mary sherlach, the school psychologist. a family in a statement tonight, fe said that she felt she was doing god's work. another teacher, victoria soto, 27, her family said that her body was found in a position shielding some of her first-grade students. she hurried most of them into a closet before the gunman arrived. ana marquez-greene was 7. her father saying they're struggling to work through this nightmare. jesse white, -- lewis, just 6, his father was headed to school to watch him make a gingerbread house. >>> and tonight, for the first time, we hear from one of the first responders, inside that fire hall where parents were told to pick up their students. we met this counselor. >> it was like watching something that wasn't real. >> she watched as it dawned on the parents. telling me they all knew the answer in that room, and yet they kept waiting. >> being there, you know, seeing the individuals, were going into that room to pick up their kids. and then, seeing them leave so distraught, from a position you're trying t

mary sherlach, the school psychologist, she was also a victim there of the school shooting. we heard the librarian talk about a meeting taking place between some of the administrators. they heard this pop, pop, pop in the hallway. they went to investigate and at which point were confronted possibly by the gunman and they never returned. but mary sherlach was described by people that knew her as part of the crisis intervention team. so this a person, wolf, that people would be going to and grieving with at a time like this and she's no longer around for people to talk to. she's not with us anymore. she was an expert in psychologist. she got her master's from southern connecticut university and spent a lot of time working in the community and did a lot of work with disabled adults. those are just two of the names of the 26 victims that fell victim to the shooter in newtown, connecticut. wolf? >> two names and they are going to be releasing the rest of the names. we're standing by for another news conference. we think that's going to happen fairly soon. with more questions than

also killed sandy hook elementary school psychologist mary sherlach and the school's beloved principal dawn hochspurn also died. she and mary sherlach were in a meeting together, the two sprung into action and were the first casualties. >>> the sense of loss is being felt in the area tonight. several dozen people gathered. they wanted to do something local to show their support. >>> president obama today addressed the nation in an emotional speech shortly after the shooting. he said the country's leaders must take meaningful action regardless of politics in response to the violence. >> we've endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years. and each time i learn the news, i react not as a president, but as anybody else would. as a parent. and that was especially true today. >> several gun control advocacy groups were already in washington for a leadership training conference when the deadly shooting happened. >> the name of our god that is good and holy we pray. >> reporter: as news of the tragedy spread, dozens of people gathered outside the white house for an impromptu vigil

dawn hochsprung, mary sherlach, vicki soto, lauren rousseau, rachael davino, and anne marie murphy, theyesponded as we all hoped we might respond in such terrifying circumstances. with courage and with love. giving their lives to protect the children in their care. we know that there were other teachers who barricaded themselves inside classrooms and kept steady through it all. and reassured their students by saying wait for the good guys, they're coming, show me your smile. and we know the good guys came. the first responders who raced to the scene, helping to guide those in harm's way to safety and comfort those in need. holding at bay their own shock and their own trauma because they had a job to do and others needed them more. and then there were the scenes of the schoolchildren helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions in the way that young children sometimes do. one child even trying to encourage a grown-up by saying, i know karate, so it's okay, i'll lead the way out. as a community, you've inspired us, newtown. in the face of indescribable violence

mary sherlach, school psychologist. victoria soto, teacher.ion teacher. lauren rousseau, teacher. rachel davino, behavioral therapist. charlotte bacon, 6 years old. daniel barden, age 7. olivia engle, age 6. josephine gay, age 7. ana marquez-greene, age 6. dylan hockley, age 6. madeleine hsu, age 6. catherine hubbard, age 6. chase kowalski, age 7. jesse lewis, age 6. james mattioli, age 6. grace mcdonnell, age 7. emilie parker, age 6. jack pinto, age 6. noah pozner, age 6. caroline previdi, age 6. jessica rekos, also age 6. avielle richman, age 6. benjamin wheeler, age 6. and allison wyatt, age 6. [ male announcer ] coughequence™ #8. waking the baby. [ coughs ] [ baby crying ] ♪ [ male announcer ] robitussin® liquid formula soothes your throat on contact and the active ingredient relieves your cough. robitussin®. don't suffer the coughequences™.

