Then it was time for them to join the others on stage. Why is everyone running? Fuentes asked, voice quavering, her eyes wide and watery. So, it's not easy at all, especially being young. Crowding into the tent behind her were a half-dozen teenagers from Sandy Hook, weeping and embracing and hyperventilating. December 14, 2015, 5:00 AM. How difficult the aftermath is, and the decisions it entails, hasnt been easily understood. The school district floated the idea of bringing in substitute teachers if we were not up to returning, but not one staff member thought the kids should return to a school full of strangers. In so many ways, Mrs. Clements brought my daughter back to us. Maggie lost her best friend, Daniel Barden. We can no . And for Andrew, it meant nightmares in the immediate months after. In the 10 years since Sandy Hook, gun laws in the U.S. haven . She has wisdom beyond her years.". The next Hana. Cindy Clement Carlson was in the library at the time of the shooting. This campaign continued past the PSA to further highlight the stories of our survivors. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Published on December 7, 2022 11:00 AM. 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. Her sister was killed at Oxford High. You were meant for this.. She has wisdom beyond her years, for sure.". On Dec. 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Sandy Hook School Girl Plays Dead, Survives Elementary Shooting; Pastor Jim Solomon Recounts Story (VIDEO) . You can focus on your healing and take care of yourself, honestly, Pressley said. Sandy Hook Promise 2023 Then, after Oxford, Touray was invited to talk about what shed been through at a state event. It was why Fuentes tried to keep her back to the wall whenever possible, scanning for threats. 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. Its people like you.. We held each other up as the days and weeks wore on, so we could be there day in and day out for the students. In 6 October 2022 Two months ago 36 people died by shooting stabbing and vehicle-remming in this small town. The shrapnel buried in her muscles made it hard to stand for too long. Despite the challenges that he has faced over the years, Walczak -- as well as Fuentes and Eastmond -- said they want others to know that shootings are preventable. Fuentes had spent the day exchanging hugs and jokes and silly memories with friends from Parkland she hadnt seen in months. "I'm so grateful for all of those that survived and have the strength and fortitude to be able to share their stories, to help save the lives of someone else," Hockley added. It was just past 1 p.m. Saturday and, combined, they had already talked to NBC, CBS, NPR and MSNBC, along with a batch of other news outlets. A teenager named Ashley who survived the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Dec. 14, 2012 when 20 students and six adults perished in a horrific, brutal act of violence spoke . The survivors here illustrate how theyve practiced healing, forgiveness and faith in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. Read them below. Demanding that conservative lawmakers acknowledge a moral obligation to protect children from guns hadnt succeeded, Fuentes realized, so maybe that was the wrong approach. She is returning this month with other teens to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting at the Annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence. Did you encounter any technical issues? When I was 9 and 10, I tried to forget it all. Alexander DworetParkland, Florida 2018Survived being shot in the head. "I think what we know just needs to come to fruition.". But shed come to D.C. despite her growing cynicism, because she needed this community of survivors and the activism that helped her manage the trauma. In the end, beyond family, it was the love of Mrs. Clements, a teacher, that softened my daughters heart and opened her mind. "I was scared that I was going to die.". Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Gradually the mind kicks back in and then decisions and realities came one after another. Annie Reneau. On Wednesday, police pulled a body from that river, and on Monday, the Schenectady police confirmed the body to be that of Humphrey. The next Tate. 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.. These subsequent months and years are the more difficult phase, the fraught part two. People who are at risk of hurting themselves or others often show warning signs before an act of violence takes place. Nigerians await election results in competitive race, Odesa opera house remains heart of the city amid ongoing war, Ukrainians move home and promise: Its going to go back to normal, This is my only hope: Young Nigerians gear up for presidential election. I want to be able to swim not in a sea of grief, she continued, before asking Congress to pass the new laws that March for Our Lives staffers had helped her work into the speech. Everything about these gatherings left her conflicted. He spoke out against banning girls education. Fuentes walked up first, and Gomes went behind her. ", Fuentes added, "This story that I've experienced -- my life is becoming more and more of a reality for people of my age.". I think it's impossible outside of divine intervention. They were all so smart and determined. 