This is Victoria. She died a hero today.

[HarveyDarkey]

She hid her first graders in the cabinets and closets after hearing the gunfire. When the shooter came to her classroom, she told him that her students were in the gym. He then gunned her down and moved on. She saved the lives of all of her students. Please pass this on if you see it. She deserves to be remembered for her bravery.

[Nay]

1. A hero indeed. My heart breaks for her family. nt

[Odin2005]

2. ***CRY***

[ChisolmTrailDem]

10. You are not alone, Odin. God. eom

[ZombieHorde]

3. Fuck. nt

[Happyhippychick]

4. No words except if heaven exists its for people like her.

[cherokeeprogressive]

5. Heaven does truly exist for people such as her. Wonderul sentiment. n/t

[Ecumenist]

81. Brava, HappyHippyChick, Brava!!!

[hankthecrank]

6. I've no words

Last edited Sat Dec 15, 2012, 04:53 PM - Edit history (1)

That's standing ten feet tall
That's walking softly and swinging a big stick

That's mighty big ovaries!

[cantbeserious]

7. This Story Is Enough To Inspire Rage And Venom At All Gun Apologists

eom

[Deep13]

49. I'm angry too.

The NRA lied to us. God damn them.

[xtraxritical]

64. NRA - Nutcase RepubliCON Assholes.

[Deep13]

65. god damn them nt

[Terra Alta]

8. heartbreaking..

A true hero. May she rest in peace.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

9. The pain of all this is unbearable to any feeling human but

the pain of those who loved this wonderful person must be profound beyond words.

Rest peacefully, beautiful angel.

[dawnie51]

11. unbearable...

What a beautiful woman, both inside and out. This whole ordeal has just sucked the joy out of my holidays and I know no one involved. But how can you look at this girls picture, and think of those kids, and feel anything but pain and misery? God, this is so tragic.

[ejbr]

33. amen

Last night I dreamed about what happened yesterday (something I've never done for any other tragedy), and seeing and hearing the stories of these innocents makes me so profoundly depressed.

[99Forever]

12. This is what our nation has been reduced to.

Making excuses for what happens to an angel such as Victoria just trying to teach.


Her blood is on the hands of every gun owner in America. This is your legacy.

[cantbeserious]

13. Agreed Gun Owners And Advocates Have A Lot Of Soul Searching To Do

[politicasista]

14. Kick

God bless her family and those babies and adults who are gone too soon.

[glowing]

15. Is this a real first person accounts from a family?

I ask because so many reports from the media have been completely, insanely wrong-assed!!! If they were going to converge on this community like flies, they could have at least tried to get one item correct.

The mother was nobody to the school. The shooter had no confrontation.

It should be interesting to see what the end results from the police end up being!

[caraher]

86. I've seen this story several places

I think it's legit; I have no clue whether it's sourced to a family member.

[GETTINGTIRED]

16. True Courage

Under Fire.... God Rest Her Soul

[AverageJoe90]

17. All I can say is.....

That was one brave lady. Rest in eternal peace, Victoria. We won't forget you.

[WCGreen]

18. She rose to the occasion and is a true hero....

Every one of those kids should never forget that Victoria sacrificed her life to they could live.

[plethoro]

19. So young, so beautiful...such a tragic waste..........nft

ddddddd

[riderinthestorm]

20. Tears again. Godspeed Victoria, the halls of Valhalla welcomed you home

as one of their own - brave and courageous to the end.




How many more must die...??

[City Lights]

21. ...

[SleeplessinSoCal]

22. Send her photo and story to the NRA with a petition with as many names as possible.

The NRA has to be held accountable for what they've done to this country.

[Whovian]

23. Crying in the thoughts of all that she had left to contribute. n/t

[SoapBox]

24. ...

...very,very sad.

[freshwest]

27. +1

[usafvet65]

25. She gave them the gift of knowledge then....

Last edited Sat Dec 15, 2012, 11:49 PM - Edit history (1)

she gave them the gift of life.

May each one of them grow up to honor her memory and her sacrifice.

[vlyons]

26. Oh! what a beautiful woman!

She is so lovely. was. Alas, alas. I'm getting angrier and angrier about this senselessness. I own a handgun and a rifle, and I support sensible gun laws. Background checks for everyone. Outlaw assault-type weapons and extended bullet clips. No civilian needs to shoot a bizillion bullets.

