‘These tragedies must end’ says President Obama as Connecticut community copes in aftermath of shooting
Memorials sprang up, and U.S. flags were flown at half-staff a day after 28 people, including 20 children, were killed in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. On Sunday, President Barack Obama, Conn. Governor Dannel Malloy, and a united clergy spoke at an interfaith vigil to console a community and nation shaken by tragedy.
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- Newtown residents, left to right, Claire Swanson, Kate Suba, Jaden Albrecht, Simran Chand and New London, Connecticut residents Rachel Pullen and her son Landon DeCecco, hold candles at a memorial for victims on the first Sunday following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. U.S. President Barack Obama visited the grief stricken town today. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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- Isabel Lebron holds son Izaiah Taylor at a memorial with donated Christmas trees honoring victims near the school on the first Sunday following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. U.S. President Barack Obama visited the grief stricken town today. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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- US President Barack Obama speaks at a memorial service for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. Obama will address the memorial for the twenty-six people, 20 of them children, who were killed when a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary and began a shooting spree.(Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)
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- A woman wrapped in a Red Cross blanket holds a candle outside Newtown High School where U.S. President Barack Obama was speaking at a vigil for families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut December 16, 2012. Obama on Sunday consoled the Connecticut town shattered by the massacre of 20 young schoolchildren, lauding residents’ courage in the face of tragedy and saying the United States was not doing enough to protect its children. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
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- People hold hands in a bar near Sandy Hook Elementary School as U.S. President Barack Obama speaks in Newtown, Connecticut, December 16, 2012. Obama on Sunday consoled the Connecticut town shattered by the massacre of 20 young schoolchildren, lauding residents’ courage in the face of tragedy and saying the United States was not doing enough to protect its children. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)
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- US President Barack Obama speaks at a memorial service for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. Obama will address the memorial for the twenty-six people, 20 of them children, who were killed when a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary and began a shooting spree. (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)
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- US President Barack Obama speaks at a memorial service for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. Obama will address the memorial for the twenty-six people, 20 of them children, who were killed when a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary and began a shooting spree. (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)
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- A girl holds a stuffed animal given to her by the Red Cross during a vigil held at Newtown High School for families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut December 16, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
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- U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 at Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot dead, including twenty children, after a gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza also reportedly had committed suicide at the scene. A 28th person, believed to be Nancy Lanza, found dead in a house in town, was also believed to have been shot by Adam Lanza. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
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- A woman comforts a member of the Newtown police at a memorial service for the victims and relatives of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. US President Barack Obama will address the memorial for the twenty-six people, 20 of them children, who were killed when a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary and began a shooting spree. (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)
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- A mourner reacts during an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 at Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot dead, including twenty children, after a gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza also reportedly had committed suicide at the scene. A 28th person, believed to be Nancy Lanza, found dead in a house in town, was also believed to have been shot by Adam Lanza. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
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- U.S. President Barack Obama waits to speak at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 at Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot dead, including twenty children, after a gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza also reportedly had committed suicide at the scene. A 28th person, believed to be Nancy Lanza, found dead in a house in town, was also believed to have been shot by Adam Lanza. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
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- Hundreds of local residents wait for the arrival of U.S. President Obama including Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Top Center), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Left), Sen-elect Chris Murphy (Center) and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman (Right) on December 16, 2012 at Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot dead, including twenty children, after a gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza also reportedly had committed suicide at the scene. A 28th person, believed to be Nancy Lanza, found dead in a house in town, was also believed to have been shot by Adam Lanza. (Stephen Dunn-Pool/Getty Images)
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- People comfort each other at a memorial service for the victims and relatives of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. US President Barack Obama will address the memorial for the twenty-six people, 20 of them children, who were killed when a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary and began a shooting spree. (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)
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- A man holds a stuffed dog before U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 at Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot dead, including twenty children, after a gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza also reportedly had committed suicide at the scene. A 28th person, believed to be Nancy Lanza, found dead in a house in town, was also believed to have been shot by Adam Lanza. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
