Sandy Hook Shooting: Moment of Silence Held for Victims
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DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images(NEWTOWN, Conn.) — A moment of silence in recognition of the massacre in Newtown, Conn., was held on Friday at 9:30 a.m. ET, marking the time a week ago when Adam Lanza killed 26 people before committing suicide.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman and Newtown First Selectman Patricia Llodra, together with other local elected officials and residents, convened on the steps of Edmond Town Hall in Newtown for the moment of silence.
President Obama also took part in the moment of silence, although privately, behind closed doors at the White House.
Minutes before 9:30 a.m., he tweeted: “20 beautiful children & 6 remarkable adults. Together, we will carry on & make our country worthy of their memory. -bo #MomentForSandyHook.” The “-bo” signature means the tweet was sent by the president himself.
Bells from nearby Trinity Episcopal Church rang 26 times, in memory of each life lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Malloy had proclaimed Friday a “day of mourning” in Connecticut, asking residents statewide to participate in the moment of silence. He also wrote the nation’s governors, inviting each state in the country to participate in the reflection on Friday.
Lanza fatally shot his mother at their home last Friday and then entered Sandy Hook Elementary School by shooting his way through a window to gain entry. From there, he gunned down and killed 26 people, including 20 children.
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