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. "The mom told me, and I thought this was very insightful, that she was suffering from what she felt was survivor's guilt because so many of her friends no longer have their children but [her mom] has hers," the pastor said. Nicole with Chloe, a survivor of the Uvalde shooting. She will graduate from Newtown High School next week. Theres training for a wild animal in the school, for high wind, for an active shooter. "I know our generation has not been complacent with this issue. "That's a thought that probably does not go away," Raddatz told her. Support grief this way, but not that way. In so many ways, Mrs. Clements brought my daughter back to us. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The Uvalde tragedy has opened painful memories for survivors of past shootings, including Cyrena Arokium. \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. Many of them had been here before. Re: Photo of sole survivor, Samantha Hatcher - Sandy Hook. Susie Ehrens daughter witnessed the shooting while in the classroom of Victoria Leigh Soto, who died trying to protect her students. Noah Orona still had not cried. (including 22 children) 268. . 05.24.22. She and three other student survivors, as well as a school employee there that day, detailed their experience and the effects that day still has on them in an interview that aired Sunday with "This Week" co-anchor and Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz. All of them are speaking publicly for the first time. Since then, she has spoken publicly at news conferences in Connecticut and at rallies in D.C. She's also traveled several times to the nation's capital, including in July to celebrate the historic June 24 signing of the Bipartisan Gun Bill on the White House lawn. Are you sure you want to go up there?, Enough is enough, the crowd was chanting. "And it became evident very quickly that almost two whole classes were missing.". Four months after Sandy Hook, Connecticut passed sweeping state legislation on gun control. We sit in the back of the room, she remembered. Describe forgiveness, but dont prescribe forgiveness. THE most traumatic day of Kaitlin's life left 28 people dead, including children. She has learned to manage her anxiety, which has lessened over the years. Accepting that bad things were inevitable made them easier for her to manage, and Fuentes knew that made her sound like a pessimist sometimes, but she rejected that label. Sandy Hook survivors speak out for first time -- and share heartache 'that it keeps happening' ABC News sat down with four students who lived through the 2012 mass shooting. Hannah DysingerDraffenville, Kentucky 2018The bullet that killed her best friend ended up in her ribcage. She stood at the lectern and glanced down at the speech on her phone. 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. I just got here and theres so many people and now Im speaking, she wrote in another text, before her mom called. Courtesy Jane Dougherty. Theyd hear later that a man in the crowd had shouted something that sounded like gun during a moment of silence for Uvalde, sparking a stampede. She had been invited to speak at an event hosted by Moms Demand Action in front of the Capitol Reflecting Pool, but she hadnt understood until she and Fuentes arrived that hundreds of people and dozens of cameras would be watching her. By DAVE COLLINS and PAT EATON-ROBB. "I have to figure out where I am and how to get out. 2 min read. The teens and young adults in the video, it turns out, are survivors of some of the worst school shootings in the nation's history, who have experienced varying degrees of physical . She used to, until she taught herself to brace for the triggers before they came. November 30th is the day that haunts me.. "It's like the epitome of what you imagine -- the typical teenage American life, the carefree worries of what that era of your experience is. Samantha Fuentes, Parkland, FL 2018. Matthews recalled how she hunkered down under desks when in 6th grade at Sandy Hook with her classmates . When law enforcement arrived, Nicole and her classmates and teacher ran to a nearby firehouse, where she was later reunited with her family. In 2018, when she was in eighth grade, she started to become involved in gun violence prevention. Out of respect for their privacy, ABC News is not using the survivors' last names. 1 / 7. She refuses to let it move on. "I think for teachers, they are that first line of defense in the school, they really know their students," Masi said. Tear down the old school, but keep a school in Sandy Hook. Another thing Masi encourages all teachers, parents and adults to do this school year as it begins for many students is to know the warning signs that people or students can exhibit before an act of violence is carried out. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: Getty/The Washington Post). Sherlach, Sandy Hook Elementary's school psychologist, was with Hochsprung when they heard a "pop, pop, pop" sound around 9:30 a.m., a parent who was with both women . I feel like I cannot breathe right now.. Now Im floating. I also struggled to learn, make friends, or trust my own sense of reality. The tragic impact of a school shooting affects the loved ones of those who were killed and survivors, like those in the Teenage Dream PSA, carry mental and emotional wounds beyond the physical scars that never truly heal. Of the 20 children killed Friday in the Newtown, Conn., school, eight were boys and 12 were girls. Two were killed. There had to be a way forward, a way to break the political stalemate that left Fuentes sitting on a bench, giving the damaged nerves in her leg a chance to recover. "The intercom was left on, so everything was amplified," she says. Trembling in fear, Nicole huddled with her teacher and classmates next to their jackets and hats in their coat cubbies as the crack of gunfire echoed through the halls. Sandy Hook school shooting survivors are growing up and telling us what they've experienced. Shed recited a poem shed written entitled Enough.. Those bonds remain strong today. 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. 1. +117 students and teachers have been fatally shot at schools since Sandy Hook. 17-year-old Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting survivor Cyrena Arokium speaks with "CNN This Morning" ten years after the shooting that left 20 first-graders and six adults dead. Updated. It shouldn't run through anybody's head.". Abbey Clements was the exact right person for her at that time. As the kids were exiting their school, they were told to put their hands on the shoulders of the student in front of them and to close their eyes as they walked. Maggie was in third grade at the time of the shooting. Her mother encouraged her to speak up, so she did. "I think it's impossible outside of divine intervention. Jackie Hegarty was a second-grader at Sandy Hook Elementary School when an intruder armed with . Slowly the mind grasps that the dead can never be brought back, yet you cant stop that mind from churning out ways you could make it better and its all made worse by a town full of opinions. Chase YarbroughSanta Fe, Texas 2018Shot six times. Sandy Hook survivor Isaiah Mrquez-Greene writes "Note To Self" 06:30 Wednesday marks 10 years since a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, killed 26 people . Six staff members, all female, were also killed. Nothing about this has been easy. "You hear about other shootings and it breaks you. Like |. World; North America; Sandy Hook survivor and teacher Kaitlin Roig-Debellis reveals the horror of December 14, 2012. All shared in the dismay and frustration they feel watching more school shootings occur. Nine years ago, Walczak was at school when one of his classmates opened fire at him and three of his friends. 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. She took part in March for Our Lives, a student-led mass demonstration in March 2018 in Washington, D.C., to push for gun control legislation. At the time, Fuentes thought she was lucky. to chip away at our deplorable statistics. God, why am I still crying? Touray asked, embarrassed, as she followed the group toward a waiting area near the stairs. After murdering his mother at their home, Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School before taking his own life. 1 min read. CLICK HERE to read about the 'hero teacher,' the principal and 20 children who lost their lives. Enough is enough.. I thought we could change things and make it so that things like what happened at Oxford dont happen anymore. Nicole was in the second grade when a gunman shot and killed 26 people at her school in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012. She had learned over the past four years that guns were central to many Americans identities, but shed also learned that lots of gun safety laws could protect those people and their children from harm without stripping them of something they cherish. Congresss refusal to act had shaped every aspect of her life. 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. The school system refused to support the visit so we met off-site on a cold weekend in January. "Nothing's ever as simple as we see but there are things to do," Masi said. Now more than ever, its essential to know the signs.. Touray didnt like saying so little during the meetings with lawmakers, so she laid in bed trying to come up with a good question. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., did not pass the Senate -- one in a string of largely unsuccessful efforts at new gun laws in Congress in recent decades. Arokium, a second grader at the . Some of the earliest help offered was from surviving staff members from Columbine who wanted to come and support us. We can no longer be complacent." All interviews are available on sandyhookpromise.org. Now a freshman at Siena College, Bisset has organized a remembrance at t Just moved here, imagine that. After the shooting, then-President Barack Obama called on Congress to enact federal gun control. 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. 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