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- Mourners comfort one another before U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 at Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot dead, including twenty children, after a gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza also reportedly had committed suicide at the scene. A 28th person, believed to be Nancy Lanza, found dead in a house in town, was also believed to have been shot by Adam Lanza. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
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- Two young women hug at a memorial service for the victims and relatives of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. US President Barack Obama will address the memorial for the twenty-six people, 20 of them children, who were killed when a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary and began a shooting spree. (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)
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- A woman speaks to a young girl before U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 at Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot dead, including twenty children, after a gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza also reportedly had committed suicide at the scene. A 28th person, believed to be Nancy Lanza, found dead in a house in town, was also believed to have been shot by Adam Lanza. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
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- People walk towards a memorial for victims near the school on the first Sunday following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. U.S. President Barack Obama visited the grief stricken town today. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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- A well-wisher lights candles at a memorial for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, Connecticut December 16, 2012. Worshippers filled Sunday services to mourn the victims of a gunman’s elementary school rampage that killed 20 children and six adults with President Barack Obama due to appear later at an interfaith vigil to help this shattered Connecticut town recover. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)
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- A man embraces a young boy as they look at a memorial in front of the St. Rose of Lima Catholic church in Newtown, Connecticut December 16, 2012. Worshipers filled Sunday services to mourn the victims of a gunman’s rampage at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown that killed 20 children and six adults with President Barack Obama due to appear later at an interfaith vigil to help this shattered Connecticut town recover. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
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- People react at a makeshift memorial near Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a mass shooting took place, in Newtown, Connecticut December 16, 2012. Worshippers filled Sunday services to mourn the victims of a gunman’s rampage at the school that killed 20 children and six adults with President Barack Obama due to appear later at an interfaith vigil to help this shattered Connecticut town recover. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)
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- Two women pay their respects for the victims of the shooting at a memorial near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, December 16, 2012. Worshippers filled Sunday services to mourn the victims of a gunman’s elementary school rampage that killed 20 children and six adults with President Barack Obama due to appear later at an interfaith vigil to help this shattered Connecticut town recover. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters)
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- A police officer removes flowers from a busy intersection December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut, which they said they were afraid the memorial, left for the Sandy Hook Elementary school victims, may cause a traffic hazard. The people of Newtown, soon to be joined by President Barack Obama, poured into churches Sunday to pray for the 20 children and seven adults slaughtered in one of the worst ever US shooting massacres. The small Connecticut town led the nation in mourning 48 hours after Adam Lanza burst into Sandy Hook Elementary School and murdered two roomfuls of six- and seven-year-old children, the school principal and five other female staff. From early Sunday churches filled and the town Christmas tree became an impromptu place of remembrance, with people pausing every few minutes to pray and cross themselves under a light snowfall. (Don Emmert/Getty Images)
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- A man helps a little girl up the steps of Trinity Church December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. The people of Newtown, soon to be joined by President Barack Obama, poured into churches Sunday to pray for the 20 children and seven adults slaughtered in one of the worst ever US shooting massacres. The small Connecticut town led the nation in mourning 48 hours after Adam Lanza burst into Sandy Hook Elementary School and murdered two roomfuls of six- and seven-year-old children, the school principal and five other female staff. From early Sunday churches filled and the town Christmas tree became an impromptu place of remembrance, with people pausing every few minutes to pray and cross themselves under a light snowfall. (Don Emmerton/Getty Images)
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- A woman holds a class photo while waiting for U.S. President Barack Obama to speak at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 at Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot dead, including twenty children, after a gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza also reportedly had committed suicide at the scene. A 28th person, believed to be Nancy Lanza, found dead in a house in town, was also believed to have been shot by Adam Lanza. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
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- A woman cries at a memorial near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut December 16, 2012. Twelve girls, eight boys and six adult women were killed in a shooting on Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)
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- A man stands near a makeshift memorial near the Sandy Hook Elementary School for the victims of a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut early December 16, 2012. Twelve girls, eight boys and six adult women were killed in the shooting on Friday at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. (Mike Segar/Reuters)
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- Twenty-seven wooden angel figures are seen placed in a wooded area beside a road near the Sandy Hook Elementary School for the victims of a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut December 16, 2012. Twelve girls, eight boys and six adult women were killed in the shooting on Friday at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. (Mike Segar/Reuters)
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- A man plays a violin along Church Hill Road in Newtown, Connecticut December 16, 2012. Twelve girls, eight boys and six adult women were killed in a shooting on Friday at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. (Joshua Lott/Reuters)
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- Parishioners pay their respects to the victims of an elementary school shooting while arriving for mass at St Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, Connecticut, December 16, 2012. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)
