Remembering the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting in Newtown, CT, 13 years later
Sunday marks 13 years since one of the deadliest mass school shootings in American history.
On December 14, 2012, a gunman opened fired inside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The shooting killed 20 first-grade students and six educators.
"This tragedy thirteen years ago is one of the worst to ever occur in Connecticut, and our hearts will forever be with the twenty innocent children who were taken all too soon and the six devoted educators who lost their lives protecting the students they heroically guarded," Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said.
"Let this anniversary serve as a reminder of the courage and strength of our school teachers and faculty, the ongoing need to dedicate ourselves to being sources of love and humanity, and our collective responsibility to work toward a more peaceful, kind, and hopeful world."
Lamont has ordered all U.S. and state flags to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Sunday to remember and honor the victims.
On the eve of Sandy Hook's 13th remembrance of the tragedy, two people were killed and nine others were injured during a mass shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island. A person of interest has since been taken into custody early Sunday in connection with the fatal mass shooting.
Sandy Hook Promise Chief Advocacy Officer Lauren Levin issued a statement on behalf of the nonprofit following the Brown University shooting.
"Thirteen years ago today, 26 precious lives were stolen at Sandy Hook Elementary. It was an attack that could have been prevented if the warning signs had been taken seriously. Now, the Brown University community has been shaken by this same kind of nightmare, students shot and killed in their classroom," Levin said.
"We at Sandy Hook Promise stand with each of the victims, their loved ones, and the entire Brown University community in demanding further investigation and swift action. While nothing can bring these precious lives back, we can and must do more to support these families, protect our schools, and prevent school shootings."
More than a decade after the shooting, many of the Sandy Hook survivors and victims' families have become leading voices in the nationwide debate over school safety and gun law reform.
The 13-year mark also comes after some Sandy Hook survivors opened up to Good Morning America last year about their memories of the shooting and their plans for the future after graduating from high school.
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