‘Trauma Of Gun Violence Extends Far Beyond The Initial Tragedy’: Newtown, Parkland Suicides Stun Communities
A father's suicide Monday more than six years after his young daughter was killed in the Sandy Hook mass shooting and the recent suicides of two students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas School show the longterm consequences of gun violence, many say. Communities struggle about what to do next while vowing to support stronger gun laws.
Reuters:
Father Of Sandy Hook Victim Found Dead In Apparent Suicide: Police
The father of one of the children killed in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was found dead of an apparent suicide on Monday morning at his office in Newtown, Connecticut, police said. Jeremy Richman, 49, was the father of Avielle Richman, one of 20 children, all 6 or 7 years old, killed along with six adult staff members by a man with a semi-automatic rifle at the school in Newtown. It stands as one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. (3/25)
The New York Times:
Sandy Hook Victim’s Father Dies In Apparent Suicide In Newtown
In the more than six years since his daughter Avielle was killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Jeremy Richman had devoted his life to preventing families from experiencing the kind of tragic loss he did. With his wife, Jennifer Hensel, he created the Avielle Foundation to support research into brain abnormalities that could be linked to violent behavior. In this endeavor, he stressed mental health education and compassion. (Gold and Pager, 3/25)
The Associated Press:
In Parkland, Worry Increases After Student Suicides; In Newtown, Father Of 1st-Grade Victim Found Dead
The community of Parkland, Fla., is focusing attention on its suicide prevention programs after two survivors of the Florida high school massacre killed themselves in a week. Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky said Monday that community leaders, government officials, parents, police and others held an emergency meeting Sunday after a second Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student apparently killed himself over the weekend. That came a week after a recent graduate, who was close friends with victim Meadow Pollack, killed herself. Her family said she suffered from survivor’s guilt. (3/25)
The Washington Post:
Parkland Suicides: Marjory Stoneman Douglas Community Faces Tragedy Again
The Parkland parents were insistent. They would not leave without a plan. It was Sunday afternoon, one year, one month and 10 days since their children had been among the 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Now their Parkland community was again coping with loss — this time death by suicide. (Rozsa, Epstein and Mettler, 3/26)
The Hill:
Parkland Students Call Suicide Deaths Of Classmates 'Another Failure By America'
Current and former Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school students are speaking out about the mental health services they received after a mass shooting in the wake of some fellow students' recent suicide deaths. Kyra Parrow, who was a senior when a gunman killed 17 students at the school in Parkland Fla., tweeted on Sunday that the suicides represented another "failure" from America. (Wise, 3/25)
