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Continuing Coverage of the Aftermath of Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting in Connecticut; President Obama Addressed the Interfaith Service; Fmailies and Friends Mourn Victims

Aired December 16, 2012 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone, it is 10:00 here in Newtown Connecticut, the end of a harrowing week for this town or any town. Inside move the days ahead won't get any better. There are many difficult days, weeks and months ahead. Starting tomorrow, parents will begin burying their children, trying to imagine -- it's almost unthinkable. It's impossible to find the words. All the words that we can say in this hour are going to seem so small, the face of the tragedy that has occurred here.

Now, is a time to lean on one another or the parents and the loved ones and the families here to be the ones to lean on. They came together tonight for a good show and crowding. The local high school just behind me, the local high school auditorium to listen in spiritual leaders from any major any words of comfort they could.

President Obama spoke as well and said that we as a nation are simply not doing enough to keep our children safe. He promised to work, to put an end to future tragedies like this one. We'll play you his call for action shortly.

But we don't want to focus on the killer. For the last several days we haven't said his name. And I don't want history to remember him. We and the people here want you to remember the teachers and the children and those whose lives have been so unfortunately taken, people with hopes, dreams and stories seen though 20 of those stories had just begun.

We're learning more about their lives from parents and friends and local and national papers and local blogs. If you remember after the shooting in Aurora, there was a vigil in Aurora, Colorado. And every time somebody's name was read, the crowd said back, we will remember.

And so, with that in mind tonight, I thought we'd just take a few moments to review the names of each and every fallen child and every grown-up and tell you what we can about their lives.

Charlotte Bacon, 6-years-old. We will remember her. She was wearing a new pink dress and boots, a holiday outfit. Charlotte begged her mom to wear it to school that day. Her big brother was also at school that day, but we're told he made it to safety. Her uncle says she could light up a room.

We'll also remember Daniel Barden, 7-years-old. Just 7-years-old, Daniel was a budding athlete. He swam, played soccer, his missing two front teeth. His family called him fearless.

We will remember Olivia Engel as well, just 6-years-old. She played tennis and soccer. She is a ballet dancer and a patient big sister to her 3-year-old brother. Her family She loved school, colors pink and purple and was going to be an angel in the nativity play scheduled for just last night.

We will remember 7-year-old Josephine Gay as well. Josephine turned seven on Tuesday. She too loved the color purple. Her neighbors are hanging purple balloons from mailboxes and fences in her memory. We will remember her.

We'll also remember Ana Marquez-Greene, 6-years-old. Ana grew up with music in her ears. Her dad plays jazz saxophone and flute. His 2009 album features a song he wrote a song about her entitled Ana Grace.

We'll also remember Dylan Hockley, he too was just 6-years-old. He came from England originally. His family moving to Newtown two years ago. His mom recently calling the area a wonderful place to live with incredible neighbors and wonderful schools. We will remember Dylan.

We'll also remember 6-year-old Madeleine Hsu. Madie, they calls her, a neighbor's son who shared rides to school with her, remembers Madie as a upbeat, and kind, sweet and wonderful little girl.

We'll remember also Catherine Violet Hubbard, also just six. Catherine loved animals. Instead of flowers, her family is requesting donations be made to the Newtown animal shelter, saying kept that's probably what she would have wanted. We will remember her.

We will remember 7-year-old Chase Kowalski, for his love of outdoor sports and his talent for them. He just won his first mini-triathlon. He was always outside riding his bike. We will remember chase.

We will remember 6-year-old Jesse Lewis was learning how to ride a horse. It was only natural. His family had five of them. Two miniatures, three dogs, a flock of chickens. His mother said he loved to tell stories and lived life brave and true. We will remember.

We'll also remember 6-year-old James. He's being remembered as a sweetheart of a kid with such an innocent face, a face that we and they and everyone should remember.

We'll remember the face of 7-year-old Grace McDonnell. The neighbor describes it as the face of an angel. She was her mother's little best friend. Her family in a brief statement saying, our daughter Grace was the love and light of our family. Words cannot adequately express our sense of loss. We too will remember Grace.

And we'll also remember Emilie Parker, just 6-years-old. Emily was a mentor to her two younger sisters ages three and four. Her father says when they needed comfort they looked to Emilie. They will remember her and so will we.