also killed sandy hook elementary school psychologist mary sherlach and the school's beloved principal dawn hochspurn also died. she and mary sherlach were in a meeting together, the two sprung into action and were the first casualties. >>> the sense of loss is being felt in the area tonight. several dozen people gathered. they wanted to do something local to show their support. >>> president obama today addressed the nation in an emotional speech shortly after the shooting. he said the country's leaders must take meaningful action regardless of politics in response to the violence. >> we've endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years. and each time i learn the news, i react not as a president, but as anybody else would. as a parent. and that was especially true today. >> several gun control advocacy groups were already in washington for a leadership training conference when the deadly shooting happened. >> the name of our god that is good and holy we pray. >> reporter: as news of the tragedy spread, dozens of people gathered outside the white house for an impromptu vigil

the alarm startles principal hochsprung and mary sherlach.ning and are immediately killed. he turns left away from the auditorium and toward the kindergarten and first grade classrooms. he heads to the classroom of lauren rousseau. she and 14 kids are shot and killed. he heads to another room. two other teachers rachel devino and anne marie murphy always are killed. the horror is over in ten minutes, they bleerchlt lanza shoots himself in the head as they stormed in. >> the bush h master was used on the school in its entirety and the handgun was used to take his own life. >> authorities say that although adam lanza fired his rifle hundreds of times inside the school, he had more ammunition left to keep going. he was stopped only when he heard and saw the police coming for him. chris? >> pete williams, thank you for that update. let's bring in now clint van zandt, a former fbi profiler. clint, one of the questions we had for the fbi earlier is when will we know why? of course, that's always the most complicated parts of this. what are the outs

dawn hochsprung and mary sherlach, vicki soto, lauren russo, rachel and anne marie murphy, they responded as we all hope we might respond in such terrifying circumstances. with courage and with love. giving their lives to protect the children in their care. we know that there were other teachers who barricaded themselves inside classrooms and kept steady through it all. and reassured their students by saying, wait for the good guys, they're coming. show me your smile. and we know that good guys came. the first responders who raced to the scene, helping to guide those in harm's way to safety and comfort those in need, holding at bay their own shock and their own trauma, because they had a job to do. and others needed them more. and then there were the scenes of the school children helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions in the way that young children sometimes do. one child even trying to encourage a grown-up by saying, i know karate, so it's okay 0, i'll lead the way out. as a community, you've inspired us, newtown, in the face of indescribable violence,

mary sherlach, school psychologist. victoria soto, teacher.ecial education teacher. laur lauren rousseau, teacher. rachel davino, behavioral therapist. charlotte bacon, 6 years old. daniel barden, age 7. olivia engle, age 6. josephine gay, age 7. ana marquez-greene, age 6. dylan hockley, age 6. madeleine hsu, age 6. catherine hubbard, age 6. chase kowalski, age 7. jesse lewis, age 6. james mattioli, age 6. grace mcdonnell, age 7. emilie parker, age 6. jack pinto, age 6. noah pozner, age 6. caroline previdi, ag

the sound alerts principal dawn hochsprung and school cyclingist mary sherlach. he turns left toward the kindergarten and first class and he heads to the classroom of substitute teacher lauren rousseau. 14 kids are killed. from there he heads to victoria soto's room. two other too muchers rachel davino. the horror is over in 15 minutes. >> the bushmaster was used as was explained yesterday in the school in its entirety and the handgun was take his own life. >> nbc's pete williams reporting. >>> last night president obama exited to a standing ovation in newtown, after he called for change when it comes to guns. as sandy hook remains closed indefinitely. nbc's danielle leigh joins us from newtown. how important was it for them to hear directly from the president? >> reporter: bill, good morning. people are finding comfort in the president's promise to do something to prevent future mass shootings. the country and really the whole world is behind them right now. unfortunately it does limit to replace their sadness. as this community prepares to lay to rest two of th

the psychologist, mary sherlach, had a master's degree from southern state connecticut. she worked with disabled adults. a quintessential in that fabric of the community there. a sad, sad situation. the 26 victims, two names we've been able to confirm so far. we'll undoubtedly hear more about the victims. >> absolutely. and kate bolduan reported that a teacher was able to protect her children and they ran out past the gunman. it's not clear whether in fact she survived this attack. her sister posted something on her twitter account saying my sister died protecting her students. god, why did you take her? and don i think that is the question that so many are requesting now when you look at the faces and we're going to see so many other faces. but when you look at this and you think of the vulnerability and how one moment you are happy and your life is in tact and then all of a sudden it's almost as if you take a turn and you go down another path and i think that is a question that everyone is going to ask and that is, god, why did you take them? don? >> we keep calling th

