Newtown, Connecticut (CNN) -- The school buses usually rolled into the grounds of the Hawley School around 8:30 a.m., carrying dozens of elementary school children.
But today, the grounds were empty of students, teachers and staff -- as were the six other public schools in this town where the unimaginable happened.
The yellow buses were replaced with black vans with tinted windows carrying friends and family. They pulled up outside the town's only funeral home as Newtown buried the first of its slain youth.
A steady stream of mourners strolled down Main Street. Dads in black trench coats held the hands of their wives, their boys dressed in coats and ties, their girls in dress pants.
They walked, heads bowed, to the Honan Funeral Home, a white colonial house where people have helped bury Newtown's dead since 1903. They tried to ignore the chaotic scene outside: the black vans, police cars, and TV news satellite trucks.
This was another new day in Newtown, the first weekday since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Sunday night's interfaith service was over. President Obama was back in Washington. Schools were closed.
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Mourners leave Honan Funeral Home after attending the funeral for Jack Pinto, 6, one of the youngest victims of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting, on Monday, December 17, in Newtown, Connecticut. As more funerals are scheduled for the rest of the week, investigators in Connecticut work to better understand what happened. Mourners console each other after attending the funeral for Jack Pinto, 6, on December 17. Mourners grieve the death of Jack Pinto, 6, on December 17. A mother and two children attend the funeral for Jack Pinto on December 17. Children are among those crowding the funeral for the 6-year-old boy. A man comforts a young mourner at Honan Funeral Home while attending the funeral for Jack Pinto, 6, on December 17. Boys enter Honan Funeral Home before Jack Pinto's funeral on December 17 in Newtown. People walk to Honan Funeral Home before the funeral for 6-year-old Jack Pinto on December 17 in Newtown, Connecticut. Veronika Pozner, mother of Noah Pozner, arrives for her son's funeral on Monday, December 17, at the Abraham L. Green and Son Funeral Home in Fairfield, Connecticut. Monday is the first day of funerals for the 20 children and seven adults who were killed by 20-year-old Adam Lanza on December 14. Three women embrace as they arrive for the funeral services for Noah Pozner on December 17. People arrive at the funeral home ahead of Noah Pozner's service on December 17. Mourners arrive at Noah Pozner's service in Fairfield on December 17. A Fairfield police officer puts his hand on the back of a woman as they arrive for Noah Pozner's service on December 17. Mourners leave Noah Pozner's service on December 17 in Fairfield. A florist delivers bouquets for Noah Pozner's funeral on December 17 in Fairfield. A Fairfield police officer helps move floral arrangements following Noah Pozner's service on December 17 in Fairfield. Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye HIDE CAPTION << < 
Mourners console each other after attending the funeral for Jack Pinto, 6, on December 17. 
Mourners grieve the death of Jack Pinto, 6, on December 17. 
A mother and two children attend the funeral for Jack Pinto on December 17. Children are among those crowding the funeral for the 6-year-old boy. 
A man comforts a young mourner at Honan Funeral Home while attending the funeral for Jack Pinto, 6, on December 17. 
Boys enter Honan Funeral Home before Jack Pinto's funeral on December 17 in Newtown. 
People walk to Honan Funeral Home before the funeral for 6-year-old Jack Pinto on December 17 in Newtown, Connecticut. 
Veronika Pozner, mother of Noah Pozner, arrives for her son's funeral on Monday, December 17, at the Abraham L. Green and Son Funeral Home in Fairfield, Connecticut. Monday is the first day of funerals for the 20 children and seven adults who were killed by 20-year-old Adam Lanza on December 14. 
Three women embrace as they arrive for the funeral services for Noah Pozner on December 17. 
People arrive at the funeral home ahead of Noah Pozner's service on December 17. 
Mourners arrive at Noah Pozner's service in Fairfield on December 17. 
A Fairfield police officer puts his hand on the back of a woman as they arrive for Noah Pozner's service on December 17. 
Mourners leave Noah Pozner's service on December 17 in Fairfield. 
A florist delivers bouquets for Noah Pozner's funeral on December 17 in Fairfield. 