And we will remember another 6-year-old, Jack Pinto. He loved wrestling. He and his team were scheduled to compete this weekend in a match against the New Jersey wrestling club. We'll remember him.

There's so folks, so many people to remember. We'll remember Noah Pozner, 6-years-old, smart as a whip according to his uncle. He loved reading and love figuring things out. Noah's twin sister was at school as well on Friday, the two were said to be inseparable. She survived, he did not. I'm going to talk to Noah's aunt later tonight. We will remember him.

And we will remember 6-year-old Caroline, known as ton - for times boo because she resemble the little girl from "monsters Inc." Caroline loved gymnastic.

And we will remember Jessica Rekos, also age six. She was the oldest of three children. She loved anything to do with horse, we are told. She wanted cowgirl boots for Christmas.

We'll remember Avielle Richman, also 6-years-old. She, too, like horses and pink boots and eager when she tried it. Avielle was excited because she was about to lose her first tooth.

Benjamin Wheeler's birth led his family here to Newtown. They moved out of New York to some place quiet. Benjamin also was also 6 years old. We will remember him.

And we will remember Allison Wyatt, 6-years-old.

None of the children who died were older than 7. We'll remember Rachel Davino, who taught first grade at Sandy Hook. She was 29. She was devoted to helping special needs children.

52-year-old Anne Marie Murphy helped shield her students from the filler, from the gunfire and had all her arms around some of them at the end. We will remember her and so will this community.

We'll remember 30-year-old Lauren Russeau who wanted to be a teacher before she even started kindergarten. She was a full time substitute at Sandy Hook.

We'll remember Mary Sherlach, who is the proud mother of two young daughters. We will remember her,

We will remember Victoria Soto. No one in this town will ever forget 27-year-old Victoria Soto, who died trying to protect the lives of her first graders. She was the oldest of four children. We will remember her.

And, of course, the school principal Dawn Hocksprung. She was firm and funny and the kids loved her. Said friend even little kids know when someone cares about them, and that was her. And we will remember her just as we remember all 26 lives lost in that school that day. Twenty six stories cut short Friday morning at Sandy Creek elementary school here in Newtown, Connecticut.

Newtown is now the nation's heartache. It is our open wound. A whole so large that one minister in payer tonight that we're not even sure that God can fill it, something to hope for. And to his hope is, and his hope is everyone's hope, as we bring you some moments from tonight's vigil, starting with first responders coming into the auditorium to a round of applause.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(APPLAUSE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We gather here in memory of 20 beautiful children and six remarkable adults. They lost their lives in a school. It could have been any school. In a quiet town full of good and decent people. That could be any town in America.

Here in Newtown, I come to offer the love and prayers of a nation. I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow nor can they heal your wounded hearts. I can only hope it helps for you to know that you're not alone in your grief that our world too has been torn apart. That all across this land of ours, we have wept with you. We've pulled our children tight. And you must know that whatever measure of comfort we can provide, we will provide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: With me now are two clergy members who spoke at the vigil, the Reverend Matt Crebbin, senior minister of the Newtown congregational church and rabbi Shaul Praver of Congregation Adathi.

What do you want to come out of this? What do you want people to know?

RABBI SHAUL PRAVER, CONGREGATION ADATHI ISRAEL: I'm hoping, Anderson, this will be the tipping point in our country. I feel that children are inundated with the culture of violence from a very young age from the toys that we play with to the movies that we see and the TV that we see. That we can do better, and we can make games that are exciting that have a positive objective. And we really need to do that, because I think it's to commonplace, the violent reaction. Of course, the individual is deranged but there's a part of me that thinks if we had more of a culture of peace that these kinds of events would be less likely to happen.

COOPER: Reverend, what are you hoping comes out of this, I mean?

REV. MATT CREBBIN, NEWTOWN CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH: Well, I'm hoping for our community that the community grows even closer and stronger. I know people have spoken about how close and strong it was before. But as you know, a tragedy like this, we're very vulnerable. But I also have hope that we can become stronger and closer and care for one another in deeper ways.

COOPER: It's extraordinary just the last couple days, I've been here. I mean, complete strangers come up to one another on the street and are hugging and sharing, sharing their hearts with each other.