. >> axelrod: hock sprong and 56-year-old school psychologist mary sherlach were both killed as they52-year-old nancy lanza was the shooter's mother. adam lanza livedded with his mom. she was his first victim. 27-year-old vicki soto was a first grade teacher with a million-dollar smile. her family says that vicki died using her own body to shield her students. >> she was a teacher. that in itself is a hero, having the patience to mold young minds and then have to deal with a monster coming into her school and her classroom and, you know, she-- she was a hero. >> axelrod: first grader jesse lewis was six years old. his dad says he was a happy boy who loved math and riding horses. six-year-old emilie parker was also in first grade, a kid her grandfather says embraced everything with joy. >> she lovedthing in she could come in contact with. i mean, she loved life. >> reporter: ana marquez greene was 7. she and her family moved to newtown in july. on facebook, her father, jazz musician jimmy greene, wrote, "as much as she's needed here and missed by her mother, brother, and me, ana beat

funerals were held for psychologist mary sherlach and teacher's aide, rachel davino. also 7-year-old grace mcdonnell and olivia engel and dylan hockley. as the town mourns the loss of so many young lives, many residents are coping in their own way. that moment of silence, i thought, was very beautiful and very powerful and sometimes i wonder when people have been through a tragedy, is it helpful to folks who are mourning or is it just another moment that brings it all back? >> i mean, everyone celebrated that moment around the country, but we have been celebrating or having those moments of silence, celebrating is the wrong word. we've been through so many moments of silence in our churches, our synagogues. i've been to countless funerals this week of people who i knew well, people i grew up with. people, my children knew. and there is -- the moments of silence are -- they're deafening. i can't tell you how many we've had. at 9:30 today, there was a moment where we could all connect. all breathe deeply. and also realize it's only been a week. it's felt like a year, fr

the miami dolphins sent flowers in the memory of mary sherlach after learning she was an avid fan ofhat team. joe philbin said we just thought it would be the right thing to do. >>> get a little bit of a lighter note coming up here next on the water cooler. also coming up on "morning joe," congress heads home for the holidays without securing a deal to avoid what could be a devastating hit to the u.s. economy. "morning joe" crew will weigh in on why washington just can't seem to get its act together. and when we come back here, we have the water cooler. we'll share our last remaining moments on earth together before the mayan predictions of today's apocalypse come true. "way too early" coming right back. at least i hope so. ♪ but the fire is so delightful ♪ nothing melts away the cold like a hot, delicious bowl of chicken noodle soup from campbell's. ♪ let it snow, let it snow ♪ don't know what i'd do ♪ i'd have nothing to prove [ male announcer ] zales is the diamond store. save 25 percent off an amazing selection storewide, now through monday. >>> well, folks, the end of the world

school psychologist mary sherlach was remembered for her devotion to kids in trouble. the processions of hearses in newtown are nearing an end. kim schnell doesn't know anyone here but traveled from virginia to pay her respects. >> i felt the call to come and so we got in the car and drove from virginia. just thinking about how many hurting people there are, how the acts of evil can affect so many people. >> reporter: thousands of condolence letters have overwhelmed the newtown post office and, scott, the postmaster says they've come from across the country and all over the world. >> pelley: elaine, thank you. the last of 20 children and seven adults will be laid to rest tomorrow. a prisoner who made a daring escape is recaptured. and winter weather leaves holiday travelers stranded. we'll show you where when the "cbs evening news" continues. continues. sometimes what we suffer from is bigger thk ... like the flu. with aches, fever and chills- the flu's a really big deal. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-co