A Fairfield police officer helps move floral arrangements following Noah Pozner's service on December 17 in Fairfield. Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye HIDE CAPTION << < 
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15 > >> Newtown funerals: A community says goodbye .cnnArticleGalleryNav{border:1px solid #000;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavOn{background-color:#C03;border:1px solid #000;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:20px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavDisabled{background-color:#222;border:1px solid #000;color:#666;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleExpandableTarget{background-color:#000;display:none;position:absolute} .cnnArticlePhotoContainer{height:122px;width:214px} .cnnArticleBoxImage{cursor:pointer;height:122px;padding-top:0;width:214px} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControl{background-color:#000;color:#FFF} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControlText{cursor:pointer;float:right;font-size:10px;padding:3px 10px 3px 3px} .cnnArticleGalleryPhotoContainer cite{background:none repeat scroll 0 0 #000;bottom:48px;color:#FFF;height:auto;left:420px;opacity:.7;position:absolute;width:200px;padding:10px} .cnnArticleGalleryClose{background-color:#fff;display:block;text-align:right} .cnnArticleGalleryCloseButton{cursor:pointer} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNext span{background-color:#444;color:#CCC;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:26px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNextDisabled span{background-color:#444;color:#666;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:25px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{padding-right:68px;width:270px;margin:0 auto} .cnnGalleryContainer{float:left;clear:left;margin:0 0 20px;padding:0 0 0 10px} 
Children light candles to pay their respects to the victims of the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting at the main square in Tirana, Albania, on Monday, December 17. The deadly gun rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School has provoked strong reactions from around the world. Protesters march on the National Rifle Association's Capitol Hill lobbyist offices in Washington on December 17. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks out for stronger gun control at a press conference at City Hall on December 17. Bloomberg, co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, was joined by victims and survivors of gun violence. Chris Foye, whose son Chris Owens was killed by a stray bullet in 2009, stands with other survivors and family members of gun violence at Bloomberg's press conference on December 17 in New York. People pay their respects on December 17 at a makeshift shrine in Newtown to the victims of Friday's elementary school shooting. Funerals began Monday in the Connecticut town. Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange hold a moment of silence on December 17 in honor of the shooting victims. Young people mourn at Newtown High School before a memorial service attended by President Obama on Sunday, December 16. President Barack Obama waits to speak at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School December 16 at Newtown High School. Mourners comfort one another December 16 before U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims. Two women embrace before the interfaith vigil at Newtown High School on Sunday evening. From left: Newtown residents Claire Swanson, Kate Suba, Jaden Albrecht, Simran Chand and New London, Connecticut, residents Rachel Pullen and her son, Landon DeCecco, hold candles at a memorial for victims on Sunday, December 16, in Newtown, Connecticut. A young boy walks past Christmas trees set up at a makeshift shrine to the shooting victims in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 16. Ty Diaz is kissed by his mother, Yvette, at a memorial down the street from Sandy Hook on December 16. Teddy bears, flowers and candles in memory of those killed are left at a memorial down the street from the school on December 16. Two teenagers embrace at a makeshift shrine to the victims in Newtown on December 16. Nuns pay their respects at a makeshift shrine to the victims on December 16. Members of Sisters of Christian Charity go to lay flowers in front of the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16 in Newtown. A woman receives a hug as she leaves morning service December 16 at Trinity Church in Newtown near the elementary school. Parishioners pay their respects to the victims of the elementary school shooting while attending Mass at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on December 16. Police officers honor the victims of the school shooting at the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church on December 16 in Newtown. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a moment of silence in honor of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims before their game against the Miami Dolphins on December 16. A parishioner kneels in front of a makeshift memorial at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on December 16. A police officer removes flowers from a busy intersection on December 16 in Newtown. Police said they were afraid the memorial, left for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, would cause a traffic hazard. A woman hugs her daughter on the steps of Trinity Church on December 16 in Newtown. Angel wood cutouts for each of the 27 victims are set up on hillside in Newtown on December 16. People in Bangalore, India, hold cards and photographs of the slain at a candlelight vigil outside a Catholic church on December 16. J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans shows his glove in remembrance of the victims before the start of a game against the Indianapolis Colts on December 16 in Houston. Donna Soto, right, mother of Victoria Soto, the first-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who was shot and killed while protecting her students, hugs her daughter Karly while mourning their loss at a candlelight memorial at Stratford High School on Saturday, December 15, in Stratford, Connecticut. Firefighters kneel to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial near the school in Newtown on Saturday. A child lights a candle at a memorial filled with flowers, stuffed toys and candles outside of Saint Rose of Lima Church near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Saturday. Candles light up a memorial outside of Saint Rose of Lima Church in Newtown. Candles burn next to a lighted tree at a makeshift shrine in Newtown. Lucas, Kelly and Michael DaSilva pray and embrace at a makeshift memorial near the school in Newtown. People are overcome with emotion Saturday at a makeshift memorial near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Residents arrive Saturday to pay tribute to the victims of an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. A couple carry balloons to place at a curbside shrine to in Newtown on Saturday. A mother and daughter attend a prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church in Newtown on Saturday. Flowers and signs of sympathy adorn the street leading to Sandy Hook Elementary School. Claudia Urbiana and daughter Jocelyne Cardenas, left, hug outside of the entrance to the Sandy Hook school. A makeshift memorial with flowers, stuffed toys and candles sit outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut, on Saturday. A man bows his head as he stands at a makeshift memorial, outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on Saturday, December 15. New Jersey resident Steve Wruble, who was moved to drive out to Connecticut to support local residents, grieves for victims at the entrance to Sandy Hook village in Newtown on Saturday. People attend a prayer service in Newtown on Saturday to reflect. A mother hugs her children after paying tribute to the victims in Newtown on Saturday, December 15. Newtown High School student Trevor Lopez stands outside of a church where residents have come to pray and reflect on Saturday Andrea Jaeger places flowers and a candle at a makeshift memorial outside a firehouse near Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday. The U.S. flag flies at half-staff above the White House on Saturday. Ken Kowalsky and his daughter Rebecca, 13, embrace while standing at the end of the road leading to Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday. A woman puts a flower near crosses planted by Rio de Paz (Rio of Peace), in memory of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. A woman sits during a service at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, Connecticut on Friday, December 14. Fans at the NBA game between the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns participate in a moment of silence for the victims of the Newtown shooting on Friday in Phoenix. An overflow crowd listens to a church service held at the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Newtown on December 14. People gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church on Friday. People gather for a vigil outside the White House in Washington following the Connecticut elementary school shooting on Friday. Candles burn as people gather for a vigil outside the White House. Hartford, Connecticut, Mayor Padro Segarra speaks emotionally about the students and teachers who died earlier in the day at Sandy Hook Elementary School in nearby Newtown at a candlelight vigil at Bushnell Park in Hartford on Friday. Cynthia Alvarez is comforted by her mother, Lilia, as people gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown. People gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church in Newtown. People gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church. People gather inside the St. Rose Church to remember the shooting victims on Friday A woman bows her head during a vigil for the shooting victims at St. Rose Church. People gather in the St. Rose Church for a memorial service Friday. Women comfort each other during the vigil at St. Rose Church. A woman looks on during the vigil at St. Rose Church. People hug outside of the Newtown United Methodist Church on Friday, near the site of the shootings at the Sandy Hook school. A flag at the U.S. Capitol flies at half-staff after President Barack Obama ordered the action while speaking from the White House. Obama called for "meaningful action" in the wake of the school shooting. Julie Henson of San Francisco joins other people outside the White House to participate in a candlelight vigil on Friday. Obama wipes tears as he makes a statement in response to the shooting on Friday. Washington resident Rachel Perrone, left, and her 5-year-old son, Joe, center, join others outside the White House in a candlelight vigil. Faisal Ali, right, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, joins the vigil outside the White House. People gather outside the White House to participate in a candlelight vigil. Supporters of gun control hold a candlelight vigil for victims of the shooting outside the White House. 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Protesters march on the National Rifle Association's Capitol Hill lobbyist offices in Washington on December 17. 
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks out for stronger gun control at a press conference at City Hall on December 17. Bloomberg, co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, was joined by victims and survivors of gun violence. 
Chris Foye, whose son Chris Owens was killed by a stray bullet in 2009, stands with other survivors and family members of gun violence at Bloomberg's press conference on December 17 in New York. 
People pay their respects on December 17 at a makeshift shrine in Newtown to the victims of Friday's elementary school shooting. Funerals began Monday in the Connecticut town. 
Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange hold a moment of silence on December 17 in honor of the shooting victims. 
Young people mourn at Newtown High School before a memorial service attended by President Obama on Sunday, December 16. 
President Barack Obama waits to speak at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims from Sandy Hook Elementary School December 16 at Newtown High School. 
Mourners comfort one another December 16 before U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at an interfaith vigil for the shooting victims. 
Two women embrace before the interfaith vigil at Newtown High School on Sunday evening. 