CREBBIN: Right. And there's an outpouring, not only in the town, but for people around the world. And -- but that will slowly dissipate. And the attention will disappear from this place, and we'll be returning to lives that are supposed to be normal. But for many people, they won't feel normal again. And so, how do we make those lives feel connected and closer and cared for, and vibrant? Because we don't want this event to zee fine the spirit of our faith communities, the spirit of this community. We want people to know that there is something more, something hopeful, something that, in fact, we can even become more compassionate, more caring, some of the things that we just talked about, how we see people not just here in town, but in the world.

COOPER: I've seen members and representatives of all the different phase on the stage tonight. It was a powerful moving statement. What do you -I mean, how -- there's so many parents around the world who are following this, who don't know what to say to their children, don't know how to explain it. How do you council somebody. What do you say to them?

PRAVER: You mean, around the country?

COOPER: Yes, or here, anywhere.

PRAVER: We have young ones too, we have first graders, and we want them to know that, you know, something bad happened. And we are going to have to tell them something. We haven't said anything yet. And you know, something bad happen, but it's very unusual and the bad man can't hurt anybody any more. That's how we would, as first graders we would approach that. And we just need to work to make our community better, and not to be afraid. You're safe.

COOPER: No doubt you've had to council people who have lost loved ones, what do you say in that -- is there anything to say?

CREBBIN: There are things to say, but I think often times we're inclined to want to say things first. And I think listening is the first response, is to listen to people's grief, listen to what they're -- even if they can't articulate not coming in thinking that a certain word, phrase or even people of faith, certain scriptures will just solve or heal instantly.

But those words of scripture, and those words are significant, but realizing that we have to continue to listen and to then find appropriate ways with them to find expression and a meaning that come out of our traditions. You know, folks that I council within my own tradition. That would be what I drop on.

COOPER: The loss of a child is something -- that pain never goes away.

PRAVER: No. It's really horrible. And when you see the parents wailing like that, you realize, that's how we would be if we were there too. And these are all of our children. And so -- I think Matt said it very well. First, you take your cues and see some people will like a theological explanation. I mean, Noah's mother, Veronica, I told her this morning, where is the 6-year-old inside of you ready to go, you know? And she said, well, it's still in me. In a sense, there's a spiritual idea that there is no doubt, there's a transformation, as we, through nation grow our 6-year-old is still surrounded by the greater aspect of ourselves as we grow and mature. And so it's a leap of faith to say after we leave our body that we become part of a greater matrix or a greater motif in the universe.

COOPER: I appreciate both of you for being with us tonight, but also just being on the stage and what you said, I thought it was extraordinarily powerful. Thank you.

PRAVER: Thank you.

CREBBIN: Thank you.

Wish you the best.

When we come back, remembering principal Dawn Hocksprung with her children and with her husband. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PHELPS, PARENT OF TWO CHILDREN AT Sandy Hook elementary The principal who -- God Bless her lost her life. She was a very special person. And you will the parents knew that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: Well, the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary was respected and admired by the teachers and parents and loved by the students as well. Dawn Hocksprung was her name, she became principal two years ago, she was a mom of one of the first graders, she never saw her without a smile, on that awful day at that school who survived, say dawn died protecting them, confronting the gunman herself. It was a terrible loss of a beloved principal, more importantly, of a wife, mother and grandmother.

Tonight, Dawn Hocksprung's daughter Cristina posted this picture on twitter of President Obama holding Dawn Hocksprung's granddaughter. Cristina wrote quote "My mom would be so proud to see President Obama holding her daughter, but not as proud as I am about her."

Gary Tuchman actually spoke with Dawn Hocksprung's husband and kids about the remarkable woman that she was.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Principal Dawn Hocksprung was quite a bit younger than her husband George. But, when they got married ten years ago, both for the second time, she with two daughters and he with three, George was marrying his boss.

GEORGE HOCKSPRUNG, DAWN HOCKSPRUNG'S HUSBAND: She was an assistant principal at our school, and I was a 7th grade math teacher at that time. And I just fell in love with her.

TUCHMAN: George made the big decision the time had come to propose. HOCKSPRUNG: She turned me down five times.

TUCHMAN: You asked her to marry you, but she turned you down?

HOCKSPRUNG: Five times.

TUCHMAN: So, what about the sixth time?

HOCKSPRUNG: The sixth time I waited until it was not such rough sailing.

TUCHMAN: Indeed, George had been popping the question on a sailboat they bought together.

HOCKSPRUNG: We got married on the swoop out of mystic.

