her family said
in a statement. "Our daughter Grace was the love and light of our family. Words cannot adequately
express our sense of loss."
As with so many, the ABC family has been touched directly by the tragedy in Sandy Hook.
One of the young victims, Catherine Hubbard, is the niece of an ABC News employee.
Here is a statement from the family:"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.
"We appreciate the overwhelming support from our community that we have received over the past
24 hours.
"We also wish to express our gratitude for all of the emergency responders who responded to this
tragic incident as well as the teachers and staff of Sandy Hook School. Our local police and fire
departments and the other agencies who are working on this continuing investigation have been
incredible.
"We also want to recognize outstanding work of The Connecticut State Police who have been
supporting us from the very beginning of this ordeal and continue to provide unwavering support to
our family.
"We have no further statement to make at this time and ask that we be afforded the opportunity to
grieve with our friends and family.
"We ask that you continue to pray for us and the other families who have experienced loss in this
tragedy.
"Jennifer and Matthew Hubbard"
Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, 47Hochsprung became principal of Sandy Hook two years ago and, by
all accounts, was devoted to the students and teachers at her school.
"When we had our orientation, you could tell she loved her job," Brenda Lediski, a parent, told ABC
News by phone.
Hochsprung was in the process of pursuing her Ph.D. through Russell Sage College in Troy, N.Y.
Her enrollment was a "testament to her own personal mission to continue learning and lead by
example," her obituary said.
Kristin Larson, a former PTA secretary, told the Boston Globe that Hochsprung was "always
enthusiastic, always smiling, always game to do anything."
"When I saw her at the beginning of the school year, she was hugging everyone," Larson said.
The moments Hochsprung came into contact with the gunman were heard over the school intercom
Dylan had special needs, his parents, Ian and Nicole Hockley, told the Connecticut Post.
"We do not and shall never regret this choice," the Hockleys said. "Our boys have flourished here
and our family's happiness has been limitless."
Dylan was learning how to read and looked up to his older brother, Jake, the family said.
The family praised principal Dawn Hochsprung, psychologist Mary Sherlach, Dylan's teacher,
Victoria Soto, and his special education teacher, Anne Marie Murphy, for truly knowing their son. All
four educators died in the massacre.
Anne Marie Murphy was employed as a special education teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The devoted mother and teacher reportedly died with one of her beloved students, Dylan Hockley, in
her arms.
"We take great comfort in knowing that Dylan was not alone when he died," Dylan's parents told the
Connecticut Post.
Murphy will be buried on Thursday in Somers, N.Y.
In lieu of flowers, her family asked that donations be made to Autism Speaks.
At the age of 6, Avielle had a "spitfire personality" and loved to tell stories, her obituary said.
"She offered her heart to everyone. With an infectious smile and peals of laughter, people were
drawn to her beautiful spirit, which will live on in all of our hearts," the first grader's family wrote.
Avielle had a diverse set of passions, from music to archery and kung fu.
Ben looked up to his 9-year-old brother, Nate.
Before he left for school Friday, Ben told his mother: "I still want to be an architect, but I also want
to be a paleontologist, because that's what Nate is going to be and I want to do everything Nate
does," his obituary said.
He worked hard inside of the classroom, and brought that same drive to his extracurricular
activities, swimming and soccer.
"He loved the local soccer program, often running across the field long after it was actually
necessary," his family said.
Ben, whose parents are musicians, had recently performed at a piano recital.
Allison had a knack for connecting with people, no matter how short of time she spent with them,
her parents said.
"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 parents, Cheyanne