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Newtown Calls For 'Acts Of Kindness' On Shooting Anniversary

Erica Lafferty (right), daughter of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim Dawn Hochsprung, consoles Carlee Soto, sister of victim Victoria Soto, after representatives of 14 families addressed the media on Monday in Newtown, Conn.
Jessica Hill
/
AP
Erica Lafferty (right), daughter of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim Dawn Hochsprung, consoles Carlee Soto, sister of victim Victoria Soto, after representatives of 14 families addressed the media on Monday in Newtown, Conn.

Relatives of those killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School have asked people to mark Saturday's anniversary of the mass shooting with "acts of kindness" and say they will light candles in memory of the victims.

At a news conference on Monday, the families also announced the launch of a website, , to create a "singular place of sharing, communication, and contact with the families of those who lost their lives that day."

Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe said extra police officers would be on duty on Saturday.

The city of Newtown is not holding any formal events, but First Selectman E. Patricia Llodra, speaking at the news conference, asked for the media to give the town privacy on Dec. 14, the day last year that 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children and six adults at the school in one of the worst mass shootings in the nation's history.

"We're trying to respect the world's interest in us, and we certainly have benefited from that interest in many ways," Llodra said, but, she added, "We pay a price when the media is here."

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Scott Neuman is a reporter and editor, working mainly on breaking news for NPR's digital and radio platforms.