TUCHMAN: Beth, Amy and Ann are George's daughters from his first marriage. Erica is dawn's daughter from her first marriage. Her other daughter was out while we were at the house. They're a blended but very close family with 11 grandchildren.

HOCKSPRUNG: We built this beautiful house in the Adirondacks, the dream was chronological dream. It was going to be Dawn's house, because I was going to die. I was going to be gone. I'm much older than Dawn. It was going to be Dawn's house and Dawn's grandchildren and all these children could use the house on the lake. And it would be wonderful. We built rooms down stairs for kids. And it was going to be Dawn's house ultimately with all the children, all the children. And now it's me. I can't -- I don't think I can do that.

TUCHMAN: I want to reiterate to you, George, have you these beautiful daughters and son in laws and grandchildren, and everyone will be here to take care of you, is that right, ladies?

HOCKSPRUNG: My job has always been to take care of other people?

TUCHMAN: It's all right if some people take care of you for a while?

HOCKSPRUNG: No one ever taking care of me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, stop being so stubborn.

TUCHMAN: While Dawn was the principal at Sandy Hook, George taught in the middle school where they met. In the middle of the day Friday, this is how George found out what happened.

HOCKSPRUNG: One of the kids came up with a computer and said, something's happening at Sandy Hook school and your wife's been killed.

TUCHMAN: George raced out of school and into a nightmare, like all the families of victims they want to know more. And on this day they have learned more. Two teachers who survived told George they were having a meeting with Dawn when the shots rang out.

HOCKSPRUNG: She put herself in jeopardy, and I have been angry about that, angry until just now today when I met the two women that she told them to run to shelter while she actually confronted the gunman. She could have avoided that. She didn't, I knew she wouldn't.

So, I'm not angry any more. I'm not angry. I'm not angry. I'm just very sad. They said, we were at the meeting, there were gunshots. Somebody shot the window, somebody came in, into the -- not into the office, but into the building, the foyer of the building. Dawn told us to go hide, and she and at least one other teacher ran out and actually tried to subdue the killer. I don't know where that comes from, Dawn was all of 5'2".

TUCHMAN: Everyone here is proud, no one more so than Erica, who said her mom was always there for her daughters.

ERICA LAFFERTY, DAWN HOCKSPRUNG' DAUGHTER: Every game, she was there. Every practice, she was there. All of my sisters' cheering leading stuff, she was there. Every dance competition, she was doing homework on the bleachers, but she was there. And she was my rock, my rock.

TUCHMAN: And now she is a hero too. The final thing I want to ask you is, what would you say to your mom right now?

LAFFERTY: Come back. Just come back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Gary Tuchman joins me now live.

Gary, I guess some people don't understand why people would talk at a time like this. But, what I found is often times people want you to know about their loved one. Want you to know about the life they lived, not just how their life ended.

TUCHMAN: That's right, Anderson. And they are such a wonderful and amazing family. We're so grateful they let us into their home on a day like this. It's very important for them to stay close and stay united. That's what will give them strength.

Of the five daughters, two of them live in Connecticut. One lives in Pennsylvania, one lives in New Hampshire, another one lives in London, but they plan to stay together for a long time to give their father George strength. And they have a very happy event coming up in July.

Erica, the young lady we talked, she is the only in the five daughters who isn't married. She's getting married in July. And they all believe that their mother's spirit will be there with them at the wedding ceremony in July -- Anderson?

COOPER: Gary, appreciate the reporting, thank you very much.

Janet Vollmer is a kindergarten teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary school. She joins me now live. I spoke to you on the phone Friday. And I've been thinking about you all weekend. Because I think heroes are teachers every day around the country. But, I find -- I just think what you did was so heroic. Could you explain again, you heard -- you knew something was going wrong, how?

JANET VOLLMER, KINDERGARTEN TEACHER, SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY: Well, I mean, we were in our classroom. And we heard what sounded like gunshots, noises.

COOPER: Do you heard that --

VOLLMER: Well, there was a loud speaker, the PA system was not working in the way it normally is, because you don't usually hear things unless someone makes an announcement. So, there were noises that didn't sound correct. There was no one telling us it was a drill. We just taught something was not right.

So, we took the children and we went into what we call a lockdown, and we go to a certain place in the room. We pull the blinds down, we lock the classroom doors and we cover the window at the door.

COOPER: So, this is something you had practiced.

