Emma NeesRockford, Washington 2017Shot through the abdomen while running from shooter. The 10-year-old's father, Oscar, couldn . Photo: Sasha Arutyunova. I can remember walking up to my front door, putting my hand on the doorknob and thinking, Pull yourself together, you are about to see your kids, before I turned the handle. Watch their stories. Jacob said she came to realize the gravity of the situation -- and the immensity of the loss -- later, at a nearby fire station, where parents were looking to account for their children. Everything was fine. "The truth is that gun violence is in everybody's backyard across the nation," Fuentes said. Touray paced behind the stage, her forehead beading with sweat. The Newtown Bee, the local newspaper, in a front-page editorial on the five-year anniversary pointed out that, What we have learned is that not all good intentions came across as they were meant. It was an upsetting characterization of a community that has turned political points of view, hearts, schedules and philanthropic priorities inside out to support whomever needed it in the aftermath. Tear down the old school, but keep a school in Sandy Hook. Student Geneva Cunningham was in fourth grade at the time of the shooting. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. I had to do something to be part of the solution. Noah Orona still had not cried. Theres no training for navigating the aftermath of a shooting. Alissa is the co-founder of. More than a decade has passed since Jackie Matthews survived the Sandy Hook shooting, crouched down in her sixth grade class in a different school in the . "I have a plan in the back of my head almost everywhere I go now," Walczak told "GMA." A brave six-year-old became the sole survivor of her first grade class at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. because she played dead as shooter Adam Lanza went on his rampage. Maggie lost her best friend, Daniel Barden. 6-Year-Old Shot Va. 2 min read. Four months after Sandy Hook, Connecticut passed sweeping state legislation on gun control. (Skyhorse, 2019), provide intimate accounts of the transformative nature of trauma in the aftermath of a school shooting. Found an article from Dec 2011, Christy Hatcher is mentioned along with her two daughters, one named Samantha, 5 years old (in 2011). The girl, a 6-year-old whose name is not being released for privacy reasons, was the first student to emerge from the lockdown at Sandy Hook, Solomon said. But being in big crowds and "not knowing if someone has a gun can re-trigger me at times," she says. As Nicole kept hearing about the increasing number of school shootings that kept taking place after Sandy Hook, she decided to turn tragedy into triumph by fighting to end gun violence. When those of us who survived went home later that day, the first thing we had to do was be strong for our own children, several of whom also survived the shooting that day, and many of whom were school-aged children in other community schools. David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland, Fla. high school shooting and Craig Nason, a survivor of the 1999 Columbine massacre, . I continue to teach at another school in Newtown, trying to build a generation of empathetic problem solvers. "It makes me angry, because it doesn't have to keep happening," Jacob, the Sandy Hook library clerk, told ABC News. She had 18. It can generally be healthy and meaningful to speak out about your experiences. Now Fuentes, 22, had come back for a second march, but shed long ago shed the naive hope of those early days. Im not. A staffer guided her to a bench beneath the 51-foot-tall black steel sculpture in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building, where Hogg was finishing up a photo shoot for an upcoming magazine profile. Design by Irfan Uraizee. But eerie similarities between that massacre and the Dec. 14, 2012, attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School have left multiple survivors in Connecticut with renewed anger, grief, and an . November 29th was the last good day, she said. At the end of her speech on March 24, 2018, she led the crowd in singing happy birthday to Nicholas Dworet, one of the two friends whod died in her classroom. "It sparked something in me," she says. She suffers from tinnitus in her ears and could eventually go blind in one eye. Like others who lived through the unspeakable horrors of that day, she remains scarred from the trauma she endured. Two Connecticut State Police officers escort a class of students and two adults out of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Dec. 14, 2012, after a shooter entered the building and killed 20 children and six adults before taking his own life. Nicole was in the second grade when a gunman shot and killed 26 people at her school in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012. "My heart goes out to all the families and the friends of the Michigan State shooting," she . He looked her in the eyes. The author, Amye Archer chronicles Cindy Clements Carlson, who was working in the library the morning of December 14, 2012, inside the Sandy Hook Library Media Center. "I think what we know just needs to come to fruition.". 