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- A parishioner pays her respect at makeshift altar to the victims of an elementary school shooting after attending Sunday’s Mass at St Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, Connecticut, December 16, 2012. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)
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- A makeshift altar to the victims of an elementary school shooting stands in front of St Rose of Lima Church as people come to Sunday’s Mass in Newtown, Connecticut, December 16, 2012. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)
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- Parishioners leave after attending Sunday Mass at St Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, Connecticut, December 16, 2012. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)
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- Kat Donohue of Newtown helps to decorate donated Christmas trees placed in front of the Sandy Hook School December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people were shot dead, including twenty children, after a gunman identified as Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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- Teddy bears and flowers, in memory of those killed, are left at a memorial down the street from the Sandy Hook School December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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- A sign and a U.S. national flag are seen near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Sandy Hook in Newtown, Conn. Residents of the small community of Newtown were reeling a day after one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)
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- A woman wipes tears from her eyes at a prayer service held to reflect on the violence at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. At least 26 people were shot dead, including 20 children, after a gunman opened fire in the school. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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- People worship at a prayer service held to reflect on the violence at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. At least 26 people were shot dead, including 20 children, after a gunman opened fire in the school. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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- A flag hanging in the business area of Newtown, Connecticut, honors the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. (Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)
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- A U.S. flag flies at half-staff above the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to mourn the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)
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- The Brazilian association Rio de Paz (Rio of Peace) paid tribute to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on the beach of Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro on December 15, 2012. World leaders expressed shock and horror after a gunman massacred 20 children in the Connecticut shooting. (Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images)
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- The Brazilian association Rio de Paz (Rio of Peace) paid tribute to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on the beach of Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro on December 15, 2012. World leaders expressed shock and horror after a gunman massacred 20 children in the Connecticut shooting. (Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images)
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- Bags decorated with Christmas trees and stars, in memory of the victims killed at Friday’s Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, are placed in a park and in Newtown, Connecticut. People in the small Connecticut community of Newtown mourned on Saturday, a day after one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. (Joshua Lott/Reuters)
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- Andrea Jaeger places flowers and a candle at a makeshift memorial outside a firehouse that was used as a staging area for families following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. At least 26 people were shot dead, including 20 children, after a gunman opened fire in the school. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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- A sign honoring the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting is seen on a telephone pole in the business area of Newtown, Connecticut. The residents of the idyllic Connecticut town were reeling infrom the massacre of 20 small in the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. (Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)
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- A sign speaks to the grief felt by residents from Newtown, Connecticut, a day after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School where at least 26 people were killed. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT Photo)
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- Balloons hang from the Sandy Hook Elementary School sign in Newtown, Connecticut on Dec. 15, 2012. Residents of the small community of Newtown were reeling a day after one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
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- Connecticut State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance briefs the media and answers questions about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting during a press conference in Newtown, Conn. At least 26 people were killed, including 20 children, after a gunman opened fire at the school. (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
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- A makeshift memorial with flowers, stuffed animals and candles sits outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut. People in the small Connecticut community grieved on Saturday over one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, in which a gunman killed 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. (Joshua Lott/Reuters)
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- Messages are written on a board dedicated to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, displayed at Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut. December 15, 2012. People in the small Connecticut community were still grieving a day after one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)
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- People take part in a prayer service at St. John’s Episcopal church near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Residents of the small Connecticut community were reeling a day after one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)
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- People place flowers at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Residents of the small Connecticut community were reeling a day after one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)
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- Emergency tape is seen at a building located near the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. A day after one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, police contiued seeking answers about what drove a 20-year-old gunman to slaughter 20 children at an elementary school. (Eric Thayer/Reuters)
