US School Shooting: Gunman's Victims Named

A father has paid an emotional tribute to his murdered six-year-old daughter, as police named the school gunman's 26 victims.

Robbie Parker said his final conversation with Emilie was in Portuguese, the language he was helping to teach her.

"She told me 'good morning' and asked how I was doing, and I said that I was doing well," he told reporters.

"She said that she loved me, and I gave her a kiss and I was out the door."

The youngster was one of 20 children killed by Adam Lanza, who went on a gun rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown after shooting dead his mother.

The 20-year-old also killed six adults, before turning the gun on himself.

Headteacher Dawn Hochsprung and school psychologist Mary Sherlach both died as they tried to confront the gunman.

The pair were in a meeting with therapist Diane Day on Friday, when the gunman began shooting at 9.30am.

On hearing the shots, they both jumped out of their seats and ran out of the room.

"They didn't think twice about confronting or seeing what was going on," Ms Day said.

Ms Hochsprung is also believed to have switched on a loudspeaker system in the school to alert students and staff to the danger.

"She was just an amazing woman ... the kids loved her. It's a huge loss for our school and our town," said assistant librarian Maryanne Jacobs.

Fourth-grade teacher Theodore Varga said: "You could hear the hysteria that was going on.

"Whoever did that saved a lot of people. Everyone in the school was listening to the terror that was transpiring."

Another hero was said to be first-grade teacher Vicki Leigh Soto, 27, described by police as someone who "put herself between the kids and the gunman's bullets".

Her body was found huddled with the students in a classroom closet, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Children

Charlotte Bacon, age 6.

Daniel Barden, 7.

Olivia Engel, 6.

Josephine Gay, 7.

Ana M Marquez-Greene, 6.

Dylan Hockley, 6.

Madeleine F Hsu, 6.

Catherine V Hubbard, 6.

Chase Kowalski , 7.

Jesse Lewis, 6.

James Mattioli, 6.

Grace McDonnell, 7.

Emilie Parker, 6.

Jack Pinto, 6.

Noah Pozner, 6.

Caroline Previdi, 6.

Jessica Rekos, 6.

Avielle Richman, 6.

Benjamin Wheeler, 6.

Allison N Wyatt, 6.

Adults

Rachel Davino, 29.

Dawn Hochsprung, 47.

Anne Marie Murphy, 52.

Lauren Rousseau, 30.

Mary Sherlach, 56.

Victoria Soto, 27.

More follows...