16. I was drowning. A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Tuesday allowed victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre to retain a forensic financial investigator to dig into the finances of bankrupt right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who for years falsely claimed that the shooting was a hoax. In 2018, survivors of the rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Fla., had organized a demonstration that drew tens of thousands of protesters to D.C. One teen after another took to the stage in front of the U.S. Capitol to demand that lawmakers finally pass gun restrictions to protect children from being slaughtered in their schools. All of them are speaking publicly for the first time. Gradually the mind kicks back in and then decisions and realities came one after another. Fuentes stared into the teens vacant eyes, her heart aching for Tourays anguish and her own and for all the others who had been scarred by school shootings and would never entirely escape what theyd endured. The House was just hours away from voting for sweeping new gun legislation that many believed had no chance of passing in the Senate. Susie Ehrens daughter witnessed the shooting while in the classroom of Victoria Leigh Soto, who died trying to protect her students. Touray leaned against a chain-link fence and closed her eyes, placing a hand on her forehead. We are grateful that our bodies and the bodies of our children are whole and we strive to support those who are not. The lawmakers they had begged to listen ignored them, and the school shootings continued. She couldnt imagine that the people in charge wouldnt listen to them, especially after 19 fourth-graders in Uvalde, Tex., were shot to death in May. "I think as well as you can expect them to," he said of how the girl's mother and father are handling the trauma. ABC News' Martha Raddatz interviews Sandy Hook school shooting survivors. In 2020, when she was a sophomore, she joined the Junior Newtown Action Alliance, which is part of the local gun violence prevention group Newtown Action Alliance, and became its legislative coordinator the following year. Chase YarbroughSanta Fe, Texas 2018Shot six times. And the aftermath of such tragedy is larger and darker than you might imagine. Touray, who plans to study anthropology at North Carolina A&T State University, considered herself a courier of a message that her schoolmates would never get the chance to deliver. '", "It was very traumatic for me, because there was no comfort whatsoever," she said. I think, as a collective, were all very tired, she said, between drags on a vape pen. #TheTeenageDream http://www.sandyhookpromise.org/teenagedream**. The lone survivor of one of the two Sandy Hook Elementary School first-grade classrooms where Adam Lanza allegedly shot and killed 20 children tricked the gunman by playing dead, the girl's pastor said. Living through two is utterly incomprehensible. Aalayah Eastmond, who also survived the Parkland shooting and participated in the PSA, told "GMA" that she struggles each day with survivor's guilt after her friend, Nicholas Dworet, sacrificed his life to save hers. Americans are afraid to go to school, the movies, the mall, concerts, work, church, parking lots. She has wisdom beyond her years, for sure.". "I couldn't close my eyes without reliving it.". Once inside, he turned left instead of right, where Nicole's classroom was located, and opened fire, killing 20 terrified first graders and 6 educators in the nation's first mass shooting at an elementary school and one of the worst in U.S. history. It was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. She stood in the corner, facing the wall, and called her mom. Touray had just started seeing a therapist, because fear had changed who she was, too. The media center director is a close friend of Mindy and mine, and they were the very last group to exit the . Obama Says He Felt 'Not Just Sorrow, But Anger' After Sandy Hook Shooting as 10-Year Anniversary Approaches, Sandy Hook 10 Years Later: Remembering the 89 Students Killed in School Shootings From that Day Until Now, Barack Obama Addresses Uvalde Shooting Nearly 10 Years After Sandy Hook: 'Our Country Is Paralyzed', Mich. State Mass Shooting Survivor Also Lived Through Sandy Hook Massacre: 'We Need Action', President Joe Biden Addresses Shooting at Texas Elementary School: 'I Am Sick and Tired of It', Mich. State Students Recount Horror of Campus Shooting that Killed 3: 'I Thought I Was Going to Die', Suspect in Mich. State Mass Shooting ID'd, Caller's Tip Led Police to Him, Victims of Michigan State Mass Shooting Identified: 'We Are Grieving Together', Barack Obama Reflects on 'Single Darkest Day of My Presidency' on 10-Year Anniversary of Sandy Hook Shooting, Uvalde Mom Files Lawsuit Against Gun Manufacturer, Police and Others Over Daughter's Murder, Uvalde School Police Chief: I 'Contained' Shooter in Classroom to Protect Kids Outside. So, attend every funeral for every child, but attend to your own child who was with her fourth-grade class that day. The Uvalde shooting that left 21 dead and 17 more wounded instantly brought Arokium back 10 years to the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, on Dec. 14, 2012. experts who all told us they knew the solution. Remembering the Sandy Hook Shooting Victims 5 Years Later. We can no longer allow this to happen. Save the next Madisyn. More. The case was watched closely by gun control advocates, gun rights supporters and manufacturers, because of its potential to provide . Sandy Hook school shooting survivors are growing up and telling us what they've experienced. "I know our generation has not been complacent with this