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- Flowers are left at a curbside memorial as residents pay tribute to the victims of an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. A young gunman killed at least 26 people in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)
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- Residents arrive to a curbside memorial honoring the victims of an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. A young gunman killed at least 26 people in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)
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- Mourners gather inside the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church at a vigil service for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that left at least 27 people dead – many of them young children – in Newtown, Connecticut. (Andrew Gombert/Pool)
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- Mourners gather inside the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church at a vigil service for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that left at least 27 people dead – many of them young children – in Newtown, Connecticut. (Andrew Gombert/Pool)
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- People gather for a prayer vigil at St Rose Church following an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. (Emmanuel Dunand/Getty Images)
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- People gather for a prayer vigil at St Rose Church following an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. (Emmanuel Dunand/Getty Images)
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- People gather for a prayer vigil at St Rose Church following an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. (Emmanuel Dunand/Getty Images)
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- Mourners gather inside the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church at a vigil service for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that left at least 27 people dead – many of them young children – in Newtown, Connecticut. (Andrew Gombert/Pool)
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- A man participates in a candle light vigil outside the White House to remember the victims at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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- Faisal Ali (R) of Colorado Springs, Colorado, joins other people outside the White House to participate in a candle light vigil to remember the victims at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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- The families of victims grieve near Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a gunman opened fire on school children and staff in Newtown, Connecticut. A heavily armed gunman opened fire on school children and staff at a Connecticut elementary school on Friday, killing at least 26 people, including 20 children, in the latest in a series of shooting rampages that have tormented the United States this year. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)
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- Law enforcement officials monitor the scene outside of an apartment at 1313 Grand Street, believed to be connected to the Connecticut elementary school shooting in Hoboken, New Jersey. According to reports, there are 27 dead, including 20 children, after a gunman opened fire in at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The shooter, identified as Adam Lanza, was also found dead at the scene. (Michael Nagle/Getty Images)
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- A plainclothes police officer talks on his mobile phone at a crime scene related to the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Hoboken, New Jersey. In Hoboken, New Jersey, police cordoned off a block in connection with the Connecticut shootings but an officer told reporters there was no body inside, contrary to an earlier media report. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)
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- A woman leans on a man as she weeps outside a building set up to counsel family members affected by a shooting nearby at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
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- Police stand before grieving residents following a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. (Don Emmert/Getty Images)
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- An unidentified woman makes a phone call at the aftermath of a school shooting at a Connecticut elementary school that brought police swarming into the leafy neighborhood, while other area schools were put under lock-down, police and local media said. (Don Emmert/Getty Images)
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- State Police inspect the area at the aftermath of a school shooting at a Connecticut elementary school that brought police swarming into the leafy neighborhood. (Don Emmert/Getty Images)
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- Grieving residents gather following a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. At least 26 people, including 20 young children, were killed when a gunman assaulted the school. (Don Emmert/Getty Images)
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- Grieving residents gather following a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. (Don Emmert/Getty Images)
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- Residents grieve following a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. At least 26 people, including 20 young children, were killed when a gunman assaulted the school and another body was found dead at a second linked crime scene, police said. (Don Emmert/Getty Images)
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- A National Park Service employee lowers flags at the base of the Washington Monument to half staff after President Barack Obama ordered the action while speaking on the shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Obama called for “meaningful action” in the wake of the latest school shooting that left 27 dead, including 20 children. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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- U.S. President Barack Obama pauses as he makes a statement in response to the elementary school shooting in Connecticut at the White House in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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- U.S. President Barack Obama pauses as he makes a statement in response to the elementary school shooting in Connecticut at the White House in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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- Relatives react outside Sandy Hook Elementary School following a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. At least 27 people, including 18 children, were killed on Friday when at least one shooter opened fire at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, CBS News reported, citing unnamed officials. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- This frame grab courtesy of CBS TV taken on December 14, 2012 shows a scene from the aftermath of a school shooting at a Connecticut elementary school that brought police swarming into the leafy neighborhood, while other area schools were put under lock-down, police and local media said. Local media quoted unconfirmed reports that a gunman had died at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, northeast of New York City. President Barack Obama called Connecticut’s governor Friday to express “condolences and concern” over a shooting spree at an elementary school which killed over 27 people, the White House said. AFP (CBS/via Getty Images)