From left: Newtown residents Claire Swanson, Kate Suba, Jaden Albrecht, Simran Chand and New London, Connecticut, residents Rachel Pullen and her son, Landon DeCecco, hold candles at a memorial for victims on Sunday, December 16, in Newtown, Connecticut. 
A young boy walks past Christmas trees set up at a makeshift shrine to the shooting victims in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 16. 
Ty Diaz is kissed by his mother, Yvette, at a memorial down the street from Sandy Hook on December 16. 
Teddy bears, flowers and candles in memory of those killed are left at a memorial down the street from the school on December 16. 
Two teenagers embrace at a makeshift shrine to the victims in Newtown on December 16. 
Nuns pay their respects at a makeshift shrine to the victims on December 16. 
Members of Sisters of Christian Charity go to lay flowers in front of the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16 in Newtown. 
A woman receives a hug as she leaves morning service December 16 at Trinity Church in Newtown near the elementary school. 
Parishioners pay their respects to the victims of the elementary school shooting while attending Mass at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on December 16. 
Police officers honor the victims of the school shooting at the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church on December 16 in Newtown. 
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a moment of silence in honor of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims before their game against the Miami Dolphins on December 16. 
A parishioner kneels in front of a makeshift memorial at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on December 16. 
A police officer removes flowers from a busy intersection on December 16 in Newtown. Police said they were afraid the memorial, left for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, would cause a traffic hazard. 
A woman hugs her daughter on the steps of Trinity Church on December 16 in Newtown. 
Angel wood cutouts for each of the 27 victims are set up on hillside in Newtown on December 16. 
People in Bangalore, India, hold cards and photographs of the slain at a candlelight vigil outside a Catholic church on December 16. 
J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans shows his glove in remembrance of the victims before the start of a game against the Indianapolis Colts on December 16 in Houston. 
Donna Soto, right, mother of Victoria Soto, the first-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who was shot and killed while protecting her students, hugs her daughter Karly while mourning their loss at a candlelight memorial at Stratford High School on Saturday, December 15, in Stratford, Connecticut. 
Firefighters kneel to pay their respects at a makeshift memorial near the school in Newtown on Saturday. 
A child lights a candle at a memorial filled with flowers, stuffed toys and candles outside of Saint Rose of Lima Church near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on Saturday. 
Candles light up a memorial outside of Saint Rose of Lima Church in Newtown. 
Candles burn next to a lighted tree at a makeshift shrine in Newtown. 
Lucas, Kelly and Michael DaSilva pray and embrace at a makeshift memorial near the school in Newtown. 
People are overcome with emotion Saturday at a makeshift memorial near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. 
Residents arrive Saturday to pay tribute to the victims of an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. 
A couple carry balloons to place at a curbside shrine to in Newtown on Saturday. 
A mother and daughter attend a prayer service at St. John's Episcopal Church in Newtown on Saturday. 
Flowers and signs of sympathy adorn the street leading to Sandy Hook Elementary School. 
Claudia Urbiana and daughter Jocelyne Cardenas, left, hug outside of the entrance to the Sandy Hook school. 
A makeshift memorial with flowers, stuffed toys and candles sit outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut, on Saturday. 
A man bows his head as he stands at a makeshift memorial, outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown on Saturday, December 15. 
New Jersey resident Steve Wruble, who was moved to drive out to Connecticut to support local residents, grieves for victims at the entrance to Sandy Hook village in Newtown on Saturday. 
People attend a prayer service in Newtown on Saturday to reflect. 
A mother hugs her children after paying tribute to the victims in Newtown on Saturday, December 15. 
Newtown High School student Trevor Lopez stands outside of a church where residents have come to pray and reflect on Saturday 
Andrea Jaeger places flowers and a candle at a makeshift memorial outside a firehouse near Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday. 
The U.S. flag flies at half-staff above the White House on Saturday. 
Ken Kowalsky and his daughter Rebecca, 13, embrace while standing at the end of the road leading to Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday. 
A woman puts a flower near crosses planted by Rio de Paz (Rio of Peace), in memory of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. 
A woman sits during a service at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, Connecticut on Friday, December 14. 
Fans at the NBA game between the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns participate in a moment of silence for the victims of the Newtown shooting on Friday in Phoenix. 
An overflow crowd listens to a church service held at the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Newtown on December 14. 
People gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church on Friday. 
People gather for a vigil outside the White House in Washington following the Connecticut elementary school shooting on Friday. 
