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Subscribe to RSSAs families struggle to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives in the wake of the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., some are clinging to bits of solace from the grim details that emerge.
The family of six-year-old Dylan Hockley, one of the 20 children killed in the shootings last Friday, revealed in a statement Monday that their child's favorite teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary cradled him as they both died in a hail of bullets.
"We take great comfort in knowing that Dylan was not alone when he died but was wrapped in the arms of his amazing aide, Anne Marie Murphy," Dylan’s family said in a statement. "Dylan loved Mrs. Murphy so much and pointed at her picture on our refrigerator every day."
Murphy, 52, a mother to four children with her husband, Michael, was a special education teacher in Dylan’s classroom at Sandy Hook. She was a 14-year resident of Sandy Hook and formerly of Katonah, N.Y., according to her obituary.
"She will be remembered for her love of the arts, walks in the outdoors and most importantly: her family," her obituary said.
Authorities reportedly told Murphy's parents, Hugh and Alice McGowan, that their daughter helped shield some of her students from the rain of bullets.
“A first responder said she was a hero,” her 86-year-old father told Newsday. “You don’t expect your daughter to be murdered. That’s sort of a shocker.”
Murphy’s mother, also 86, said she grabbed her rosary and cried when she got the news.
Dylan’s parents, Ian Thomas, who is British, and Nicole Marie (Moretti), both 42, had lived in England for 18 years before moving to a house on the same street as Nancy Lanza, the gunman's mother and first victim, in January, The Telegraph (U.K.) reported. They said they chose Newtown specifically for the tight-knit community and the Sandy Hook school.
“We do not and shall never regret this choice,” they said. “Our boys have flourished here and our family’s happiness has been limitless.”
The family also praised other staffers and teachers who died at Sandy Hook.
"We cannot speak highly enough of Dawn Hochsprung and Mary Sherlach, exceptional women who knew both our children and who specifically helped us navigate Dylan's special education needs," Dylan's family added. "Dylan's teacher, Vicki Soto, was warm and funny and Dylan loved her dearly."
Both Hochsprung, 47, the school principal, and Sherlach, 56, the school psychologist, died while lunging at the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, in an attempt to overpower him. Soto, 27, a first-grade teacher, shielded her students and ushered them into a closet, putting herself between them and the gunman. She was found huddled with the children.
"Though our hearts break for Dylan, they are also filled with love for these and other beautiful women who all selflessly died trying to save our children," the family said.
In the statement, the Hockley family said Dylan loved to cuddle, bounce on his trampoline and play computer games. He also looked up to his older brother, Jake. He was learning to read and "was so proud when he read us a new book every day."
"We will always be a family of four," they said. "He is forever in our hearts and minds."
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- Video: After Sandy Hook shooting, schools address safety
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Let's turn our sadness into anger and action against the status quo !
It's a embarrassment when we have weekly or monthly mass murders in malls, homes and now schools.
Yes, let's draw the line - gun ownership need to be severely cut down. I didn't say eliminated... but hey, when a kid have more hassles getting an iPhone or Drivers License but can get a gun with no check at those gun shows -- it's a sad commentary on America.
Ban idiots owning guns ! Mandatory insurance on every gun and bullet. Mandatory testing to get a gun license. Max of 1 gun per home. No semi-automatics or assault.
This is all common sense - and LASTLY stop glorifying guns in movies, books and TV.
Lets just NOT and let this story die down and go away!
Absolutely not. This is far too great a tragedy to just forget about it. This should serve as the impetus for change that this country has sorely needed for some time.
When you become a teacher, you are in effect acting in lieu of a parent. This is especially true on the elementary level. I do not know as much about middle or high school teachers. It is never actually talked about but it is expected that you will, if you have to, put yourself in the position to keep that child safe from all harm. Not acting to save a child in your care would not be something a dedicated teacher could live with. I can think of other professions e.g. nurses, police officers, and some others that would probably act the same. All over this country, there are teachers who would give up their lives for the children they teach.
dylan is my 4 year old grandsons name. this shooting in this new england town not only breaks my heart but i get very angry beyond belief. bless everyone in that town, no one deserves this!!!!
... and all of you, parents and familes, and the innocent ones you lost as well as your heroes who died protecting them will always be in our hearts and minds. Words are inadequate to express my sympathy and compassion at this time.
