NEW HAVEN, Conn — 10 years have passed since one of the most difficult days in Connecticut's history. 20 children and six educators were killed by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.
"I'm a father of a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old daughter, and I can't imagine, I can't imagine losing my baby like that," said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.
The emotions of that day are still raw even a decade later.
The victims were remembered at a vigil inside St. James Episcopal Church in New Haven with a call to action.
"We have to do more. We must do more," said Jeremy Stein, executive director of CT Against Gun Violence. "I truly believe that we are not going to give up and that someday we can end gun violence," he said.
The vigil was held in a city that is often impacted by gun violence, pointing to the need for change still, 10 years after the tragedy in Sandy Hook.
"I'm angry about what happened at Sandy Hook, I'm angry about the 100 to 150 people every year in this state that die. I'm angry that people don't care enough to do something about it," said State Senator Gary Winfield.
However, the voices calling for change have been loud from Connecticut and beyond.
"The survivors of sandy hook, the people of Newtown, they inspired me and told me to put my grief into action and continue to advocate for change and to honor the lives that were lost at my school, at Sandy Hook and also the millions of lives that were lost since then," said Sari Kaufman, a survivor of the Parkland school shooting.
On a somber day of remembrance, a promise to keep going.
"Today we say no more. Today I say we stand with those who stood up at sandy hook. We stand with those who are fighting across America. And we say enough is enough," said Sean Reeves, outreach and community engagement coordinator for CAGV.
In addition to the names of those who died in the tragedy at Sandy Hook, the names of everyone who died of gun violence in the last year in Connecticut were also read.
Carmen Chau is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at cchau@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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