Candles burn as people gather for a vigil outside the White House. 
Hartford, Connecticut, Mayor Padro Segarra speaks emotionally about the students and teachers who died earlier in the day at Sandy Hook Elementary School in nearby Newtown at a candlelight vigil at Bushnell Park in Hartford on Friday. 
Cynthia Alvarez is comforted by her mother, Lilia, as people gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown. 
People gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church in Newtown. 
People gather for a prayer vigil at St. Rose Church. 
People gather inside the St. Rose Church to remember the shooting victims on Friday 
A woman bows her head during a vigil for the shooting victims at St. Rose Church. 
People gather in the St. Rose Church for a memorial service Friday. 
Women comfort each other during the vigil at St. Rose Church. 
A woman looks on during the vigil at St. Rose Church. 
People hug outside of the Newtown United Methodist Church on Friday, near the site of the shootings at the Sandy Hook school. 
A flag at the U.S. Capitol flies at half-staff after President Barack Obama ordered the action while speaking from the White House. Obama called for "meaningful action" in the wake of the school shooting. 
Julie Henson of San Francisco joins other people outside the White House to participate in a candlelight vigil on Friday. 
Obama wipes tears as he makes a statement in response to the shooting on Friday. 
Washington resident Rachel Perrone, left, and her 5-year-old son, Joe, center, join others outside the White House in a candlelight vigil. 
Faisal Ali, right, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, joins the vigil outside the White House. 
People gather outside the White House to participate in a candlelight vigil. 
Supporters of gun control hold a candlelight vigil for victims of the shooting outside the White House. Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings Reaction to Newtown school killings HIDE CAPTION << < 
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72 > >> Reaction to Newtown school killings .cnnArticleGalleryNav{border:1px solid #000;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavOn{background-color:#C03;border:1px solid #000;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:20px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavDisabled{background-color:#222;border:1px solid #000;color:#666;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleExpandableTarget{background-color:#000;display:none;position:absolute} .cnnArticlePhotoContainer{height:122px;width:214px} .cnnArticleBoxImage{cursor:pointer;height:122px;padding-top:0;width:214px} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControl{background-color:#000;color:#FFF} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControlText{cursor:pointer;float:right;font-size:10px;padding:3px 10px 3px 3px} .cnnArticleGalleryPhotoContainer cite{background:none repeat scroll 0 0 #000;bottom:48px;color:#FFF;height:auto;left:420px;opacity:.7;position:absolute;width:200px;padding:10px} .cnnArticleGalleryClose{background-color:#fff;display:block;text-align:right} .cnnArticleGalleryCloseButton{cursor:pointer} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNext span{background-color:#444;color:#CCC;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:26px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNextDisabled span{background-color:#444;color:#666;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:25px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{padding-right:68px;width:270px;margin:0 auto} .cnnGalleryContainer{float:left;clear:left;margin:0 0 20px;padding:0 0 0 10px} 
Connecticut State Police officers search outside St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut, on Sunday, December 16, after a threat prompted authorities to evacuate the building. Investigators found nothing to substantiate the reported threat, a police official said, declining to provide additional details. The church held Sunday services following last week's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Connecticut State Police officers walk out of St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church after the Newtown church received a threat December 16. Firefighters attach black bunting to a fire truck as a memorial at the fire station down the street from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Saturday, December 15. Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner H. Wayne Carver II talks to the media about the elementary school shooting during a press conference at Treadwell Memorial Park on December 15. Zulma Sein is hugged by a family member outside of the entrance to the Sandy Hook School on Saturday. Police officers keep guard at the entrance to the street leading to the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday, December 15. Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance addresses the press on December 15. Police officers stand at the entrance to the street leading to the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 15. Corinne McLaughlin, a student at the University of Hartford, bows her head during a candlelight vigil at Hartford, Connecticut's Bushnell Park on Friday, December 14, honoring the students and teachers who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in nearby Newtown earlier in the day. Distraught people leave the fire station after hearing news of their loved ones from officials on Friday. Emergency workers stand in front of the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. A child and her mother leave a staging area outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14. Members of the media converge on December 14 in front of an apartment at 1313 Grand Street in Hoboken, New Jersey. The apartment is believed to be connected to the Connecticut elementary school shooting. Faisal Ali, right, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, joins other people outside the White House on December 14 to participate in a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Connecticut State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance, center, briefs the media on the elementary school shootings during a press conference at Treadwell Memorial Park on December 14 in Newtown. People weep and embrace near Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, December 14. A woman leans on a man as she weeps near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. President Barack Obama wipes a tear as he speaks about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School during a press briefing at the White House on December 14. A woman weeps near the site of a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. A woman weeps near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. People comfort each other near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. A man takes in the scene near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. A young girl is given a blanket after being evacuated from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. State police personnel lead children from the school. Children wait outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, after the shooting. A boy weeps at Reed Intermediate School after getting news of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. FBI SWAT team members walk along Dickinson Drive near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. An aerial view of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14. Connecticut State Troopers arrive on the scene outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. A Connecticut State Police officer runs with a shotgun at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on December 14. Police patrol the streets around Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. People try to deal with the shock of the attack outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. Connecticut State Police secure the scene of the shooting on December 14. People embrace outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. A man escorts his son away from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. People take in the news outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. People line up to enter Newtown Methodist Church near the the scene of the shooting on December 14. A woman speaks with a Connecticut state trooper outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. The streets around Sandy Hook Elementary are packed with first responders and other vehicles. A view of the scene at Sandy Hook Elementary School after the shooting. A young boy is comforted outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. People embrace each other on December 14. 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Connecticut State Police officers walk out of St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church after the Newtown church received a threat December 16. 