Will someone out there in the cyber world please explain to me why there is a need for the type of gun used last Friday mass killing. I have searched and re-searched that question. Where is the need for such a weapon? Target shooting you fire one shot at a time. If I want to become a sharp-shooter I will use a single shot gun. Oh you say "I want to protect my family".Good that is a good excuse but there are other innocent people who might be in the line of fire. An innocent person walking by is shot. Just because you were protecting your turf some innocent person is injured or killed because you were protecting your turf. Oh the person you were shooting at escaped unharmed.
I guess you can say it is our right. Why do we have tobacco, people smoke it and others that do not have to smell it and get 2nd hand smoke, get cancer and die. Why do we need cars that go really fast, someone is going to speed (which has killed more kids, adults, etc...) and is going to kill someone. How about alachol, drunk drivers kill more people than guns do.
You cannot blame these types of guns for this, it was the person, only the person for killed these kids. He was sick, and sick people kill people all the time, just guns get a big press is all. It is not right for the millions of people that have used their guns for good, pleasure, hunting. I use my AR15 for hunting hogs, wild hogs down south, and they run in packs, large packs, and you had better be able to put some lead down range fast and be able to reload fast. You hit a wild hog and it squels the entire pack will attack you, that is just one example. Now if you say why kill the wild hogs, well, they destroy farm land, they attack people, they tear up things which drive the cost of farm goods. I also use my AR15 when I go around the creeks, snakes, cotton mouths, they will attack you quick and chase you, at that point you have to hit a moving, squiggling target that wants to bite you, it goes on and on.
You just have to remember, if not for this type of gun it would just be something else, homemade bomb with nails or ball bearings, poison, etc... If someone is set on hurting someone, you can bet they are going to do it.
Character 84: I totally agree with you.
As a person who has owned handguns and rifles, I can not see why anyone would need a rifle like the Bushmaster used in these killings. It is not an ideal weapon for home protection; too long and unwieldily for use in close confines like a home. It is not a hunting rifle. It's sole purpose is to hunt and kill people.
If you want to protect your home, buy a pistol and LOCK IT. Hell, a Ruger Blackhawk 22 long will work just fine for home protection. You don't need or want anything that could shoot threw walls and kill or injure family members. If you want a rifle, there are plenty of legitimate hunting rifles. If you are a hunting, what is so wrong with a bolt action 30 06?
I don't want to see all guns taken from, or restricted, but some guns have no legitimate purpose in civilian life. We don't live in the wild wild west any longer.
It is way past time to stop the killings.
Adam Lanza, here's hoping you are rotting in hell you bottom feeding scum sucker.
Well - he is not because there is no such place as hell.
And you know this how? I think there are millions who would call you on that blurb. I too hope this cretin rots in hell, and if there isnt one then he got out easy.. its to bad a good cop couldn't have at least put a bullet in him and seen him squirm.
This is a sad say when somebody that is crazy does really bad things to people especially shoots people. I read one post that things need to change, that is right, things do.
1. Stop relying on the police to be there, takes to much time and to much damage can be done in a short time.
2. Start putting guns in everybodies hands again, stop making sheep out of poeple and make wolfs out of them. It stated in the post that someone died trying to take him down, if he would have had a gun he could have protected those kids, but guns laws stopped him from being able to protect himself as well as our kids.
People it does not matter how many gun laws you make, criminals are going to get them, the honest people are not going to be able to protect themself if they do not have one themself. This guy could not buy one, he was mental ill, so he killed someone to get the guns, law failed us again, becauuse law abidding people do not obey them. Think before we go off in greif looking to take from so many because the actions of someone being disturbed. It would have been something else if not with guns, they always find a way.
> USA GOVERNMENTS = "'G O D', NOT ALLOWED WITHIN! = NO HEART! NO SOUL! NO
OOMPASSION!....all about $$$$$$$$, POWER, CONTROL, GREED, YUP!
> "GOVERNMENT~SUBSIDIZED~NEWS~MEDIA"! = %THE~PROBLEM....THE CAUSE%
> remember 'WHEN'?.... GOVERNMENT CHANTED "UNITED~WE~STAND"???.... today it's.................... .."UNITED~WE~SCARE~THE~HELL~OUT~OF~THE~WHOREHOUSE = whitehouse! = GOVT WANTS
= US "DIS~ARMED"!.... AFRAID WE WILL UNITE & STAND TOUGH! = %lighting-a-smoke% LOL...