mary sherlach, the school psychologist. victoria soto's family says she barricaded students in a closet and stood between them and the gunman. >> she loved those students more than anything. and she didn't call them her students. she called them her kids. she loved they have so much. >> reporter: rachell deveano was helping kids with autism. her aunt says her boyfriend was planning to propose this christmas eve. kate snow, nbc news, sandy hook, connecticut. >> at that same interfaith service last night in newtown, president obama sounded both sad and exasperated about gun violence. and he said enough is enough. >> we can't tolerate this anymore. these tragedies must end. and to end them, we must change. no single law, no set of laws, can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senselesses act of violence in our society. but that can't be an excuse for inaction. surely we can do better than this. >> the president said he would use the power of his office to prevent more gun tragedies, and tonight he is being joined by

dawn hochsprung and mary sherlach, vicki soto, lauren russeau, rachel davino and anne marie murphy, theyw we hope we all would respond in such terrifying circumstances, with courage and with love, giving their lives to protect the children in their care. we know that there were other teachers who barricaded themselves inside classrooms and kept steady through it all and reassured their students by saying wait for the good guys, they are coming. show me your smile. and we know that good guys came, the first responders who raced to the scene helping to guide those in harm's way to safety and comfort those in need, holding at bay their own shock and their own trauma, because they had a job to do and others needed them more. and then there were the scenes of the school children helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions in the way that young children sometimes do. one child even trying to encourage a grownup by saying, "i know karate, so it's okay, i'll lead the way out." as a community, you've inspired us, newtown. in the face of indescribable violence, in the

dawn hochsprung and mary sherlach, vicki soto, lauren russeau, rachel devino and ann marie murphy, theynded as we all might hope we would respond in such terrifying circumstances, with courage and with love. giving their lives to protect the children in their care. we know that there were other teachers who barricaded themselves inside classrooms and kept steady through it all and reassured their students by saying, wait for the good guys, they're coming. show me your smile. and we know that good guys came, the first responders who raced to the scene, helping to guide those in harm's way to safety and comfort those in need, holding at bay their own shot and their own trauma, because they had a job to do and others needed them more. and then there were the scenes of the school children helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions in the way that young children sometimes do. one child even trying to encourage a grown-up by saying, i know karate. so it's okay, i'll lead the way out. as a community you've inspired us, newtown. in the face of indescribable violen

. >> dawn hochsprung, mary sherlach, lauren rousseau, vicki soto, rachel davino and anne marie murphy. >> reporter: and finally, one by one, each of the 20 little ones. lives cut short in the first grade. >> charlotte. daniel. olivia. josephine. ana. dylan, madeleine, catherine. chase. jesse. james. grace. emilie. jack. noah. caroline. jessica. benjamin. avielle. allison. >> reporter: a president's tribute, offering comfort to the families, encouragement to newtown, and a challenge for all of us. and the first two of those young victims will be laid to rest today. noah pozner and jack pinto. amy, you've spent the weekend meeting with the families and sharing their pain. >> it's been incredibly difficult. i have realized it's so important for many of these families that their children and loved ones are not forgotten. they want people across the country to know their names, to remember their faces, and remember how they lived. ♪ these are the faces of innocence. 12 bright-eyed girls and 8 boys who had so much living left to do. 6-year-old emilie parker was a big sister. she loved to dr

dawn hochsprung, mary sherlach, vicky soto, lauren russeau, rachel devino and ann marie murphy, they hoped we might respond in such terrifying circumstances, with courage and with love, giving their lives to protect the children in their care. we know that there were other teachers who barricaded them selves inside classrooms and kept steady through it all. and reassured their students by saying, wait for the good guys, they're coming. show me your smile. and we know that good guys came, the first responders who raced to the scene, helping those in harm's way to safety and comfort those in need, holding at bay their own shock and their own trauma because they had a job to do. and others needed them more. and then, there were the scenes of the school children, helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions the way that young children sometimes do. one child even tried to encourage a grownup by saying, i know karate, so, it's okay, i'll lead the way out. as a community, you've inspired us, newtown. in the face of indescribable violence, in the face of unconsc