issue. Survivors of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting boarded a bus in the parking lot of Newtown High School at 5 a.m. Saturday for the drive down to Washington, D.C., to join in the March . On Wednesday, police pulled a body from that river, and on Monday, the Schenectady police confirmed the body to be that of Humphrey. Part of HuffPost Personal. Their classmates witnessed these murders. We wait in terror fearing for our lives until the gunfire comes to an end.. Then, after Oxford, Touray was invited to talk about what shed been through at a state event. Touray buried her head in her hands, until at last she looked up. The staff was largely left to fend for themselves in those early months, with little or no mental health support. Fuentes had spent the day exchanging hugs and jokes and silly memories with friends from Parkland she hadnt seen in months. . It was nice of him to say, Touray thought, but she didnt really agree. . Her latest film is "Us Kids," which follows Parkland survivors, including Sam Fuentes, as they recover from their injuries, process their grief and trauma, and try to prevent another school shooting. Pastor Jim Solomon told ABC News:"She ran out of the school building covered from head to toe with blood and the first thing she said to her mom was, 'Mommy, I'm OK but all my friends are dead. Nicole with Chloe, a survivor of the Uvalde shooting. The following narratives, written by survivors of the Sandy Hook shooting and excerpted from the book If I Dont Make It, I Love You (Skyhorse, 2019), provide intimate accounts of the transformative nature of trauma in the aftermath of a school shooting. Nevertheless, individually and collectively, survivors keep trying. "Well, she saw someone who she felt was angry and someone she felt was very mad," Solomon said. Among the most memorable to appear was Sam Fuentes, then a senior at Douglas who a month earlier had been shot in the leg and struck in the face with shrapnel. Fuentess message was on Tourays mind that night in her hotel room, where she left the bathroom light on because in Michigan she shared a bedroom with her younger sister and was sleeping alone for the first time since she was 4. Touray smiled, gratified that her question had elicited a thoughtful response, but she was also distracted, because a belligerent man on the steps behind her was screaming about government brainwashing. As a child, she rarely paid attention to the news and was only allowed to watch PBS Kids on weekdays. When I was 9 and 10, I tried to forget it all. If you dont know what to look for, it can be easy to miss the signs, or dismiss them as unimportant. "I felt that I needed to do more. Educators teach peace and nonviolence. Jackie Matthews survived the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook and the MSU shooting Monday night. I really need you to hype me up this rally is huge, she texted her mother from behind a tall black sign that read, DONT LOOK AWAY.. The fact that this is the second mass shooting that I have now lived through is incomprehensible, Matthews said. Nicole Melchionno. God, why am I still crying? Touray asked, embarrassed, as she followed the group toward a waiting area near the stairs. Maggie was in third grade at the time of the shooting. On 14 December 2012, 20 children - aged between five and 10 - and six staff members were killed at Sandy Hook when a gunman opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle before killing himself. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? With the reality of school shootings, Masi said it's important to have open conversations with students about their concerns. Nolan BrandySan Bernadino, California 2017The bullet broke two of his ribs and lacerated portions of his kidney and liver. He spoke out against banning girls education. Browning, a March for Our Lives policy associate, skimmed through the pages of the packet, detailing all the items they wanted Touray and the others to pitch to lawmakers: universal background checks for gun purchasers, the Protecting Our Kids Act, an assault weapons ban. You're never prepared for something like this. Perhaps because my daughter knows firsthand what the love of a good teacher can do for a child. On stage, a speaker announced that people needed to stop running. Shed heard of Parkland, but knew almost nothing about it. But this year, she has decided she wants to be a teacher at Sandy Hook School. SURVIVING SANDY HOOK: 'I can't give you proof except for my trauma' Ashley survived the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 26 people d. She didnt really know about any of those things. Now a freshman at Siena College, Bisset has organized a remembrance at t Today, Sandy Hook Promise -- a nonprofit organization led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012 -- released a video of survivors of school shootings reciting lyrics from Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" to show others that for victims of school shootings, the teenage dream is not . All Rights Reserved. "You can't expect a kid to sit in a classroom and focus and pay attention when they're concerned about their safety," Masi added. I know, Fuentes replied, and both of them laughed. Mary Ann Jacob was working in the library as the shooting unfolded. Subscribe to Must Reads. As the school district went into lockdown during the chaos, Matthews crouched in place with her . Sitting toward the front of the room, she