VOLLMER: Yes. About a month or so before, Dawn makes sure we do that. You know, we go to a safe place and typically when it's a drill they tell us, OK, and we even exit the building following a certain path. And if there was an emergency we would go down to the Sandy Hook firehouse and gather there, which is what we did that day. So, you know, we knew that --

COOPER: But you sat the kids down.

VOLLMER: We sat in the cubby area, away from the door so no one could see us, read them a story, talked to them. You know, they kept saying how come we're here for so long. And I said well, it will be a little longer. You know, when they're five you do whatever you can to keep them safe and keep them calm.

COOPER: This was I had been thinking about all week in there. I mean, the courage for you to be able to just sit there and read a story and keep them calm.

VOLLMER: I think the adrenaline kicks in and you do what you have to do. There were two other people in the room that were helping me with, you know, pulling down the blinds and that, I was focused on the kids and you know, just keeping them safe. And I'm not about to tell them that I think something is very bad or very wrong. So, we waited and waited. And you know, it seemed like a very long time. And maybe it was 20 minutes a half hour, I'm not sure. There were knocks at the door. It was police, someone telling us that we had to leave. Didn't want to open the door at first, but we did. They said, have the children walk hold hands, cover their eyes if they could -- he didn't say why, he just said have them do it. Well, at five, covering your eyes and walking isn't so easy, so I just had them, you know, look toward the wall and we went down the hall and out of the building. And you know, we got on the side. I said, boys and girls, remember the adventure we had? We all walk to the firehouse. We're going to do that again.

COOPER: But? VOLLMER: You know, by then, the driveway of the school was filled a lot of police and siren and that, but you know --

COOPER: How are you holding up?

VOLLMER: I know. Well, I'm just -- again, adrenaline. You are moving, you know you have to get to safety. I didn't know what the situation was occurring, we didn't have any information.

COOPER: But, how are you holding up now?

VOLLMER: How am I holding up now?

COOPER: You knew some of the kids?

VOLLMER: Ten of them. Ten of them were in my class last year.

COOPER: Ten of the kids are gone.

VOLLMER: Ten of the kids were dead now. And you know, when I heard those names, it's tough. It's tough. You know, I want to attend some of the services. I'm sure some families want privacy. You know, there's a few children who I've had not just them, I've had their siblings and in one case, I've had all three. So our families were close -- at Sandy Hook school we're a tight knit group and we know -- and I live in the community also, so --

COOPER: And dawn and all the others, I mean, obviously -- what do you want people to know about them, about this community, about --?

VOLLMER: Well, I want them to be able to come back to school. I mean, I don't know if we'll come back to sandy Hook school. I hear we're going to be possibly moved to another building somewhere else. But, you know, we do need to get the kids back in school. We need to see them. It was helpful tonight to see some of the families and give them a hug. And you know, they're calling us all heroes. We don't feel like that. I was able to tell everybody in my class, your kids are safe. That made me feel good.

COOPER: You're a hero to me and I think to a lot of people. I appreciate you talking to me.

VOLLMER: Thank you. OK.

COOPER: Thank you.

VOLLMER: All right. How did I do?

COOPER: Amazing.

Coming up, we want to play you more of President Obama's speech at the memorial service tonight. At one point the president asking if we can honestly say we're doing enough to keep our children safe from harm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: We say that we're truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose. I've been reflecting on this the last few days. And if we're honest with ourselves, the answer is no. We're not doing enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Right now, we want to share a video with you. It's the kind of video all frankly, parents take of their children, a video chronicling the small moments, the sweet moments, the moments that make up childhood. It's a video of one of the child who died in this tragedy, a beautiful little girl, 6-years-old. Her name Ana Marquez- Greene, and his brother Isaiah was also at the school, he was not harmed.

Ana's father gave us permission to show this video and his children that (INAUDIBLE). We obviously, wouldn't show it to you otherwise. She said he and his wife want you to know and see her as she was, singing, making music with her and praising God.

Tonight we remember Ana, we remember all the children in Newtown.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

COOPER: Amen. It's been an incredibly emotional night here in Newtown Connecticut, as it has been the last several nights as the community came together for that memorial service. The high school is just behind me.