dawn hochsprung, mary sherlach, vicky soto, lauren russeau, rachel devino and ann marie murphy, theyoped we might respond in such terrifying circumstances, with courage and with love, giving their lives to protect the children in their care. we know that there were other teachers who barricaded them selves inside classrooms and kept steady through it all. and reassured their students by saying, wait for the good guys, they're coming. show me your smile. and we know that good guys came, the first responders who raced to the scene, helping those in harm's way to safety and comfort those in need, holding at bay their own shock and their own trauma because they had a job to do. and others needed them more. and then, there were the scenes of the school children, helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions the way that young children sometimes do. one child even tried to encourage a grownup by saying, i know karate, so, it's okay, i'll lead the way out. as a community, you've inspired us, newtown. in the face of indescribable violence, in the face of unconscio

right now a private service is being held for mary sherlach, the school psychologist.here is a funeral being held for rachel davino. students include grace mcdonald, dylan hockly and olivia engel. another shooting victim was laid to rest yesterday in new hampshire, if was for nancy lanza, the shooter's mother. it took place in kingston, about 150 miles from newtown, connecticut. about 25 family members were there at that ceremony? >>> the national rifle association is calling for armed police officers in american schools as the only way to stop school shootings. the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. >> the nation's largest gun rights lobby the nra, also blaming the media for allowing violent culture. code pink, protesters there, disrupting the speech twice, holding up signs saying nra blood on your hands and the nra is killing our kids. >>> a memorial is planned for 17-year-old montrell blakely i was shot and killed in san francisco's bayview district last weekend as he was visiting his family. so far no arrests have been made. the vi

dawn hochsprung and mary sherlach, vicki soto, lauren russeau, rachel davino and anne marie murphy, they all responded in how we hope we all would respond in such terrifying circumstances, with courage and with love, giving their lives to protect the children in their care. we know that there were other teachers who barricaded themselves inside classrooms and kept steady through it all and reassured their students by saying wait for the good guys, they are coming. show me your smile. and we know that good guys came, the first responders who raced to the scene helping to guide those in harm's way to safety and comfort those in need, holding at bay their own shock and their own trauma, because they had a job to do and others needed them more. and then there were the scenes of the school children helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions in the way that young children sometimes do. one child even trying to encourage a grownup by saying, "i know karate, so it's okay, i'll lead the way out." as a community, you've inspired us, newtown. in the face of indescriba

mary sherlach was the psychology who helped children deal with life's terrible challenges.n hochsprung headed towards the danger. they reportedly lunged at the gunman and tried to overtake him. 27-year-old teacher vicki lee soto died trying to protect her students. >> her father was identifying vickiy's body and was just told kind of how she was found protecting her kids doing instinctively what she knew to do. >> the gunman's mother nancy lanza was the first victim shot by her own son in their own home. the killer himself, adam lanza whose mental health and motive in this massacre will be debated for years to come. but nothing will bring back the babies. 20 first graders murdered in a terrifying two minutes as lanza shot up the school with two pistols and a semi automatic assault style rifle, all registered and performed legally in his mother's name. all of the children were first graders. avielle richman and wyatt were 6 years old. charlotte bacon was wearing boots bought for her for the holidays. daniel barden was on the skim team and played soccer. she was a great big s

mary sherlach, the school psychologist, her family said "mary felt like she was doing god's work by helping children. s she." she headed towards the shooter when it began. joined by the principal dawn hochsprung, a mother herself, it is now believed she turned on the p.a. system when the shooting started so others could be warned of the dangers that had invaded their school. it is so difficult to find the right words after seeing how much this community has lost, but somehow, some way the father of little emilie parker found those words when he spoke to cameras outside of a newtown, connecticut church. >> as the deep pain begins to settle into our hearts, we find comfort reflecting on the incredible person that emilie was and how many lives that she was able to touch in her short time here on earth. emilie was bright, creative and very loving as those were the gifts that were given to her by her heavenly father. the strength and example she showed us was remarkable. she is an incredible person. and i'm so blessed to be her dad. i don't know how to get through something like this. my wife an