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- Police tape off an area around a car after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut,. (WNBC/via Reuters)
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- Police search a building after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. (WNBC/via Reuters)
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- Emergency personnel set up in the parking lot after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, December 14, 2012. (WNBC/via Reuters)
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- Relatives react outside Sandy Hook Elementary School following a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut2. At least 27 people, including 18 children, were killed on Friday when at least one shooter opened fire at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, CBS News reported, citing unnamed officials. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- A woman holds a child as people line up to enter the Newtown Methodist Church near the the scene of an elementary school shooting on December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. According to reports, there are about 27 dead, 18 children, after a gunman opened fire in at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. The shooter was also killed. (Douglas Healey/Getty Images)
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- Connecticut State Police walk on Dickson Street from the scene of an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. According to reports, there are about 27 dead, 18 children, after a gunman opened fire in at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. The shooter was also killed. (Douglas Healey/Getty Images)
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- Relatives react outside Sandy Hook Elementary School following a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- Relatives react outside Sandy Hook Elementary School following a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- Relatives embrace each other outside Sandy Hook Elementary School following a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. At least 27 people, including 18 children, were killed on Friday when at least one shooter opened fire at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, CBS News reported, citing unnamed officials. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- Family members embrace each other outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. (Adrees Latif/Reuters photo)
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- A police officer keeps guard from a hill top over looking Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. At least 27 people, including children, were killed on Friday when at least one shooter opened fire at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, CBS News reported, citing unnamed officials. (Adrees Latif/Reuters photo)
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- Police tape off an area around a car after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. (WNBC/via Reuters)
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- The scene at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. A shooter opened fire at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday, killing several people including children, the Hartford Courant newspaper reported. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- A woman carries her daughter following a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. A shooter opened fire at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday, killing several people including children, the Hartford Courant newspaper reported. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- Parents pick-up their children near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. A shooter opened fire at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday, killing several people including children, the Hartford Courant newspaper reported. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- State police personnel lead children from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in this handout picture from the Newtown Bee, in Newtown, Connecticut. All public schools in Newtown, Connecticut, were placed in lockdown on Friday following a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. (Newtown Bee/Shannon Hicks/)
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- Young children wait outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. A shooter opened fire at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday, killing several people including children, the Hartford Courant newspaper reported. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- A young boy is comforted outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. A shooter opened fire at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday, killing several people including children, the Hartford Courant newspaper reported. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- Parents pick-up their children after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. A shooter opened fire at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday, killing several people including children, the Hartford Courant newspaper reported. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- A woman speaks with a Connecticut State Trooper outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. A shooter opened fire at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday, killing several people including children, the Hartford Courant newspaper reported. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters phto
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- A young girl is given a blanket after being evacuated from Sandy Hook Elementary School following a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- Police patrol the streets outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, December 14, 2012. At least 27 people, including children, were killed on Friday when at least one shooter opened fire at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, CBS News reported, citing unnamed officials. (Adrees Latif /Reuters photo)
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- Parents pick-up children outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. At least 27 people, including children, were killed on Friday when at least one shooter opened fire at the elementary school. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
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- Family members embrace each other outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. (Adrees Latif/Reuters photo)
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- Parents talk to a man outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. At least 27 people, including children, were killed on Friday when at least one shooter opened fire at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, CBS News reported, citing unnamed officials. (Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters photo)
Obama consoles Connecticut town, vows effort to tame violence
Jeff Mason and Emily Flitter | Reuters
11:20 p.m. EST, December 16, 2012
NEWTOWN, Connecticut (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Sunday demanded changes in the way the country dealt with gun violence, though he avoided the use of the word “gun” itself in consoling the Connecticut town shattered by the massacre of 20 young schoolchildren.
