It's been 5 years since the Sandy Hook shooting — here are the names and pictures of the 27 victims, including 20 children, who were murdered that day
AP
On December 12, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and shot 26 people, including 20 children, after also killing his mother in their home.
News of the massacre reverberated across the country, and elicited a tearful reaction from then-President Barack Obama, who described it as the worst day of his presidency.
Sen. Chris Murphy, who had previously been a representative for the district that included Newtown, was among those present when the families of the victims learned about the fates of their loved ones.
"Obviously, five years is a milestone, and I think it's important that there's some event in the community to remember what happened and to celebrate the lives we lost, but also the lives that have continued," he said on Wednesday ahead of an anniversary gathering with families of the fallen.
In the five years that have passed since that day, many of the parents and families launched foundations in their kid's names to help other children.
Here are all 27 people killed in the deadliest school shooting in US history:
Jessica Rekos, 6, told her mom, Krista Rekos, that morning before she got on the bus how excited she was to sell Girl Scout cookies that January. "She sat in the front seat, looked at me through the window, and smiled and waved as the bus pulled up the hill," Krista wrote. "That was the last time I saw Jessica alive."
Jessica Rekos Foundation
Source: Jessica Rekos Foundation
Olivia Engel, 6, was an outgoing girl with "a great sense of humor." She also had a brother who was 3 years old at the time.
Submitted to The Wall Street Journal via Tim Nosenzo
Source: Wall Street Journal
Avielle Richman, 6, "was rarely without a giant grin and often barefoot." Her family founded the Avielle Foundation "to fund research exploring the underpinnings of the brain that lead to violent behaviors."
Avielle Foundation
Source: Avielle Foundation
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