and mary sherlach were among the six adults shot and killed in that terrible massacre.eather: in other news, we are hearing warnings this morning that the u.s. economy is about to take a hit that it can hardly afford. after going on strike out west, remember that? dock workers, they are gearing up to do it on the east and gulf coast by the end of the week. now the work stoppage threatens vital shipments and is predicted to show up from our factories to our storefronts. dennis kneale from the fox business network joins me with more on this dennis, we're talking about a strike on this time that would number in the thousands and massachusetts all, close the way to texas. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, heather. you're talking 14 ports along the east and gulf coasts. shipments of retail goods, food, components used in manufacturing. the international longshoreman's union will continue to deliver certain other kinds of things like military cargo, some perishables and some mail but no container ships, that the trucks transport across america. frozen foods, wholesale goods, c

and school sipsychologist mary sherlach loved to garden.hey will miss her terribly and take comfort knowing she had achieved that dream. the gunman also took the life of a 27-year-old first grade teacher who is being hailed around the world for her bravery. ♪ amazing grace how sweet the sound ♪ >> hundreds of people sang "amazing grace" at a candlelight vigil for victoria soto in her hometown. she moved her students from the classroom door when they heard the gun shots ringing out. she faced the gunman when he stormed in and he shot her. i spoke yesterday with two parents whose son, by what they call a miracle, made it out of that classroom alive. >> when they heard noises that he described initially they thought were hammers falling, then they realized that it was g gunshots and ms. soto, who was a aiden's teacher had the knowledge to move the children away from the door and that's when the gunman burst in, did not say a word, no facial expressions and proceeded to shoot their teacher. and they basically ran right next to the guy and out t

dawn hocksprung and mary sherlach, vicki soto, lauren russeau, rachel davino and anne marie murphy, theyesponded as we all hope we might respond in such terrifying circumstances, with courage and with love, giving their lives to protect the children in their care. we know that there were other teachers who barricaded themselves inside classrooms and kept steady through it all and reassured their students by saying, "wait for the good guys, they are coming. show me your smile." and we know that good guys came, the first responders who raced to the scene helping to guide those in harm's way to safety and comfort those in need, holding at bay their own shock and their own trauma, because they had a job to do and others needed them more. and then there were the scenes of the schoolchildren helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions in the way that young children sometimes do, one child even trying to encourage a grownup by saying, "i know karate, so it's ok. i'll lead the way out." as a community, you've inspired us, newtown. in the face of indescribable violen

. >> dawn hochsprung and mary sherlach, vicky soto, lauren russeau, rachel davino and ann marie murphre i. they responded how we all hope we would respond in such terrifying circumstances. with courage and with love. giving their lives to protect the children many their care. >> chris jansing, this is a story of tragedy, but it is also a story of those heroic women, an extraordinary thing that they did do and tried to do in that school. >> there are so many extraordinary things about that. you know, you have a principal, a psychologist who literally put themselves in the way of a gunman. teachers who did the same thing. the observations that i have had over the last few days, lawrence, the clergy members who were in that room and had to be there to help tell the parents that they had lost a 6-year-old or a 7-year-old and now a community that this week has already scheduled 14 funerals, but the support system has risen up in a way that every person i've talked to has said has helped, has made a difference in a situation that is so heartbreaking you think nothing could possibly help. >>

. >>> mary sherlach felt she was doing god's work by helping the children that needed her the most. she worked as psychologist at sandy hook elementary for 18 years. on friday mary was with the principal, dawn hochsprung, when they heard gunshots. she both ran out to confront the gunman and both died heroes. mary was 56, just one year away from retirement. friends remember her as intelligent and warm and a caring soul and someone who was always there to lend an ear or a shoulder to a person in need. her family writes there are no words to describe the devastating loss that we feel at this time and our family has lost a loving mother, dedicated wife, and above all a wonderful, caring woman who was beyond dedicated to her students. >>> rachel davino loved working with kids and wanted to help children grow into health and i happy adults. she was a behavioral therapist that start working as a teacher's aide. she was 29 years old. rachel was on the verge of big life changes. she was working towards a ph.d. on behavioral studies in autism and her boyfriend was planning to propose to her on