worried that if the gunman came into her classroom, that she would be one of the first to be shot. Solomon said the girl's family was suffering survivor's guilt because many of their friends were not as lucky and had lost children in the tragedy. "These are real things they're experiencing and the more we talk about it and the more we give those kids the voice to talk about it, the more that we're going to see change.". Im nervous, said Touray, who was both intimidated and inspired by the other activists. Paralyzed from waist down. I cant speak for you or what happened at Oxford, he told her, his tone serious. The next morning, her chance to ask it came at the base of the U.S. Capitol steps during a meeting with Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Democratic congresswoman from Massachusetts. Jones and his company Free Speech Systems have been found liable for $1.5 billion in two defamation trials over lies that Jones . Teacher with Mother's Gun, Police Say: Could Mom Face Charges. THE most traumatic day of Kaitlin's life left 28 people dead, including children. Discovery Company. Did you encounter any technical issues? As a staff and individually, we navigated the push and pull of how to honor the dead, where to spend your time, how to volunteer, when to make your donations, how to manage your emotional capacity, when to care for yourself. When she was 14 years old, Gabby Petito starred in a music video titled "Irreplaceable" to help spread awareness about violence against children after the Sandy Hook massacre. What school shootings do to the kids who survive them, from Sandy Hook to Uvalde. Alexander DworetParkland, Florida 2018Survived being shot in the head. "I'm only here because of Nick," said Eastmond, who explained that Nick's body took the bullets that day as she hid underneath him. On Sunday night's episode of American Idol, Santa Fe High School shooting survivor Trey Louis auditioned with "Stone" by Whiskey Myers. It shouldn't run through anybody's head.". Photo editing by Mark Miller and Mark Gail. How difficult the aftermath is, and the decisions it entails, hasnt been easily understood. \u201cA survivor of the Sandy Hook School mass shooting in 2012 is a student at Michigan State University: \u201cI am 21-years-old and this is the second mass shooting I\u2019ve lived through. (Adam Wolffbrandt/ABC News) The experience of . 2023 Cable News Network. Weve let down generations of children by letting this continue, one user replied. Jackie Hegarty, a survivor of the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, visits the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial in Newtown, Connecticut. But at the same time, it felt almost impossible for that to actually happen. "When we ran to our cubbies to hide, I remember thinking, you know, I should hide to the back of the classroom, to the other side, so that I don't get shot. It was why Fuentes tried to keep her back to the wall whenever possible, scanning for threats. Are you sure you want to go up there?, Enough is enough, the crowd was chanting. "I'm now physically handicapped," said Fuentes, who suffered leg injuries due to gunshot wounds as well as smaller injuries from shrapnel. Jackie Hegarty was a second-grader at Sandy Hook Elementary School when an intruder armed with . Im grateful to those who listen. The school shooting survivors had come from all over the country, each of them hoping that this time would be different. We are, he said. The next Justin. Were a traumatized nation. Fuentes understood. We subsequently also met with members of the Amish community who had suffered their own tragedy about five years earlier. She is now the co-lead of the Upper Fairfield chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which includes Newtown and Sandy . "There were neighbors telling us all the updates -- that a class had been found in a closet, that other people were still in the firehouse," she remembered of the aftermath 10 years ago. The father of the youngest child killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre was given a full facial disguise before a television appearance . A gunman entered the building and fatally shot 20 children and six adults before taking his own life. "I think for teachers, they are that first line of defense in the school, they really know their students," Masi said. Some of the earliest help offered was from surviving staff members from Columbine who wanted to come and support us. It was easier when the horrified mind took control of the body. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Nicole Melchionno survived the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and doesn't want any other child . My daughter has many years to decide what she wants to do with her life. We can no longer allow this to happen. At the time, Fuentes thought she was lucky. And for that, there are no words to truly describe the gratitude in my heart. I dont think the same thing is necessarily going to work, Fuentes said afterward, sitting on a stone bench outside Murphys office as Touray listened. "No one could comfort anyone else because it was pure devastation and loss. I think it's impossible outside of divine intervention. There's no handbook on how to survive a school shooting and what to do afterwards.". Shed gone to funeral after funeral, staring into open caskets at swollen faces that looked nothing like the kids she knew. 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