When are all the "bigger than you" stories going to STOP! What will we hear next - "such and such was fighting the gunman using karate they learned from a one leg, three fingered instructor in the small town next to the only coffee shop they have right now!" I mean REALLY!!! One stupid story after another! LMAO!
If you dont like the stories then why are you opening them up? like anything else, you have a choice, dont read them.
You low-IQ NRA types and inadequate scared little boys with guns should hang your heads in shame. Thank you very little for making life in the U.S. dangerous.
You low-IQ NRA types and inadequate scared little boys with guns
Proud NRA member, Annapolis grad, Marine Corps officer, combat veteran. Be glad you're behind a keyboard...and be careful what you espouse in a public arena, there are plenty more of people like me in this country who would call you to the carpet for your remarks... and you may not enjoy it.
We can prevent more of these type of shootings, if we simply pass laws, similar to Australia's... #.UNHMio7fDoB
You low-IQ NRA types and inadequate scared little boys with guns
Proud NRA member, Annapolis grad, Marine Corps officer, combat veteran. Be glad you're behind a keyboard...and be careful what you espouse in a public arena, there are plenty more of people like me in this country who would call you to the carpet for your remarks... and you may not enjoy it.
i know now one thing....just like the 99.99% of gun owners who are responsible gun owners and take every action they can to keep their weapons out of the hands of people who should not be in control of a weapon....these responsible gun owners are just like the 99.99% of teachers who do their job to the best of their ability and training. Even if doing their job is holding a dying child in their hands.
As a divided nation in politics we MUST understand the vast majority of teachers do the best job that they can. Even if a teacher is average...god forbid she or he has to hold a dying child in their arms ever again. It's time to lay off the teachers and the wages they earn.....we simply have much more important issues to attend to.
Amen to that. I'm tired of hearing that teachers are overpaid. You want overpaid? How about, in no particular order, CEOs, politicians, movie stars, singers, baseball players, football players, basketball players (you get the idea; players) stockbrokers. Our priorities are totally backwards when we pay the people who teach and protect our children thousands while the others above make millions.
I have a daughter who teaches high school English. She makes in a year what A Rod makes for one at bat.
I always thought the doctors that save lives should be paid like our sports stars....just think about it for a moment before you rush to bash this comment. The docs are doing the real life saving work and the ceos of the health care industry are making the huge money.
You are correct. I didn't include doctors in my list of over paid people for a reason. I have the utmost respect for my primary care physician and don't begrudge him or those like him the money they make.
Everytime I see a photograph of one of these children, I want to reach out and hug them. I can only imagine what thoughts their mothers and fathers have as they close their eyes at night. I cannot fathom how anyone could victimize a poor, innocent child. No one will ever justify in my mind such evil. We are supposed to have evolved and become a "civilized" society. We surely should not regress to the times of the Wild West, necessitating all of us to arm ourselves. This country is so hung up on "rights" and where has it gotten us. I hope people will finally have the decency to do whatever is necessary to stop the Columbines, Aurora movie house, the mindless injuries and deaths at the Gabby Giffords appearance, etc., etc. Enough is enough.
The more I hear, the more I can't take it anymore. To say there is nothing that can be done is a COP OUT. YES, something can be done and WILL BE. It WILL BE and no more lame excuses. If it has to come down to one of those things for now to make our schools safer before we can get sensible gun laws on the books once and for, enforced, along with improving our mental health system instead of gutting it all the time, instead of stretching our police force even further, help our returning VETS who already need work and are skilled, trained profressionals for just this kind of thing and give THEM a job in security. After all this is what this is-SECURITY. R.I.P all you poor innocents and I do believe this has been the wake up to the nation to change our attitude about where we draw the line on what exactly the 2nd Amendment entails and how far we've allowed it to go.
When the 2nd Amendment is running OUR lives to the point you cannot leave your home and your child is not safe in their classroom, you're not safe in the movies shopping, going to the post office, or taking your children to the playground, filling up your car, gathering with folks to see your representative in front of a local grocery store or basically anywhere w/o fear of being shot, that is no longer "freedom". I carry a semi-automatic with a 7 round magazine. Why on earth would I need ANYMORE THAN THAT? Why would anybody to "defend yourselves"? That's what my gun is for-PERIOD.
This is such a horrific tragedy...
As the parent of two young children both under five and the husband of a teacher, I’ve spent countless nights thinking about the terror and helplessness that the victims felt as they waited for police to arrive. During this time they were completely defenseless, left to hide in corners and hope that they were not next. I want to throw up every time I think about it.