Obama said the world would judge the nation by the way it cared for its children, and that Friday’s slaughter left that judgment wanting.
“Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose? I’ve been reflecting on this in the last few days. And if we’re honest with ourselves the answer’s no,” Obama told a packed auditorium at Newtown High School at the end of a somber multi-faith service.
“We’re not doing enough and we will have to change.”
The emotional prayer vigil capped a day when worshippers sought solace in churches to mourn the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, where a gunman used a military-style assault rifle to kill six adults and 20 first-graders before committing suicide.
A more detailed picture of Adam Lanza’s stunning attack emerged on Sunday. Police said he was armed with hundreds of bullets in high-capacity magazines of about 30 rounds each for the Bushmaster AR 15 rifle and two handguns he carried into the school. He had a fourth weapon, a shotgun, in his car outside.
All the dead children were either 6 or 7 years old, feeding more emotion into a revived debate about whether stricter gun laws could prevent future mass shootings in the United States.
Obama noted it was the fourth time in his presidency he had needed to console a community after such an attack, following the shootings in Tucson, Arizona in January, 2011; Aurora, Colorado in July; and Oak Creek, Wisconsin in August.
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Baltimore street photographers
Year in review
Freddie Gray: protests, aftermath
24 hours with...
A. Aubrey Bodine
Viewing Baltimore from above
kathleen sinclair-vezina
Dec 16, 2012 @ 16:48:24
am very sadden by this sad thing that happen too all those little angles that lost there life that was just started and end so soon am thougths and prays go out too all there familys [in deepest sympathy … may your hearts find healing in cherished memories may your spirit find comfort in the thoughts and prays of those who care about you sharing in your time of sorrow ]
yesi
Dec 15, 2012 @ 22:07:39
Im deeply sadden by this tragedy :'( my heart goes out to all the families that lost their precious innocent children, and the teachers and priciple as well..I have a kindergartner n I just holded her so tight when she came home from school…No child deserves this..I havent stoped crying but im praying to the good lord to pour his love upon each family and give them lycomfort peace and healing in jesus name! All 20 bbys r with the lord now, they no longer are afraid…
Diane
Dec 15, 2012 @ 10:36:45
My heart is hurting: St. Luke 18:15-17 And they brought unto him also infants, that he may touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. :20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultry, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Hornor thy father and thy mother……………………………….
david eberhardt
Dec 15, 2012 @ 06:08:00
Background checks; micro stamping of ammo; bans on asslt weapons and large ammo clips, closing gun show loopholes-
Stop grieving- start acting.
Support the following groups: Brady Campaign, Mayors agnst Illegal Guns, Coalition on Gun Violence
Stop using phrases like “senseless”, or “the unthinkable”, or “words cannot express”- none of these apply- we can make sense out of it all.
Oppose gun lobbyists and politicians; confront them. These people are paid to push guns.
Why is Piers Morgan the only talk show host capable of bring up these issues?
The only proper monument is more gun control- study the issue and act!
Wendy
Dec 14, 2012 @ 20:02:05
O’ my word I don’t believe what I just read now May God be with the families who lost their kids in this horrific event. Just read the news, what is this world coming to, what has become of us, as people, as human beings, of our innocents, Is’nt it enough that do many children die of hunger in South Africa. What has become of us.
kendra
Dec 14, 2012 @ 19:17:45
please share that life is very precious what if it was our kid?????
Nancy
Dec 14, 2012 @ 16:46:43
We have a 6 year old granddaughter. My husband and I both began to cry when we heard the news about these children. We have not stopped crying. We both will pray for these children and their families. We should all stop and think about the violence promoted by video games and movies. We need to hold ourselves accountable. God help these innocent victims.
Solo
Dec 14, 2012 @ 15:36:31
God almighty … Only you know the truth as to this horrific happening. Children of innocence.
Cynthia
Dec 14, 2012 @ 15:18:19
Wow this has to be one of the worst things to happen in the year of 2012. How could anybody think to harm children of such young age or any age at all I wish this man could of died a worse death than he had I send out prayers to tough’s of you who lost young children and to those who lost their parents… I’m so sorry for your loss..