Victoria Leigh Soto | |
|---|---|
 Soto in March 2012 | |
| Born | November 4, 1985 Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | December 14, 2012 (aged 27) Newtown, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Resting place | Union Cemetery Stratford Fairfield County, Connecticut |
| Occupation | Teacher |
| Known for | Defender during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting |
| Awards | Presidential Citizen's Medal (2013; awarded posthumously) |
Victoria Leigh Soto (November 4, 1985 – December 14, 2012) was an American teacher who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. After the gunman, Adam Lanza, entered the school, she hid her students in her classroom. When Lanza entered Soto’s classroom, Soto claimed that the students were in the gym room. Lanza then shot Soto, causing the students to run from their hiding places. She was reportedly shot four times by Lanza and died trying to shield them with her body.[1][2] She has since been hailed as a hero.[3][4][2] She is a posthumous recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal.
Plans and petitions to honor her by name via scholarships, roads, and schools were announced in late 2012 and 2013.[5][6][7][8][9] The Stratford Town Council unanimously approved a resolution to name a school after Soto, which opened in 2015, and the city of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, birthplace of Soto's father, is planning to name a public facility after her.[10]
- ^ staff, CTPost com (December 15, 2012). "Teacher died fighting for her students". Chron. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ a b Planas, Roque (December 16, 2012). "Victoria Soto, Newtown Teacher, Emerges As Hero After Shooting". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
Her mother, Donna, was a nurse at Bridgeport Hospital for 30 years and her father, Carlos, worked for the Connecticut Department of Transportation as a crane operator.
- ^ Pearce, Matt (December 19, 2012). "Sandy Hook teacher Victoria Soto is given a hero's farewell". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- ^ "'Light amidst the darkness': Heroic teacher Victoria Soto remembered". NBC News. December 19, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- ^ Vignesh Ramachandran (January 14, 2013). "Connecticut school named for slain Newtown teacher Victoria Soto". nbcnews.com. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ Pujol, Rolando (January 3, 2013). "Petition seeks to rename street after Newtown hero teacher Victoria Soto". WPIX. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- ^ Lambeck, Linda Conner (December 26, 2012). "Petition asks for a street named for Victoria Soto, a teacher slain at Sandy Hook". greenwichtime.com. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ Victoria Leigh Soto Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ^ "Eastern Connecticut's Liberal Arts University "THE VICTORIA LEIGH SOTO MEMORIAL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND"". Easternct.edu. December 14, 2012. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "Piden honrar a maestra asesinada en escuela – Vocero de Puerto Rico". El Vocero. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2013.