Father of Sandy Hook shooting victim commits suicide outside Newtown town hall

Updated
Father of Sandy Hook shooting victim commits suicide outside Newtown town hall

The father of a child gunned down in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was found dead from an apparent suicide outside Newtown's Edmond Town Hall early on Monday morning.

The body of Jeremy Richman, 49, was found by emergency personnel who responded to the scene around 7 a.m. over reports of a possible suicide, Connecticut outlet Middletown Press reports.

Richman and his wife, Jennifer Hensel, were the parents of Avielle Richman, who was in the first grade when she was gunned down during the massacre, which left six staff members and 20 children between the ages of six and seven years old dead.

Richman and Hensel became outspoken advocates following their daughter's death. The two co-founded the Avielle Foundation, which strives to prevent violence and build compassion through brain research, community engagement and education.

Remembering the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting:

Richman's death comes days after two survivors of the 2018 Parkland, Florida, mass shooting committed suicide.

On March 17, 19-year-old college freshman Sydney Aiello took her own life a little over a year after the attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which claimed the lives of 14 students and three staff members.

Aiello, who graduated from the high school months after the shooting took place, was close friends with Meadow Pollack, a Stoneman Douglas senior who was fatally shot during the massacre. Aiello's parents say she was stricken with PTSD and survivor's guilt, which they ultimately believe led her to commit suicide.

Remembering the victims of the Parkland shooting:

A second Parkland survivor, whose identity has not yet been released, also died by apparent suicide on Saturday night, police confirmed to CNN.

David Hogg, a Parkland shooting survivor turned outspoken gun control activist, took to Twitter on Sunday to react to the deaths.

"How many more kids have to be taken from us as a result of suicide for the government / school district to do anything?" he wrote. "Rip 17+2."

Editor's note: If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Click here to learn about the warning signs of suicide.

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