[cer7711]

79. Yes! Exactly.

And while we're at it, let's start moving in the direction of prudent, sensible gun control by creating

1.) A Federal database/agency that tracks all gun owners and their firearms.
2.) Permanent titles to follow each gun, in the manner of automobile titles.
3.) A national buy-back program for all handguns. (It's always amazed me that sawed-off shotguns are outlawed because they're too easily concealed, but .357 and .44 handguns, along with 20+ round magazines for Glocks and other semi-autos are just fine, thank you very much . . .)
4.) Tracked ballistics on every gun sold. (Fire the gun once; keep its ballistic signature on file in the national database.)
5.) Higher taxes and prices on ammo.
6.) Devote more resources to public health issues (both mental and physical).
7.) Mandatory training and proficiency testing for gun owners, ala driving privileges and the DMV.
8.) Longer waiting periods and deeper background checks.
9.) The outlawing of assault weapons and high capacity magazines.
10.) A legislative/lobbying counterweight to the NRA as powerful and effective as that now ethically-compromised and morally-bankrupt right-wing organization.

We won't solve the problem of American gun crime overnight. But we can start moving in the right direction; we can begin "to drain the toxic swamp" of too-easy gun access, little or no firearms training and out-of-control handgun proliferation. We can take a longer, harder look at our gun-loving, kill-crazy culture that elevates the fetishistic worship of handguns and assault weapons over the peace and safety of its citizens.

I know I have. Sandy Hook was the tipping point for me.

Ex-marine and Current Gun Owner

[Carolina]

88. Welcome to DU!

and thank you for your comments... all very sensible and doable. If only we had leaders in Washington instead of lobby whores.

[brucefan]

28. RIP Victoria

[Baitball Blogger]

29. Is that Vicky Soto?

Last edited Sat Dec 15, 2012, 11:14 PM - Edit history (1)

A relative was just on describing what was told to him. He said they found her huddled with her students. She was shielding them.

I don't think we have the full details yet. I would like to think that all of her students escaped the gunman, but it doesn't sound like they did.

[alcibiades_mystery]

45. Almost all the dead children were first graders

If she was the first grade teacher (maybe there was more than one first grade class in the school), then your version sounds more likely.

Utter despair.

[caseymoz]

68. Soto. That's her correct last name. nt

[AndyA]

30. What a beautiful young woman, with a beautiful heart as well.

She is a hero.

It's a shame that the crazy gun culture in this country doesn't consider that she had rights, too. Like the right to LIVE HER LIFE.

[Quantess]

31. Sweet, pretty lady. Such a loss.

She protected the children who had their whole lives ahead of them, but she also had her whole life ahead of her, really. Huge loss.

[FourScore]

32. Heartbreaking. n/t

[RainDog]

34. k&r n/t

[Auntie Bush]

35. Now I'm crying!!!!!...again!!!

[ReRe]

36. What a darling Angel

The world truly is a worse place without this beautiful young lady who was so devoted to her students. All I can think of now is her mourning family. Such a sudden tragic end of life for Victoria is probably very difficult or impossible for them to deal with. I hope they soon can celebrate her beautiful young life.

[cecilfirefox]

37. )O(

[Raksha]

84. )0(

RIP Victoria

[smirkymonkey]

38. The poor, dear girl. I am in tears. Her bravery is unbelievable.

I am so terribly sad for her friends, family and students. I am absolutely horrified and depressed by her passing.

[mokawanis]

39. What a brave thing to do

I'm just astounded that she had the presence of mind and the courage to do what she did. My heart goes out to her loved ones.

[PotatoChip]

40. She looks so young herself!

Damn.

[Stinky The Clown]

41. I knew there would be heroes and I knew they would be teachers. Thank you, Victoria.

[TahitiNut]

42. So ... that's what a union thug looks like, and what a union thug does?

[Throckmorton]

87. Hear, Hear!!!! N/T

[lupinella]

43. K&R n/t

[tawadi]

44. Brave, beautiful and extremely heroic.

[trocar]

47. Prayers to her family. Blessings to her soul

[etherealtruth]

48. She is what a true hero is

[Deep13]

50. yes, not a victim, a hero.

anger, sadness

[MFM008]

51. sniff

[hedgehog]

52. .

[Xipe Totec]

53. It is people like this that make me believe there is a God

Here is Love, Duty, and Honor personified.

I should be so lucky that when my end comes, as it will come for all of us, that it should be like this.

To die for love.

[boilerbabe]

62. nope. i give HER all the credit for who she was. she is fully capable of being the best human being

on her own without some "supernatural force" to tell her how to be.

[Xipe Totec]

63. You misunderstand. It's not a "supernatural force" to tell her how to be

She is God.

