Road, well definitely be stronger. You know we have to be stronger. Good evening, everyone. We are live once again tonight from newtown, connecticut, a community struggling with grief, reaching out to one another for comfort, beginning the long, long process of saying goodbye to so many young lives cut far too short. Makeshift memorials we mind the people of this community that theyre not alone in their grief. People stop by to leave candles and flowers, teddy bears, notes of comfort. Its a daunting concept, the idea of trying somehow to move on without the 20 six and 7year olds. Trying to move on without the adults that were also killed at sandy hook Elementary School. Moving on may not be possible for oolong time, if ever. Its not clear when the students in sandy hook will return to class, but when they do, it will be in a different building, in a Different School in a neighboring town. Everything is different now. Everythingment. For the families here, this week is about trying to find a way to say goodbye, and to honor the lives of their children, the lives of their teachers and school administrators. There are three funerals scheduled for the rest of the week for three 6yearolds, and there were two funerals today, also for 6yearolds, for jack pinto and noah pozner. Tonight we remember jack and noah, and we wish their families and their friends and their classmates a modicum of peace and lots of strength at this unimaginably difficult time. In a tribute to the little boy who loves sports, teammates from the local Youth Wrestling Association wore their uniforms and medals to 6yearold jack pintos funeral. Jack was an avid sports fan, not just wrestling, but baseball, basketball, and skiing. His first love, however, was football. He idolized the new york giants victor cruz, who paid tribute to his little fan by writing his name on his cleats before a game this past weekend. According to the New York Times, a family friend who gave a eulogy at the funeral described jack as the kind of boy who commanded all the attention in the room, and that he wanted nothing more than to catch up with his older ben, whom he would have followed anywhere. In his obituary, jacks family wrote, in life and in death, jack will forever be remembered for the immeasurable joy he brought to all who had the pleasure of knowing him, a joy whose wide reach belied his six short years. Also laid to rest today, noah pozner, who just celebrated his sixth birthday last month with his twin and best friend, avielle. They were both at sandy hook elementary. On friday she apparently hid in a bathroom during the attack. She survived. Noah did not. We are all completely shattered. Its been a very, very rough few days. Nobody is getting much sleep. You know, were Holding Together as best we can. But you never, ever think that Something Like this could happen to your family. Noahs aunt says he loved to read and loved to figure out how things worked. She said he was extremely lively, the light of the room. Shell remember his big blue eyes, a boy with a big heart who loved his parents, his older sisters and brother, and his twin most of all. They dont know the way in which noah passed away, but obviously they were there during the whole event, and were led out. And its not she just turned 6. Ariel just turned 6. And her older sister is 8. How do you tell them their brother died . Its the unthinkable, really. In his obituary, his family said he was impish and larger than life. They called him a little soul devoid of spite and meanness. They wrote everything he did conveyed action and energy through love. He was the light of our family. He will be forever missed. Weve just seen the eulogy delivered by his mother. It was published by the New York Times and distributed by the press. I want to read part of it to you. You were a little boy whose life force had the gravitational pull of a celestial body. You were light and love, mischief and pranks. You adored your family with every fiber of your 6yearold being. We are all of us elevated in our humanity by having known you. A little maverick who didnt always want to do his school work or clean up his toys when practicing his ninja moves or super mario on the wii seemed far more important. Noah, you will not pass through this way again. I can only believe that you were planted on earth to bloom in heaven. Take flight, my boy, soar. The words of a mother grieving for her lost son. One thing that weve been doing here is really trying to keep our focus on the lives lost. And the lives of the people here who died led, the heros who saved lives, who stopped even more bloodshed, and often put themselves in harms way to do it. The teachers and the school administrators. Weve avoided focusing on the killer, because he is gone, and frankly, we dont want him to be remembered. Certainly not his name. We tried to be careful and respectful of what the families here are doing through, and we will continue to do that. We tried not to intrude on their suffering. After last Nights Program we got a call from the mcdonnell family. Their 7yearold grace, Amazing Grace, died on friday. I spoke with graces parents at length today, and were going to bring you that interview tomorrow. We were going to bring to it you tonight, but we had a technical problem with it. We want to make sure that we do it right, and we bring you the complete interview. So well do that well bring that to you tomorrow. Tonight we remember all the victims, and also the heroes of this tragedy, the teachers who did so much to protect their students and the First Responders. Here is what lieutenant vance of the Connecticut State Police said about those First Responders. The faculty, staff in that school did everything that they possibly could to protect those children. I can tell you that the First Responders that got to that scene when the active team that entered the school saved many lives. I can tell you it broke our hearts we couldnt save them all. Well, last nights memorial, the First Responders got a standing