President Obama, as we mentioned, met with victim's families and spoke at the service. We want to play you more of what he said tonight with our sincere hope that the president's words brought some measure, some small measured of comfort and some way to the people of Newtown tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OBAMA: This is our first task, caring for our children. It's our first job. If we don't get that right, we don't get anything right. That's how, as a society, we will be judged. And by that measure, can we truly say as a nation that we're meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we're doing enough to keep our children, all of them safe from harm?

I've been reflecting on this the last few days, if we're honest with ourselves, the answer is no. We're not doing enough. And we will have to change.

Since I've been president, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by mass shootings. Fourth time we've hugged survivors. Fourth time we've consoled the families of victims. And in between there have been a series of shootings, daily reports of victims, many of them children, in small towns and big cities all across America. Victims who much of the time they're only fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

We can't tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end. And to end them we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex and that is true. No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society.

But that can't be an excuse for inaction. Surely we can do better than this. If there's even one step we can take to save another child or another parent or another town from the grief that's visited Tucson and Aurora and Oak Creek and Newtown and communities from columbine to Blacksburg before that, then surely we have an obligation to try.

In the coming weeks I'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. Because what choice do we have. We can't accept events like this as routine.

Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage? That the politics are too hard? Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: President Obama earlier tonight speaking to high school just behind us.

Wolf Blitzer now joins me live.

I was wondering about your thoughts while listening to the president.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANCHOR: You know, he did tonight what he didn't do the earlier times, he tried to comfort the nation. He specifically promised that he was going to take steps. He didn't go into details, take steps to try to make sure that these senseless killings don't happen again, even if you can save a few lives. And obviously, what he's referring to is legislation dealing with gun control.

COOPER: And also mental health issues.

BLITZER: I think there's a lot of things you can potentially could do, but there will be a political fight. Obviously the House of Representatives in the Senate, there are no guarantees it is going to succeed. But, he did make that commitment. He did promised he was going to do, and I think mayor Bloomberg of New York wants him to do, not just talk a little bit, but start taking action.

COOPER: It's something he had actually talked about before becoming president.

BLITZER: Right.

COOPER: But not something he has actually pursued and all. BLITZER: And he didn't just have problems with Republicans who are opposed to stricter gun control. There are plenty of Democrats out there. They don't want to talk about it. They think it's such a losing issue for them politically. They were elected to get involved and that included the senate majority leader, Harry Reid.

So, he has his hands full right now. There are a lot of other issues, he has a fiscal cliff. You got the wars that are still going on in Afghanistan. But, I think he's going to deal with this -- you know, he's in his second term, he doesn't have to worry about getting re- elected. I don't know if he'll succeed. I've been in Washington a long time, gun control is a tough issue. But, I think he's going to try.

COOPER: It is certainly something a crime like this has shocked the nation, whether or not it actually leads to change, we'll have to see. And also, on the mental health issues, I mean, you and Sanjay were talking about this earlier, mental health is something which is so kind of oddly dealt with in this country. It's not really dealt with or considered in the same way as a disease like cancer.

BLITZER: You know Tipper Gore, remember Tipper Gore? She dealt with this issue, and tried to bring it to the forefront but it's sort of gone away. And you know, gun control is important, there is no doubt about that. But mental health, dealing with this, and taking it out of the back rows and dealing with it, if a loved one sees a young kid who has some problems, not just pretend they don't exist, because there are medical treatments.

COOPER: Yes. And also, often times, parents can't get help unless the child can be proven to be a danger to themselves or others. And that often waits until a crime is committed.

BLITZER: And we don't know enough about the shooter in this case, we don't know what kind of individuals this individual may or may not have had. We don't know what kind of treatment he may or may not have had. I suspect we're going to learn a lot more.

COOPER: No doubt about that.

Wolf, appreciate it. It's --

BLITZER: Thank you.

COOPER: Wolf Blitzer.

Victoria Soto is being remembered as a hero as well. She died Friday morning trying to protect her first grade students. Just head, you're going to hear from Nicole and Steven Maddox whose daughter was in the classroom across the hall. Their daughter who survived and is OK, was a student of Victoria Soto's last year. They believe she's alive tonight because of Victoria Soto.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COOPER: It's important to remember there were hundreds of children inside Sandy Hook elementary school Friday morning. I mean, it is worth that the lockdown in the shooting spread. Their parents, obviously, raced to the scene desperate to find their sons and daughters.