[tavalon]

83. I was going to say something like the last poster

but "She is God" is very in line with my own beliefs, so I agree with you.

[Bellicose]

54. Has This Been Confirmed?

Is this really true? Where was this story reported? I just want to make sure before I spread it all over my fb ... Absolutely devastating to imagine that scenario ... Crushing = * (

[Kingofalldems]

55. Go to yahoo or ABC News, they have it there.

[hrmjustin]

56. On this sad day I welcome you to DU!

[Xipe Totec]

57. Link

http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20656736_20657003,00.html

[tawadi]

59. Not quite the same story. Any better link we could share on fb?

[Historic NY]

61. this might work its front page...

http://www.businessinsider.com/victoria-soto-hero-of-sandy-hook-2012-12

[tawadi]

58. Link?

Do have link stating she told him that her students were in the gym?

I do believe she was a hero, but couldn't find the story you are sharing anywhere.

Thanks in advance.

[treestar]

94. How can anyone know she told the shooter that?

Unless there was someone who overheard and survived.

[wickerwoman]

96. There were 16 kids in the cupboard.

One of them probably told their parents.

[coalition_unwilling]

60. I have said many times, having encountered many young people at Occupy Los Angeles last

fall, that they put my 'Me Generation' cohort to shame.

This story more than confirms me in my sentiments..

Here's how ABC is reporting the story (just as heroic, just some different details really):

Victoria Soto, 27, a first grade teacher, was among the dead. She reportedly threw herself in front of the gunman to shield her students.

"The family was informed that she was trying to shield, get her children into a closet and protect them from harm, and by doing that put herself between the gunman and the children," Jim Wiltsie, Soto's cousin, told ABC News. "And that's when she was tragically shot and killed."

Five of the 16 kids in Soto's class were slain, including Noah Pozner, whose twin sister was in another classroom, barricaded with her teacher in the bathroom.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/connecticut-elementary-school-shooting-victims-hero-teacher-principal/story?id=17982784#.UM0PqaxP_-J

[riverwalker]

66. Vicki Soto

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/newtown-teacher-vicki-soto-remembered-article-1.1221004

[caseymoz]

69. I hate to spoil things, but this hasn't been verified.

Never trust the first stories that come out of a mass-tragedy. News and police are lucky if they can count the bodies right on the first day. There is so much hysteria and panic, and then it rolls over into grief, and nobody asks questions.

And NYDN is not the source you trust to get this right. They rush out a story they know people will read.

Here's what snopes says:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/newtown.asp

There is still much confusion about this subject in the news media. Accounts differ in the details of how many children Vicki Soto supposedly saved, whether she hid them in a restroom or a closet, and whether she truly diverted the approaching shooter away from the classroom by claiming the kids were all in the gym . .

.

Then again, there's nothing that debunks this. It isn't an outright hoax. It's just still a confused rumor.

[Honeycombe8]

76. I saw a man on tv tell a story like this one....

it was the son of a friend. He told this story....the kid saw the shooter come in and kill the teacher, who was protecting the kids. The boy took another classmate and ran otu of the room after the shooter left....and he ran and ran and ran. A driver picked him up and took him to the police station.

It sounds like this story. The Victoria story is on CNN under the list of the deceased, and it mentions that a boy ran from the classroom.

It took the boys' parents about 1 1/2 hrs to find their son. The man specifically said they considered the teacher as having saved the lives of the students (although I think some of the other students were in fact killed).

But you are right....there are so many stories floating around. Who knows. And I could be misremembering and getting stories confused. There's a lot of info out there.

[Angry Dragon]

98. ...........

[WillyT]

67. HUGE K & R !!!

[caseymoz]

70. Unfortunately, nobody knows if any of it is true.

I'd love to believe it, but whenever something like this comes out, I try to verify it. According to Snopes, this was a rumor that started very shortly after the shooting. It was reported by the Hartford Courant, with an anonymous source. So far, they don't know the conditions of Victoria Soto's death. This story here is unverified. There's a problem with it. If the kids were all hidden, who saw this? Who heard her tell the gunman the children were in the gym? However, this isn't a downright hoax. It may be true.

In any tragedy like this, don't trust the first reports that come out, or even the second or third. People are far too panicked and grief-stricken. Their minds are jumping all over trying to put together a narrative on the scantiest information. The hysteria can spread to people trying to report the story and to the responders. Plus, witnesses aren't in any condition to verify anything. So you have few questions being asked by the media, and few questions answered when they are asked. Just be happy if they have the body count right on the first day. I commend them.