The short answer to “how can we prevent this type of tragedy” is that we can’t. Sure we can focus on improving the mental health of our population and try to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have access to them; but that simply reduces the odds of this happening. Placing security guards at schools is cost prohibitive, especially at a time when they can’t even afford a full time secretary.
We must instead prepare for the inevitable school attack using only the resources that we currently have.
I would propose the following:
That each school in the country be allowed to create a Rapid Response team. This team would consist of trusted school employees who:
The recommended size of this team would be 5 individuals per school building, and the members of this team would not be disclosed to students. (Picture air marshalls-only in schools.)
The state would create a special CCW permit for Rapid Response team members allowing them to carry a concealed weapon in a school.
That is my suggestion. I ask that you take it seriously for the sake of my wife and my children. Schools should be a safe place, not a slaughterhouse.
If you like this idea, please sign my whitehouse petition:
wh.gov/n0Bf
(You may have to put http:// in front of this as this site doesn’t always display links.)
I now that lock down policies for schools tell you to get to a place a stay. But I can not help but feel a little angry that a few other administrators that could have assisted the principal went into hiding and yes they two could have died but I tend to think(as a man) that I would have to give my life in the attempt to make sure all the children survive.
I am sorry if i offend anyone but these are just my thoughts and who knows i might go lock my slef in a closet too, but i would like to think that again as a a man and a father that i would go and protect the lives of pchildren who can not protect themselves, putting their live aheadof mine and hoping that my children would understand that this had to be done..
This is really gut wrenching and I do not know any of these children and wish i could have been there to help in whatever way possible....
To Anne Marie Murphy and everyone of the amazing people who gave the utlimate sacrifice last Friday: I can only hope a memorial is erected in your honour as well as the names of ALL the victims so you will NEVER be forgotten and why our nation CANNOT accept these tragedies as "the new normal" or just "let it go hoping we'll forget about it and move on". NO MORE. This is NOT "freedom". FAR FROM IT!!!!!! You and all the brave teachers and staff are HEROS in every essence of the word. This is why I continuously fight for our teachers each and everyday and want my children to know how lucky they are for the gentle, patient and fine teachers we have in our school district here. Whether THAT can survive is another issue.
I don't know understand how the mother could introduce her son to firearms as a hobby especially when she knew what kind of withdrawn, borderline antisocial personality he had. Why his own family didn't seek help for him is beyond imagination. If he was bent on suicide, go do it somewhere in private, but why he had to selfishly snuff out the lives of all those innocents. Because this country will never ban guns or at least have the political will to ban the sale of automatic type weapons, we will probably now have to employ security personnel or arm administrators in schools.
Devil's Son,
You know what else I find ridiculously offensive is you apparent assertion that women cannot be trained to use a weapon, and to become excellent marksmen... or women. Idiot.
These are the people who should be remembered: not the killer.
We need to stop making celebrities of these sick, pathetic killers. The attention that they receive, the fact that their names are often far more memorable than those of their victims, makes acts like this all the more appealing for someone who would likely just end their own life without the lure of posthumous infamy. The children who lost their lives, and the staff who lost their lives trying to protect them, are the ones who should be remembered. Innocents who lost their lives when they had barely begun, and selfless individuals who did everything they could to preserve those lives, losing their own in the process or living on with horrible memories. The killer should only be remembered, outside of his own family, as an example of how horribly wrong a life can become. A warning, to those who would take even more away from programs that could, possibly, help high risk people and prevent another tragedy such as this from occurring. A reminder to cherish what and who we have in our lives, even when we struggle.
Life is a fragile thing, too easily lost. If you are like me in your view of death and an "afterlife", there is nothing once you die. You live on in the memories of others, but there is no light leading you toward an ethereal paradise. The transience of life, and utter permanence of death, makes life all the more precious. Give it the respect and reverence that it is due.
Why has the story about the altercation between the shooter and the school staff 1 day before the massacre been buried?
Any information on that?
Those teachers were just amazing! Thanks, Mrs. Murphy!
I hate to bring this up now ,but whats sad is how just days , weeks , months ago people on these sites were leaving comments about how greedy our lazy, our overpaid teachers unions were ,striking for decent wages , and benefits,well I guess this shows how dedicated some of these teachers really are and just shows that although they belong to unions they are just people , our neighbors, living in our communities, caring for our children.
This is so heartbreaking and makes my cry