Faces and Stories of Those Who Died in the Connecticut Shooting

On December 14, 2012, a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, after murdering his mother at home. Statistics can tell you the numbers. They cannot tell you who was lost. Here, in brief, are the 26 who died at the school.

The children

Charlotte Bacon, 6. An outgoing redhead who had begged to wear her new pink holiday dress and boots to school that Friday. Her parents finally relented. Her older brother was in the school and survived.

Daniel Barden, 7. The youngest of three, described by his family as fearless in the pursuit of happiness. Always smiling, unfailingly polite, imaginative in play. His father Mark, a musician, canceled a Friday night show in Danbury.

Olivia Engel, 6. A bright student who loved math and reading, art, tennis, soccer, ballet, and hip-hop dance. A Daisy Girl Scout who led grace before family dinners and doted on her 3-year-old brother.

Josephine Gay, 7. She had turned seven just three days earlier. Purple was her color; mourners were asked to wear it. Her family remembered a joyful girl who loved the water.

Ana Marquez-Greene, 6. The daughter of jazz saxophonist Jimmy Greene, who had moved the family from Canada to Newtown for her schooling. She loved music and singing, and wanted to play piano.

Dylan Hockley, 6. The youngest of two boys, who loved the moon and dinosaurs. His family, originally from Britain, remembered a boy who gave the best cuddles.

Madeleine Hsu, 6. A bright, energetic first-grader remembered for her intelligence and her smile.

Catherine Hubbard, 6. An animal lover through and through. Her family later founded an animal sanctuary in her name, so that her love for creatures would keep working in the world.

Chase Kowalski, 7. An athlete at seven: he loved baseball and had completed his first children's triathlon the previous summer. His family remembered a boy always in motion.

Jesse Lewis, 6. He loved horses and had just learned to ride. In his final moments he reportedly shouted for his classmates to run. His mother founded the Choose Love Movement in his honor.

James Mattioli, 6. A quick-minded boy who loved math and being with his family. His parents remembered a child wise beyond his years.

Grace McDonnell, 7. An artist who loved the beach and drew constantly. Her family described a girl made entirely of love.

Emilie Parker, 6. The eldest of three daughters, an artist who never went anywhere without markers and paper. Her father Robbie's tearful press conference the day after became one of the defining images of the tragedy.

Jack Pinto, 6. A sports fanatic who idolized the New York Giants. Victor Cruz, his favorite player, wrote "Jack Pinto, my hero" on his cleats and gloves the following Sunday.

Noah Pozner, 6. The youngest of the victims. His twin sister survived. He loved animals and called his grandmother every day.

Caroline Previdi, 6. A sweet, gentle girl who loved drawing and the beach. Her family remembered a child full of warmth.

Jessica Rekos, 6. She loved horses and had asked for one for Christmas. Her family established a memorial fund to help other children experience the animals she adored.

Avielle Richman, 6. She loved the beach and archery. Her parents, both scientists, founded the Avielle Foundation to fund research into the brain chemistry of violence.

Benjamin Wheeler, 6. A Beatles devotee who loved swimming and soccer. His funeral featured Beatles music, chosen for the boy who knew every word.

Allison Wyatt, 6. An artist who wanted to be an art teacher. Her family remembered a kind, creative girl who loved her little sisters.

The educators

Rachel D'Avino, 29. A behavioral therapist new to the school. Her boyfriend had asked her parents for permission to marry her and planned to propose on Christmas Eve. She was shielding students when she died.

Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, 47. The principal. A mother of five and grandmother, described as a force of nature who loved her school fiercely. She ran toward the gunman with the school psychologist.

Anne Marie Murphy, 52. A special-education teacher and artist. She was found shielding her students with her body.

Lauren Rousseau, 30. A substitute teacher who had wanted to teach since she was a child. She had just been hired full-time. She died protecting her students.

Mary Sherlach, 56. The school psychologist, weeks from retirement after a career spent helping children. She confronted the shooter alongside the principal.

Victoria Soto, 27. A first-grade teacher in only her fifth year. She hid her students in a closet and told the gunman they were in the gym. Every child she hid survived.

Also killed that day

Nancy Lanza, 52, the shooter's mother, shot at home before the school attack. The firearms used were hers, legally purchased.

FAQ

How many died at Sandy Hook Elementary? 26 at the school: 20 children, all first-graders aged 6 and 7, and six educators. The shooter's mother was killed at home.

Who was the shooter? Adam Lanza, 20, who killed himself as police arrived. This remembrance does not dwell on him.

What happened to the school? Sandy Hook Elementary was demolished and rebuilt; students returned to a new building in 2016.

How are the victims remembered? Through foundations, scholarships, an animal sanctuary, brain-violence research, and a movement for compassion, each carrying a child's name forward.

The takeaway

Twenty children and six educators. Read their names aloud and the numbers stop being numbers. That is the point of remembering: the gunfire took 26 futures, and each one had a favorite color, a favorite song, and people who will never recover.