ovation from a very grateful community. [ applause ] rob manna and ray korbo are firefighters. How you both holding up . Difficult every day. Every day its a little bit better. But its a challenge. Its certainly a challenge. One of the things i know you guys have been doing is handing out gifts to little kids, things from the red cross. Thats got to bring some comfort. Definitely helps. Overwhelming amount of stuffed animals and teddy bears came streaming into the firehouse. And were doing what we can to give it out to the children in town. You were born here, right . Yes. Youre from here originally. Tell people about this community. I mean, ive just been struck about how closeknit it seems. And probably now more than ever. Yeah, the outpouring of support from people in the community and the unity and, you know, the emotion is overwhelming. I cant say enough of the support weve been getting from even outside, other communities, and, you know, all around the country. The phone is ringing off the hook for people who want to bring food and supplies or whatever they can. I know on that horrible day on friday, you guys were assigned to a triage area. And it didnt unfortunately end up being used. That must have been a just a sickening feeling, to be there at this triage unit and realize there is not people coming in. At the time, a few times during the incident, i actually thought to myself should i be hoping that this area was filled with injured people . Right. I was almost wishing that that at least there would be some hope. Fairly early on we realized that it wasnt going to be the case, and it was basically set up for nothing. When how do you how do you deal with Something Like that as a First Responder . Everybody thinks about obviously the children and the teachers and all those who lost their lives and the parents. But the things that you guys have to deal with, there is i mean it never leaves you. No. You have a job to do at the time, and thats what youre thinking about at the time. You really dont think too much about that kind of stuff until until later . Until later. And even now there is still a lot of stuff going on. And i think its going to get worse before it gets better. Ive always found that in the first couple of days, and when there is a lot of focus and attention the adrenaline kind of gets you through. But its often in the weeks after when people kind of go away and the rest of the world keeps spinning and returns to some semblance of normal, then its this town which is going to be left with an open wound. There is going to be a new normal i think. The old normal a week ago, thats gone, i believe. A level of complacency all these years, thats gone. And well be scarred forever from this, i think. We will recover, obviously. Like rob said, were a closeknit community. We will recover somewhat. But like rob said, the scar is not going to go away. The scars heal, but they remain. And theyre always there. I really appreciate all youve done, and thank you very much for talking. I know its not easy. Thank you. I wish you the best. Thank you. Thanks. With the community really united in grief, one piece of the plan to move beyond the tragedy is taking shape today. And when i say move beyond, i dont want to make it sound like people want to forget, because they dont. This town will never forget, and they just need to try to figure out a way to continue on and honor the memory of those who theyve lost. How newtowns neighbors are helping sandy hook students feel safe when they return to class. Ill speak with those who lost loved ones in previous Mass Shootings about their healing process. Well be right back. So, this board gives me rates for progressive direct and other Car Insurance companies . Yes. But youre progressive, and theyre them. Yes. But theyre here. Yes. Are you. . There . Yes. No. Are you them . Im me. But those rates are for. Them. So them are here. Yes you want to run through it again . No, im good. You got it . Yes. Rates for us and them now thats progressive. Call or click today. Well, Newtown Schools will reopen tomorrow, but not sandy hook elementary, obviously. Instead another, a former school will reopen eventually for the students who survived the shooting. The move will allow sandy hook students to return to class without having to return to the site of the tragedy. Connecticuts governor dan malloy announced the move today at a very emotional news conference, where he also recounted the moments after the shooting when he needed to deliver to the parents who were waiting for news about their children, when he needed to deliver the worst possible news. It was evident to me that there was a reluctance to tell parents and loved ones that the person that they were waiting for not going to return. And that had gone on for a period of time, well after there was any expectancy that families would be reunited. I made the decision that to have that go on any longer was wrong. So i did it. I talked to Lynn Mcdonnell. Kate baldwin joins me now. I talked to Lynn Mcdonnell earlier. I talked to her and her husband chris than wait. They thought maybe their little grace was in some place that was safe. And then slowly it began to dawn on people that that was not the case. So what are the plans now for schools . It really started kicking into action the same day as the horror was unfolding. No one wants to send the children back to sandy hook elementary. They know that its clearly not time for that. Its still a crime scene right now. So they made plans with the neighboring town for a school just six miles away. Almost its very fortuitous. But there was an empty middle that had been closed because of declining enrollment last year. So the neighboring town monroe, the chief executive of the town, he called them right away that same day and said if you want it, its yours. And so theyve been working around the clock. Contractors from around the region have been donating their time to get this facility, its a former middle school up to stuff and up to