Father Of Sandy Hook Victim Found Dead Of Apparent Suicide
March 25, 2019, 12:54 p.m.
Jeremy Richman, the father of Avielle Richman, a six-year-old who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, was found dead this morning of an apparent suicide in his Connecticut office building.
Jeremy Richman stands next to his wife Jennifer Hensel and Nicole Hockley, another parent of a Sandy Hook victim, at a Sandy Hook Promise news conference in 2013
Jeremy Richman, the father of Avielle Richman, a six-year-old who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, was found dead this morning of an apparent suicide in his Connecticut office building. He was 49.
"This is a heartbreaking event for the Richman family and the Newtown Community as a whole, the police department’s prayers are with the Richman family right now, and we ask that the family be given privacy in this most difficult time," said Lt. Aaron Bahamonde, a spokesman for the department.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) March 25, 2019
Officials say Richman was found around 7 a.m. Monday morning at the Edmond Town Hall, a movie theater and event space in Newtown. Richman had an office for the Avielle Foundation, which is dedicated to pushing for “brain science research” to attempt to discover the reasons behind some individuals’ murderous actions, located there. Richman had just hosted his third event for the organization at the Edmond Town Hall in March.
My god. This is awful, horrible, devastating news. Jeremy was a good friend and an unceasing advocate for better research into the brain’s violence triggers. He was with me in my office two weeks ago, excited as could be about the Avielle Foundation’s latest amazing work. https://t.co/xhy89JlXG8
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) March 25, 2019
"He had such a clear purpose of what he wanted to do to honor his daughter," one of the Sandy Hook family members, who attended that event, told the Hartford Courant. "I’m just shocked. I’m sitting in my car right now crying. The foundation was doing really important work and was doing such good things."
Avielle Richman was among 20 children killed during the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook on December 14th, 2012.
Richman's death comes a week after two survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida also died in apparent suicides.
This is devastating - for Jeremy’s family, for the world. Jeremy was one of the kindest people I’d met on this journey since the Sandy Hook School shooting in 2012.
Please remember the Avielle Foundation today: https://t.co/0Y2gONMwxK https://t.co/u0nE4pLjqb— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) March 25, 2019
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.