we'll remember mary sherlach, the proud mother of two young daughters. we will remember victoria soto. no one in this town will ever forget victoria soto, she died trying to protect the lives of her first graders. she was the oldest of four children. and, of course, the school principal dawn hochsprung. even little kids know when someone cares about them, and that was her. we will remember her as we remember all 26 lives lost in that school that day. 26 lives cut short friday morning at sandy creek elementary school here in newtown, connecticut. newtown is now the nation's heartache. it is our open wound. a whole so large that we're not sure god can fill it. something to hope for. his hope is, everyone's hope, as wez bring you some moments from tonight's vigil, starting with first responders coming into the auditorium to a round of applau applause. [ applause ] ♪ >> we gather here in memory of 20 beautiful children and 6 remarkable adults. they lost their lives in a school. it could have been any school. in a quiet town full of good and decent people. th

mary sherlach, the school psychologist, 56. victor victoria soto, she was 27.all ages 6 or 7. there were eight boys killed, 12 girls killed. charlotte bacon was just 6 years old. daniel barden was 7 years old. olivia engel also 6. there was josephine gay, she just turned 7. she had a birthday on tuesday, we're told. dylan hockley, 6 years old. catherine hubbard, also 6. madeleine hsu, 6 years old. chase ckowalski, jesse lewis, 6. grace mcdonnell, she was 7. ana marquez-green, she was 6. emilie parker, 6, jack pinto, 6, noah pozner, 6. caroline previdi, she was 6. jessica rekos, also 6, avielle richman, 6. benjamin wheeler, also 6. allison wyatt, another 6-year-old. those are the 26 folks killed in that school yesterday. we would like to send our condolences to the families and to newtown, connecticut as well. that will do it for us here. join us tomorrow for more details from connecticut as more information comes to light. i'll be joined by former pennsylvania governor and former philadelphia mayor, ed rendell. we'll have the latest from the ground there in new

we'll remember school psychologist, mary sherlach. we'll remember her. we will also remember victoria soto. no one in this town will ever forget 27-year-old victoria soto who died trying to protect the lives of her first graders. she was the oldest of four children. we will remember her and, of course, we will remember the school principal, dawn hochsprung. she was firm and funny and the kids loved her. even little kids know when someone cares about them. that was her and we'll remember her. just as we remember all 26 lives lost in that school on that day, 26 stories cut short friday morning here in newtown, connecticut. newtown is now the nation's heartache. it is our open wound, a hole so large said one minister in prayer tonight that we're not even sure god can fill it. something to hope for and to his hope and his hope is everyone's hope as we bring you moments from tonight's vigil starting with first responders coming into the auditorium to a round of applause. ♪ >> we gather here in memory of 0 beautiful children and 6 remarkable adults they lost t

. >>> other victims include 30-year-old lauren reduce saw, a teacher, mary sher sherlach was the excuse me expoirn toad to stop the killer, and nancy lanza, the mother of the killer, was killed earlier in the day. vicki sew total will never be forgotten by one of her students who doesn't know her fate right now. >> we are hoping she is going to be okay. he really -- she really loved that class, and he keeps saying i really hope she is okay. i hope it's not her. he knows she has been hurt but doesn't know the end result. >> they're one of the lucky families. both their children attend the school and both survive. >> the father of the gunman released a statement saying his family is grieving along with all of those who have been affected by this enormous tragedy. peter lanza says no words can truly expect how heartbroken we are. the connecticut tragedy has touched a nerve across the country and, vigils are springing up everywhere in alameda, a vigil was held at an elementary school. one of she peekers has two cousins who attend sandy hook. both sir individual. >>> in san francisco, city s

. >>> one of the heroes in the connecticut elementary school tragedy was school psychologist mary sherlach she lunged at the gunman trying to stop him from going on his rampage. her daughter, katie, is studying at georgetown university. >> darcy spencer now shows us how the university is pulling together to help had katie and her family. darcy? >> reporter: katie sherlach was with her fell opponent students when she learned of the shoot ing at the school. in georgetown they are collecting money as a way to support her. >> it was really, really difficult, as you can imagine. >> reporter: katie sherlach and her fellow researchers were in the chemistry lab when news broke there had been a shooting at sandy hook elementary in newtown. that's where her mom worked as a psychologist. the professor who runs the lab says everyone was hoping for the best. >> it was clear it is a day went on and what we heard nothing from her mom and the news kept getting worse and worse that it could be very bad news. >> reporter: the doctoral student would later learn her mother, mary, was among the dead and lost h