code. They have to change, really, everything. The bones are strong. Its a school. But they have to lower everything. They have to replace toilets to be small enough for children, for Elementary School children. They have to lower towel dispensers. Do you know when the kids are going to go back . Thats up to town officials. The machine row officials told me the building itself could be ready as soon as tomorrow. Theyve been working around the clock to get it ready. But hen the School System is ready to ask the children to come back to school, thats up to Newtown School officials. And this friday is supposed to be the last day of school before the holiday break. So it could be, you know, only a day or two that theyll be in class. But some are saying, we actually talked about it with sanjay earlier, some are saying thats really what the kids need to do. They need to get back into that routine. Because once they get into that routine and back into school and back focusing on their school and work, thats going to help them heal faster. And of course there are going to be a number of funerals all this week. Yes. We saw two today. I know grace mcdonnell, that the wake is on thursday. I think the funeral is going to be on friday. So whether the kids are going to go to funerals obviously, and obviously theyre going to need to have counselors on scene. That first day for the kids come back to that school. So tough. And ive been told theyre even talking to teachers about how to talk to students on the first day back. Sure. If there are questions, if violence is brought up or whatever questions may come up. You know, children see and know more than they give off, you know. Theyre very perceptive, especially at that age. Theyve been working with teachers, and we saw it when we were driving around. They said that chalk hill, that middle school where the sandy hook children are going to be going, it will likely be the most secure school in the state. And theyre very serious about there is Police Patrol at every school. They said unfortunately that may now be the new normal as theyre trying to figure out what to do and how to protect their kids. Kate, i appreciate that thanks for all that latest information. Sadly, this is now the latest mass shooting to bring the country together in grief. And while Many Americans are still struggling to grasp the enormity of what happened in newtown, other families already know what its like to face this sort of nightmare. We thought it worthwhile to talk to some of the people who have been through this kind of a tragedy before. And sadly, there are many of them. He lost his father at the sikh temple shooting in oak creek, wisconsin in wisconsin. We talked to omerdeep a lot. And and the tucson shooting that also injured Gabby Giffords nearly two years ago. Roxana is joining me now. And omerdeep is going to be joining me in just a moment. Roxanna, when you heard the news, what was your reaction . It must just all bring it back. I was devastated. I was heartbroken for all the families and the victims. It just brought it all back to me, and i was very, very sad. Let me just give you a mic because i think were having an issue here. Hold on to it. There are now so many parents who are going through exactly what you went through. What is your advice to them . I mean, its a journey that doesnt end, this journey of grief. Well, all i can say is to dig deep within yourself. And if youre a person of faith, just to pray really hard and surround yourself with loved ones or family and friends. And things will get better in time. But unfortunately, its a pain that never goes away. I have a hole in my heart, and i will forever. But im just praying for them, they find some kind of piece. And i want to bring in omerdeep. For you, your loss was more recent. Obviously, when you heard of this, it must have all brought it back. Oh my god, it was shocking. When we heard it, we had a toddler running around the house. And we just stared at him. My wife looked at me. I was a former teacher. She goes he wouldnt have even ran. He would have been in shock. We started crying. We couldnt stop. What is it like when there is a lot of focus in the immediate days after this, but then ultimately reporters go away, and a lot of the wellwishers and the counselors go away. And the rest of the world sort of keeps spinning, but your world has stopped . I mean your world has completely changed forever. How do you cope with that time when the adrenaline fades away and the reality sets in . Well, in my case, i wrote a book, as good as she imagined. I started a foundation in my daughters name. So ive been really, really busy with that it takes up a lot of my time. And just giving back to less fortunate children in our community by building playgrounds and helping out the schools with smartboards and p. E. Equipment. That has been therapeutic and healing. Amardeep, what can come out of this . Weve seen far too many of these kinds of things. I know you want something to change. Somethings got to change. I mean, the National Dialogue has to start. Roxanna and i with mayors against illegal guns. And we just did a whole event with mayor bloomberg this morning or this afternoon. And, i mean, its not just the guns that is the problem, though. And its become like a deep down rooted societal issue. And we need to keep that conversation going. And for us, we started a documentary called nursery crimes. And were going out of our way to go figure out what is happening at a younger and younger age, and how we can find those people that are almost at this point of sociopathy and then stop it and bring them back. There is also obviously issues of Mental Health that need to be addressed. Is that a concern of yours as well . Oh, absolutely. Our system has failed so many young people. And, you know, i think congress and the president has to work really, really hard to come up with a, you know, gun violence Protection Plan and a Better Health care system so these kind of sensless tragedies dont happen. It