Tragic moments of 2012
For too many U.S. communities, 2012 will be remembered for tragedy and heartbreak, from senseless shootings to a massive natural disaster. Here is a look back at some of the tragedies of 2012.
Tragic moments of 2012
Gunman breaks into Conn. school, kills 20 children and 6 adults
Mass shootings in the U.S. have been a recurring theme this year with incidents at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., at a mall in Oregon, and at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin. But it was the Dec. 14 shooting in which 26 people -- 20 of them children between the ages of 6 and 7-- at a school in Newtown, Conn., that truly broke the hearts of a community and a nation, and forced debate over gun control back into the national conversation. On that day, a 20 year-old named Adam Lanza broke into Sandy Hook Elementary School and carried weapons that were registered to his mother, Nancy, whom he earlier fatally shot. He went on a killing spree, and some school officials, including Principal Dawn Hochsprung, valiantly gave their lives in order to save the children and to stop Lanza.
As law enforcement arrived at the scene, they found Lanza dead of a self-inflicted gun wound. In the aftermath of the shooting, there were more bullets and ammunition found at the school, indicating that Lanza may have planned for an even larger massacre before he died. A medical examiner said that the victims were shot multiple times. The incident prompted President Obama, who looked visibly emotional as he addressed the nation on the day of the killings, to visit Newtown on Dec. 16 where he spoke to an audience for a memorial service at Newtown High School. So far, there has been no explanation on why Adam Lanza committed the murders.
Tragic moments of 2012
Superstorm Sandy wreaks havoc on the East Coast
A late-October confluence of a tropical storm and two other weather fronts, this "superstorm" left behind a massive trail of damage that few could have imagined -- it was blamed for the deaths of at least 125 people, among them 60 in New York, 34 in New Jersey, and 16 in Pennsylvania. The storm flooded large swaths of the East Coast and left millions of residents in several states without power and heat for weeks. Sandy also destroyed over 72,000 homes and businesses in New Jersey, and damaged or destroyed 305,000 housing units in New York.
In a rare occurrence, the storm was responsible for the shutdown of the New York City subway system for days and forced the cancellation New York City Marathon for the first time in its history. In New York, some patients had to be evacuated from hospitals because of loss of emergency backup power.
Sandy has been called the most expensive natural disaster since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and one of the worse storms in the Northeast. The estimated damage from the storm is about $62 billion. On Dec. 7, President Obama asked for $60.4 billion to Congress for federal aid for those states affected by the storm.
Tragic moments of 2012
12 killed in movie theater shooting in Colo.
On July 20, the Century 16 theater at the Aurora Mall in Aurora, Colo., was presenting a midnight screening of the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." Instead, it became a scene of horror, when a 24-year-old named James Holmes, a former University of Colorado student, allegedly entered the theater and began shooting. In the end, 12 people -- among them a 6-year-old girl -- were killed, and at least 58 were injured.
When he made his first court appearance for a hearing in front a judge days after the shooting, Holmes had bright orange hair and appeared dazed and emotionless; his lawyers said that he was mentally ill. On July 30, Holmes was charged with 24 counts of first-degree murder and 116 counts of attempted murder. Reports surfaced that Holmes sent a notebook containing descriptions about an attack to a school psychiatrist that he had been seeing.
Holmes allegedly began amassing weapons while a student during this past spring; prosecutors say Holmes made threats to a professor, filed papers to withdraw from the school, and then saw the psychiatrist, who tried to report him to a campus security committee. On Dec.r 5, the University of Colorado released over 3,000 emails pertaining to Holmes, painting a picture of the suspect as someone who had few friends. So far, Holmes has not entered a plea and will not until a hearing scheduled for January, when prosecutors present evidence against him.
Tragic moments of 2012
Unarmed teen shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer in Fla.
It was a case that sparked discussion over race, guns and justice: On February 26, 2012, an unarmed black teenager named Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in Sanford, Fla., Zimmerman claimed to police that the shooting was in self-defense after the teen confronted him. He was taken into custody but later released with no charges filed.
It wasn't until weeks later that the case drew national attention and prompted the Justice Department to conduct its own investigation. Even President Obama remarked that if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin. The fallout led to the temporary resignation of the Sanford police chief and the Florida governor to appoint a special prosecutor. On April 11, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder. Judge Kenneth Lester set Zimmerman's bond at $150,000, but it was later revoked because Lester determined Zimmerman and his wife misled the court about their finances. Zimmerman was ordered back to jail and later released on $1 million bond. As of December 2012, the case is still pending.
Tragic moments of 2012
N.Y. nanny accused of fatally stabbing 2 kids
New York City mother Marina Krim returned to her apartment near Central Park on Oct. 25 and came upon a horrific scene: two of her children, Leo, 1, and Lucia, 6, were stabbed to death in the bathroom; nearby, the children's nanny, Yoselyn Ortega, was discovered with what appeared to be self-inflicted stab wounds and was later taken to a hospital. Friends and relatives of Ortega said the woman had not been herself prior to the murders. "She snapped," the nanny's sister, Celia Ortega, told The New York Post. "We don't understand what happened to her mind."
On Nov. 3, police charged Ortega with two counts each of first and second-degree murder; Ortega pleaded not guilty on Nov. 28 during her arraignment at a hospital. A law enforcement official told The New York Times that Ortega resented the Krims because they always told her what to do.