Firefighters attach black bunting to a fire truck as a memorial at the fire station down the street from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Saturday, December 15. 
Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner H. Wayne Carver II talks to the media about the elementary school shooting during a press conference at Treadwell Memorial Park on December 15. 
Zulma Sein is hugged by a family member outside of the entrance to the Sandy Hook School on Saturday. 
Police officers keep guard at the entrance to the street leading to the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday, December 15. 
Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance addresses the press on December 15. 
Police officers stand at the entrance to the street leading to the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 15. 
Corinne McLaughlin, a student at the University of Hartford, bows her head during a candlelight vigil at Hartford, Connecticut's Bushnell Park on Friday, December 14, honoring the students and teachers who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in nearby Newtown earlier in the day. 
Distraught people leave the fire station after hearing news of their loved ones from officials on Friday. 
Emergency workers stand in front of the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. 
A child and her mother leave a staging area outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14. 
Members of the media converge on December 14 in front of an apartment at 1313 Grand Street in Hoboken, New Jersey. The apartment is believed to be connected to the Connecticut elementary school shooting. 
Connecticut State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance, center, briefs the media on the elementary school shootings during a press conference at Treadwell Memorial Park on December 14 in Newtown. 
People weep and embrace near Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, December 14. 
A woman leans on a man as she weeps near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
President Barack Obama wipes a tear as he speaks about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School during a press briefing at the White House on December 14. 
A woman weeps near the site of a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
A woman weeps near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
People comfort each other near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
A man takes in the scene near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
A young girl is given a blanket after being evacuated from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
State police personnel lead children from the school. 
Children wait outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, after the shooting. 
A boy weeps at Reed Intermediate School after getting news of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
FBI SWAT team members walk along Dickinson Drive near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
An aerial view of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14. 
Connecticut State Troopers arrive on the scene outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
A Connecticut State Police officer runs with a shotgun at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on December 14. 
Police patrol the streets around Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
People try to deal with the shock of the attack outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
Connecticut State Police secure the scene of the shooting on December 14. 
People embrace outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
A man escorts his son away from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
People take in the news outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
People line up to enter Newtown Methodist Church near the the scene of the shooting on December 14. 
A woman speaks with a Connecticut state trooper outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
The streets around Sandy Hook Elementary are packed with first responders and other vehicles. 
A view of the scene at Sandy Hook Elementary School after the shooting. 
A young boy is comforted outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. 
People embrace each other on December 14. Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting HIDE CAPTION << < 
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42 > >> Photos: Connecticut school shooting What can you say? How can you explain this heinous act on the nation's most innocent?
Christmas presents, already wrapped and under the tree, will go unopened next week. Siblings will miss their brothers and sisters for the rest of their lives. And the very fabric of a quaint New England community has been altered. Forever.
We have to do better ...
Those were the words of the president as he spoke to the community and the nation. A refrain that's now become a mantra in town. A statement so powerful it evokes tears from moms, dads, grandparents who repeat it.
And it's true.
Twenty-six dead -- 20 children, all aged 6 and 7.
It's unfathomable. And also so real, here.
