Authorities have released the names of the 26 victims killed when a gunman opened fire inside a Connecticut elementary school.
All six adults killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School were women. Of the 20 children who were shot to death, eight were boys and 12 were girls. All the children were ages 6 or 7.
Below is the list released by Connecticut State Police.
— Charlotte Bacon, Female, 02-22-06, 6 years old
— Daniel Barden, Male, 09-25-05, 7 years old
— Rachel Davino, Female, 07-17-83, 29 years old
— Olivia Engel, Female, 07-18-06, 6 years old
— Josephine Gay, Female, 12-11-05, 7 years old
— Ana Marquez-Greene, Female, 04-04-06, 6 years old
A year ago, 6-year-old Ana Marquez-Greene was reveling in holiday celebrations with her extended family on her first trip to Puerto Rico.
The girl’s grandmother, Elba Marquez, said the child’s family moved to Connecticut just two months ago, drawn from Canada, in part, by Sandy Hook’s pristine reputation. The grandmother’s brother, Jorge Marquez, is mayor of a Puerto Rican town and said the child’s 9-year-old brother was also at the school, but he escaped safely.
Elba Marquez had just visited the new home over the Thanksgiving holiday and finds herself perplexed by what happened.
“It was a beautiful place, just beautiful,” she said. “What happened does not match up with the place where they live.”
— Dylan Hockley, Male, 03-08-06, 6 years old
— Dawn Hockstrung, Female, 06-28-65, 47 years old
Dawn Hochsprung’s pride in Sandy Hook Elementary was clear. She regularly tweeted photos from her time as principal. Just this week, it was an image of students rehearsing for their winter concert.
She viewed her school as a model, telling The Newtown Bee newspaper in 2010 that “I don’t think you could find a more positive place to bring students to every day.” She had worked to make Sandy Hook a place of safety, too, and in October, the 47-year-old Hochsprung shared a picture of the school’s evacuation drill with the message “Safety first.”
When the unthinkable came, she was ready to defend. Officials said she died while lunging at the gunman in an attempt to overtake him.
“She had an extremely likable style about her,” said Gerald Stomski, first selectman of Woodbury, where Hochsprung lived and had taught. “She was an extremely charismatic principal while she was here.”
— Madeleine F. Hsu, Female, 07-10-06, 6 years old
— Catherine V. Hubbard, Female, 06-08-06, 6 years old
— Chase Kowalski, Male, 10-31-05, 7 years old
— Jesse Lewis, Male, 06-30-06, 6 years old
— James Mattioli, Male, 03-22-06, 6 years old
— Grace McDonnell, Female, 11-04-05, 7 years old
— Anne Marie Murphy, Female, 07-25-60, 52 years old
— Emilie Parker, Female, 05-12-06, 6 years old
— Jack Pinto, Male, 05-06-06, 6 years old
— Noah Pozner, Male, 11-20-06, 6 years old
— Caroline Previdi, Female, 09-07-06, 6 years old
— Jessica Rekos, Female, 05-10-06, 6 years old
— Avielle Richman, Female, 10-17-06, 6 years old
— Lauren Russeau, Female, 06-?-82, 30 years old
Lauren Rousseau had spent years working as a substitute teacher and doing other jobs. So she was thrilled when she finally realized her goal this year to become a full-time teacher at Sandy Hook.
“It was the best year of her life,” her mother, Teresa Rousseau, told the Danbury News-Times, where she is a copy editor.
Rousseau has been called gentle, spirited and active. She was a lover of music, dance and theater.
“I’m used to having people die who are older,” her mother said, “not the person whose room is up over the kitchen.”
— Mary Sherlach, Female, 02-11-56, 56 years old
When the shots rang out, school psychologist Mary Sherlach, 56, threw herself into the danger.
Janet Robinson, the superintendent of Newtown Public Schools, said Sherlach and the school’s principal ran toward the shooter. They lost their lives, rushing toward him.
Even as Sherlach neared retirement, her job at Sandy Hook was one she loved. Those who knew her called her a wonderful neighbor, a beautiful person, a dedicated educator.
Her son-in-law, Eric Schwartz, told the South Jersey Times that Sherlach relished helping children overcome their problems. She had planned to leave work early on Friday, he said. In a news conference Saturday, he told reporters the loss was devastating, but that Sherlach was doing what she loved.
“Mary felt like she was doing God’s work,” he said, “working with the children.”
— Victoria Soto, Female, 11-04-85, 27 years old
She beams in photos. Her enthusiasm was evident. She was doing, those who knew her say, what she loved.
And now, Victoria Soto is being called a hero.
Though details of the 27-year-old teacher’s death remain fuzzy, her name has been invoked again and again as a portrait of selflessness and humanity among unfathomable evil.
A cousin, Jim Wiltsie, told ABC News that investigators told his family she was killed while shielding her students from danger. She reportedly hid some students in a bathroom or closet, ensuring they were safe.
“She was trying to shield, get her children into a closet and protect them from harm,” Wiltsie told ABC. “And by doing that, put herself between the gunman and the children.”
Soto’s goal was simply to be a teacher.
“She lost her life doing what she loved,” Wiltsie said.
— Benjamin Wheeler, Male, 09-12-06, 6 years old
— Allison N. Wyatt, Female, 07-03-06, 6 years old