mary sherlach, the school psychologist, she was 56. teacher victoria soto was 27.njamin wheeler was 6 years old. and allison wyatt was 6 yes old as well. we remember them all tonight and in the days, the weeks and hopefully the years ahead. a vigil in main street here in newtown. we're going to take a short break and be back in a moment. >>> the shooting in newtown is now if second deadliest school shooting in u.s. history behind the virginia tech massacre in 2007. after every event like this, the questions always are the same, what causes this kind of a shooting? how can this happen? how can they be stopped? i'm joined now by katherine newman from baltimore who wrote the book "rampage, the social roots of school shootings" she's studied many of these kinds of events. i've read a little bit about your research. what have you learned about these shootings that are sort of counterintuitive? people think they know what causes them at times about the columbine. but so many of the things we thought we knew about columbine have turned out not to be true. what do we now k

. >> dawn hochsprung and mary sherlach, vickie soto, lauren rousseau, rachel davino and anne murphy. >> joining me now from newtown is mayor mark boughton of danbury, connecticut. thank you for being here. i understand you personally knew the principal there at sandy hook, dawn hochsprung. the principal who is being described as someone who sprang into action and was very safety-conscious at her short tenure at sandy hook. what other insights can you give us, the type of educator that dawn was? >> well, dawn and i worked in the same system back in the late '90ers for the city of danbury. we were in different buildings but our paths did cross from time to time. just an incredibly brave woman who really had a glow about her. she had a vivaciousness about her. she always put children first. it was very clear in any of her interactions that i saw her or was involved with her that kids were first. for that reason alone, it doesn't surprise me that she took the steps that she took on friday. >> i think for people out there wanting to learn more about dawn and the person she was could look

us -- are hearing stories of real bravery, the principal dawn hochsprung and the psychologist mary sherlachh charging. >> it's an extraordinary set of stories, what happened. of this crime and yet people doing everything in their power to protect children. i spent a lot of time with the teacher soto's dad who actually works -- >> vicki soto. >> yeah, works for the state of connecticut, and there was as those details were breaking, there was a sense of pride, but obviously profound loss that she tried to shield children from the effects of those gun rounds. >> what more can the state do for this community right now? >> we're doing everything we can, and i've made it perfectly clear from the moment that we were notified that whatever resources are necessary, to help the community restore itself as quickly as possible including helping with the school building, working with other communities to make sure that there's enough classrooms, there will be a great number of funerals. we have assets ready, state troopers, other police departments, anything they need, quite frankly. i think the first h

dawn hock struhsprunghochsprung. 56-year-old mary sherlach, she was the school psychologist. she was with the principal when they heard the pop, pop, pop friday morning right around 9:30, and, again, she tried to see what was the matter, and that is when she was killed. she has been married according to what we've learned about her, she had been married for more than three decades, and she was the proud parent of two daughters. she loved gardening, reading, and going to the theater. these are just a couple of the names and just to reiterate what everybody has seen and experienced around town, i got to newtown and just walking around these vigils not a dry eye in sight. seeing not only adults dropping off ornaments to place on the trees or candles or presents, you see their itty-bitty children hand in hand with their parents, 4, 5, 6 years of age walking around with stuffed animals, perhaps that they took from their own tree just to be able to give in honor of these youngsters so tragically taken from us way, way too early. wolf? >> brooke, thank you. i want to show our viewer

dawn hocksprung and mary sherlach, vicki soto, lauren russeau, rachel davino and anne marie murphy, they responded as we all hope we might respond in such terrifying circumstances, with courage and with love, giving their lives to protect the children in their care. we know that there were other teachers who barricaded themselves inside classrooms and kept steady through it all and reassured their students by saying, "wait for the good guys, they are coming. show me your smile." and we know that good guys came, the first responders who raced to the scene helping to guide those in harm's way to safety and comfort those in need, holding at bay their own shock and their own trauma, because they had a job to do and others needed them more. and then there were the scenes of the schoolchildren helping one another, holding each other, dutifully following instructions in the way that young children sometimes do, one child even trying to encourage a grownup by saying, "i know karate, so it's ok. i'll lead the way out." [laughter] inspiredunity, you've us, newtown. in the face of indescribable vio