Human beings need to comfort themselves in a tragedy like this. They try to make hero stories out of horror stories as quickly as possible, just so they could stand the grief.

Whether it happened or not, it's terrible the way her life and those of all the others ended. I look at her picture and the rest and try not to sob, and I'm a thousand miles away from it.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/newtown.asp

[Honeycombe8]

73. I saw a very much alive blonde 1st grade teacher on tv telling a similar story.

She was in the gym with the kids. She told them that everything would be all right, that she loved all of them...and then they went and got into the "closets." The shooter never got to the gym. All survived there, and stayed there until law officers came and got them to evacuate the building.

[caseymoz]

77. We'll find out which ones are true

That one sounds a little more reliable, at least you have a witness.

The story about Victoria Soto, however, is that she told the gunman the kids were in the gym, sending him right toward him!

In every story I've heard, it sounds like both teachers and students were better prepared, that everybody was hiding and barricaded. The shooter seems to have killed all the victims in one classroom, probably the first one he went to. This spree apparently lasted less than fifteen minutes. He dispatched himself once he ran out of easy targets.

[treestar]

95. +100000000000000000

[Sissyk]

71. RIP Victoria

You are a True American Hero.

[Honeycombe8]

72. Were there 2 1st grade teachers in gym? I saw a blonde on tv....

I saw a first grade teacher on tv telling a story similar to this one. She was in the gym...kids got into the "closets." The teacher and all the children survived.

[leanforward]

74. Her Children

In the military they have the Congressional Medal of Honor. Victoria should be nationally recognized for her heroism. What she did is above and beyond.
All gave some, Victoria gave all for her kids.

[Beacool]

75. Such a beautiful and courageous woman.

May this lovely girl and all the others, particularly the children, rest in peace.

So sad...........

[Cha]

78. Bless Victoria Soto's Breautiful Brave

Heart

Thanks HarveyDarkey

[Uncle Joe]

80. Kicked and recommended for a hero.

Thanks for the thread, HarveyDarkey.

[tavalon]

82. That she died a hero doesn't make her any less dead

I'm so sorry for her family.

[stlsaxman]

85. She was A TRUE HERO LONG BEFORE her act of bravery- SHE WAS A TEACHER!!!!

Man, it just pisses me off that none of the meme going around about this even mentions that.

She was the victim of a horrific gun crime... true!

She performed an amazingly brave act and saved the children in her class, at the cost of her own life... true!

SHE MADE THE DECISION TO HELP OUR CHILDREN GROW TO LIVE (HOPEFULLY) WONDERFUL LIVES BY SHOWING THEM LOVE, RESPECT AND INTEREST IN THEIR ABILITY TO COMPREHEND... iow- A TEACHER!

That choice of career was/is one of the most truly heroic, selfless choices anyone can make.

... and talk about sacrifice- teachers sacrifice a huge portion of their lives, time and effort just for that ONE MOMENT where they see that look of comprehension in a childs face.

There- i said it...

Flame away, but please note that i recc'ed this thread

[Smarmie Doofus]

90. +1. No flames from here, dude. n/t

[heaven05]

92. my heart

is so heavy this morning and everything you said has merit. IF there is a place of peace after leaving this veil of tears may she and all of these angels occupy it in happiness.

[sellitman]

89. My oldest went to school with her younger sister.

Through FB he has followed her grief.

i cannot imagine.

[myrna minx]

91. .

[Cooley Hurd]

93. This is Victoria's sister, presumably after hearing of her sister's death:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021994894

[tallahasseedem]

97. She is a true hero...

and should always be remembered as such.

Excuse me while I go bawl my eyes out.

[go west young man]

99. A truly good and brave teacher.

Why do we worship sports figures when we have teachers like Victoria? Something else not talked about is the fact that teachers had to hide students in closets. Would it be so costly to build doors that lead out of individual classrooms to the outdoors? In all school shootings people are trapped in the classroom. An exterior door may have saved those kids lives.

[Tutonic]

100. Harvey, can you or someone do a post honoring all six

adults? I know that this tragedy has more meaning because of the young children involved but I think it is important to remember that these dedicated public servants who are vilified by the Right, stood up and exceeded their job requirements. I gotta tip the hat to all teachers, for their sacrifices made every day! Awesome.

[DallasNE]

101. Enough To Take Your Breath Away

I marvel at how someone under such duress can think so clearly and respond so heroically. And the only way we can know this is because this is what those first graders told the authorities. The very same first graders who's lives she just saved...

[jimlup]

102. Hero