Victoria Leigh Soto
Victoria Leigh Soto | |
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Soto in March 2012 | |
| Born | November 4, 1985 Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | December 14, 2012 (aged 27) Newtown, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds (homicide) |
| Resting place | Union Cemetery Stratford Fairfield County, Connecticut |
| Occupation | Teacher |
| Known for | Heroism during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting |
| Awards | Presidential Citizen's Medal (2013; awarded posthumously) |
| Part of a series on the |
| Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting |
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Location: Perpetrator: Adam Lanza |
Victoria Leigh Soto (November 4, 1985 – December 14, 2012) was an American teacher who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. After the gunman, Adam Lanza, entered the school, she hid her students in her classroom. When Lanza entered Soto's classroom, Soto claimed that the students were in the gym room. Lanza then shot Soto, causing the students to run from their hiding places. She was reportedly shot four times by Lanza and died trying to shield them with her body. She has since been hailed as a hero. She is a posthumous recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal.
Plans and petitions to honor her by name via scholarships, roads, and schools were announced in late 2012 and 2013. The Stratford Town Council unanimously approved a resolution to name a school after Soto, which opened in 2015, and the city of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, birthplace of Soto's father, is planning to name a public facility after her.