Nicole and Steven Maddox lived through that panic. Their daughter Jordan is a second grader, thankfully they found her safe. Jordan's classroom was just across the hall from Victoria Soto's first grade classroom. Victoria Soto died trying to save her students. She is 27 years old and is being remembered tonight as a hero.

I spoke a short time ago to Nicole and Steven Maddox.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: Fist of all, how are you guys holding up, how is Jordan holding up?

NICOLE MADDOX, DAUGHTER SURVIVED SCHOOL SHOOTING: I think we're doing OK. We haven't had a chance really to process everything. We're just trying to be there for her, and support her, and help her to deal with this all this in her own way and her own time. And she's doing OK. It's just the nighttime I think is when she really starts to reflect on everything that happened.

COOPER: There's so many parents around, not only this town, but around the world who are trying to figure out how to talk to their kids about it, how do you -- do you wait for Jordan to say something to you? How do you deal with it?

STEPHEN MADDOX, DAUGHTER SURVIVED SCHOOL SHOOTING: I think that's kind of what we've been doing. Just because who knows how to deal with something like this. So, as things come up, she asks questions, you answer them calmly. What has --

COOPER: What did she see, do you know? Or hear?

NICOLE MADDOX: We've been getting the story slowly from her. So, the first time she told us the story, she told us about hearing the gunshots. Her classroom is right behind the principal's office and the conference room, that I understand, some of the folks were in.

COOPER: She was right across the hall from Victoria Soto's class?

NICOLE MADDOX: Right, yes, which is something she had been very excited about when she learned that she would be going just across the hall from her favorite teacher.

COOPER: Vicki Soto had been her teacher last year?

NICOLE MADDOX: Yes. They spoke I think almost daily. And that was the hardest thing to have to tell her. That's when she really broke down. I think she had been handling most of it OK, she is trying to process. But, when we told her about Miss Soto, that's when she took it the hardest. COOPER: She knows that she's dead?

NICOLE MADDOX: Yes. She knows now. We waited. We waited until the events of Friday were and we told her on Saturday morning. We don't want her to find out any other way.

COOPER: How do you say that to a 6-year-old?

NICOLE MADDOX: We just explained to her, that you know, we said you know what happened yesterday. And honestly she saw enough to understand that there were people that didn't walk out of there alive.

COOPER: She saw somebody laying there?

NICOLE MADDOX: She saw the principal, yes. So, they had to walk the children out through the front door where her classroom is located. So, she walked past the body. And although they told them to close their eyes, I think some of them were kind of peeking as kids have a tendency to do.

COOPER: And so, she saw the principal on the floor?

NICOLE MADDOX: She saw the principal, she saw blood, she told us about a lot of broken glass.

COOPER: So when you actually told her that her former teacher had died, how do you explain that?

STEPHEN MADDOX: Unfortunately, it's very simple. It's -- we calm said, Jordan, she was one of the teachers who passed away. You know, she had a moment where she paused and her eyes got real wide, and she just -- you could see her heart sink. And --

COOPER: Does a 6-year-old know -- I mean, my dad died when I was 10. I'm not sure looking back on it, that I understood fully what that meant at the time.

STEPHEN MADDOX: I think children are resilient and they can hear the cold hard truth of something and take that in. It may take years to process, but my advice to parents is don't try to cover it up or -- when death happens or horrible things happen, you have to find a way to explain it to your children because in a lot of ways, it's life. This is the world we live in. And there's evil and hiding that does not help them at all.

NICOLE MADDOX: She must have -- I think the ultimate reality of it because she looked at us and said, who am I going to talk to every day? I said there are other teachers you can talk to. She said yes, but she was really funny.

COOPER: What was Vicki Soto like? I mean, I heard so many great things about her as a teacher.

NICOLE MADDOX: She was just a really kind individual. And you can tell she had a heart for her children, each and every one of them. And she meant business, which we loved. STEPHEN MADDOX: She was youthful. I mean, our first teacher conference, I felt like an old man. She seemed barely out of high school herself. But you know, it's just a testament to her personality.

NICOLE MADDOX: Right, very mature. So, she was a great teacher and she put everything into what she did. I mean, the kids enjoyed learning. There wasn't a day that Jordan said I don't want to go to school. You know, there were times it seemed like after a weekend she was excited to go back. And that told us she had a really good teacher and somebody who was doing their job and doing it well.