Every hour or so, a police car or ambulance or fire engine roars down Main Street with its sirens blaring.
Residents shudder. Oh, no, what now?
Reporters, their eyes swollen from shedding their own tears, struggle to ask questions. Residents understand.
Newtown on Monday bid farewell to two 6-year-old boys: Jack Pinto, whose love of sports ran the gamut, but none so deep as football; and his classmate, Noah Pozner, whose family said he could get what he wanted just by batting his long eyelashes.
It's just the beginning of a long healing process, a realization that the normalcy residents awoke to last Friday will never return.
Many flocked to the Newtown General Store, a deli that has long served as a hub of community activity. Among its specialty sandwiches is The Sandy Hook, hot roast beef with bacon, melted cheddar and ranch dressing.
Bob Jacobs, a father of four young children, brought two of his sons to the sandwich shop after paying their respects at Jack Pinto's funeral.
Peace on this day, he said, was "just having the kids come in the bed with you in the morning. ... That's when it's all kind of normal."
"It's weird because you'll run into things that will remind you of before the tragedy happened and it feels like a normal day," he said. "And then, you'll run into things that remind you of what happened."
Members of the news media are everywhere, as are police officers. The deli provided a respite from the madness.
The tentacles of what happened touch everyone in the community. Jacobs' children don't attend Sandy Hook, but they're still directly affected.
One of his boys is a close friend of Jack Pinto's brother. His 7-year-old daughter had dance class with three of the girls who were killed. He and his wife are part of a dinner club with parents of another slain child.
Lauren Rousseau was teaching at Sandy Hook on Friday when she was killed. She'd also been a substitute at the Hawley School, which three of Jacobs' children attend.
Two of his children opted to stay home from Monday's services. "We're kind of taking it individually with each kid.
"As you can imagine, there's a lot of tears."
And hugs.
Chaplains Ray and Suzanne Thompson came up from New York City, where they had been helping people struggling with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. The Thompsons are members of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team and have helped at other mass shootings, including the attempted killing of Rep. Gabby Giffords near Tucson, Arizona.
They stopped in the deli for a quick bite to eat before hitting the pavement.
"The whole town is just heartbroken," said Suzanne Thompson, a retired nurse from Southern California. "As you walk the streets, people are crying and hurt and sometimes they might feel alone. And it's nice to have someone come up alongside you and cry with you and hear your story and pray with you."
The most chilling stories, she said, are from parents and teachers who were at the Sandy Hook school last Friday.
"What stands out in my mind," she said, "is just the impact that it's had on them and what they remember: the noises and the sounds and the smells. Those things are going to be burned in their minds."
The husband-and-wife team look for signs of distress. They talk with residents about the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder -- inability to sleep, flashbacks, loss of appetite, potential suicidal tendencies. They refer some to counseling and follow up with people to see how they're coping.
At the deli, one resident looked at the woman behind the counter as he paid for his food. "My kids are having trouble sleeping at night," he told her.
She handed him three lollipops.
A few blocks down Main Street, inside the town library, the sniffling voice of a grieving man could be heard coming from the stacks. "It's just ... God!" he screeched.
Downstairs, in the children's section, Alana Bennison wept behind her desk. She's been the children's librarian for 15 years. She knew nearly every child killed.
She's surrounded by thousands of books. But no amount of words, no amount of reading material, could prepare a town for such horror.
"They start here before they start school," she said, crying. "Their families have been bringing them in here, most of them since they were little, to get books."
They had recently finished a gingerbread workshop.
She has fielded hundreds of calls and e-mails from around the country, people wanting to help Newtown. She's not sure what to make of it all -- she's both touched and overwhelmed. It's only been three days.
"It's not just about this week; it's not just about the next few weeks. It's about going forward. We have a long road here, a very long road," she said.
"It will never be normal, but we need to start getting back into routines. They need to start going back to their schools, they need to start going back to the Cub Scouts and the dance lessons and karate and all the things that make up their lives."
School starts up again Tuesday for all Newtown students, except those at Sandy Hook.
In a nearby reading area, a collie named Gracie sat as five youngsters gathered around. One read to her. The therapy dog was brought in, Bennison said, "because everybody needs a little animal love."
Gracie is 7 years old, the age of four of the children killed at the school.
When one of the boys learned of the dog's age, he jumped up and down with excitement. "My sister is 7 years old," he squealed.
A glimpse into normalcy -- for just a brief moment -- in a town where innocence has been stolen.
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