COOPER: Well, listen. Thank you so much for talking to us. I know it's not easy, I appreciate it.

NICOLE MADDOX: Thank you.

COOPER: I wish you peace in the days ahead.

NICOLE MADDOX: Thank you.

COOPER: Well, coming up, you're going to hear from a Sunday schoolteacher here in Newtown, who's trying to help her young students deal with this tragedy. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBBIE PARKER, EMILIE PARKER'S FATHER: She was the type of person that could light up the room. She always had something kind to say about anybody. And her love and the strength that she gave us, and the example that she showed us, is remarkable. She is an incredible person. And I'm so blessed to be her dad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: That was Robbie Parker talking about his daughter Emilie who was 6-years-old, who died on Friday. He and his wife, Emilie's two sisters are leaving tonight to meet President Obama at the school, just over my shoulder.

Whether from the president of the United States, friends or houses of worship here, members of this community are seeking solace all weekend. This morning, some of the children survived the shooting, went to Sunday school just like they did every week, it sounds like a simple thing, but it wasn't simple or easy for anyone, not for the children certainly or for their teacher.

Here's Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is where some of the children who were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary prayed and went to Sunday school at Trinity Episcopal Church. Sue Vogelman talks some of those children. She was back on this Sunday for all her students, including those who survived.

You had a lot of children here in this room, what was that like for you.

SUE VOGELMAN, TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH SCHOOL DIRECTOR: It was a little bit -- it was very scary, because I spent yesterday trying to prepare for today. But you don't know what's going to happen. And right in the middle a child raised their hand. I said yes, and they said, my friends died.

And then, later on when we got to the point where we prayed, pretty much every child in here all had a prayer, and many of them were my friend Jack died, my friend Ben died, my friend Charlotte died. So we prayed, we probably prayed more than we've ever prayed before.

CARROLL: Vogelman knew there would be anxiety among the children and their parents. She saw both.

VOGELMAN: We were a little worried. There were kids that had their parents and parents said that they didn't want to come to class because again, it's like a school and they were worried. And the first grade class, they did -- one girl didn't want to come because Ben wouldn't be there, and, you know.

So, there was a lot of anxiety. Ben would have been sitting right here on this carpet with me. So, you know, when the kids bring it up that my friend Ben died, I had to do the attendance. We have attendance sign in pages for the parents. The parents have to sign them in and out in church school. And as I was putting them in the box last night, the first grade page had Ben's name on it. And I remember thinking, this is going to be hanging on the hall wall with his name on it, and he wouldn't be signed in. And I didn't know if I should place his name on there or take it off. So I printed one out with it off. And as I was going up to ask Pastor Cathy, I started crying. It was really hit me, I deleted his name.

CARROLL: To help ease the grief, Vogelman had the children write cards. This one says charlotte is safe.

VOGELMAN: Yes. That was for charlotte. That was for little Charlotte who went here.

CARROLL: Charlotte was 6-years-old. Another card reads in part you're not alone. Vogelman says she felt pride, a strength she saw in her Sunday school children.

VOGELMAN: I've been working with kids my whole adult life. So, you know, they're my kids, they're my kids. People on facebook are like, I'm so glad your kids are OK. And I'm like, I'm obviously very glad that my kids are not OK, but my kids are not OK, my kids died, that's how everyone feels in Newtown. Sorry. They're babies.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: I mean, faced with that horrible dilemma of whether to take the child's name down off the board, how is she doing through all this?

CARROLL: Taking that name down, that's really been the moment for her and everyone's had a moment. And the way she's getting through it and the other member of the clergy and some of the other teachers, strangely enough the children themselves, their honesty, they know they have to be strong for these children.

You see, Vogelman also told me, receiving all these kind words from people all over the world, Anderson, that's also been a source of encouragement. And also, she was wondering what she was going to do for the lesson today, what she was going to say to these children, what is going to teach them. And she got a very kind letter from someone from Littleton Colorado, from the clergy there. And they obviously have been through a lot. And only when you have been through it, can you offer the advice to get through it this time. That's having been helping her as well.

COOPER: Hopefully her faith is getting her through as well.

Jason, I appreciate that, really remarkable interview. Thank you.

We'll be right back. Our coverage continues in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COOPER: Well, that does it here for us tonight in Newtown Connecticut. Thank you very much for watching. We now want to bring you tonight's vigil from here at the high school in it's entirely.