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Father of Sandy Hook Victim Dead of Apparent Suicide

Father of Sandy Hook Victim Dead of Apparent Suicide

The father of one of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre took his own life Monday morning at Edmond Town Hall, in Newtown, according to police.

Emergency crews responded to the building at 45 Main St. that house a theater as well as meetings rooms around 7 a.m. for the report of a suicide.

Paramedics found Jeremy Richman, 49, of Newtown, dead at that location, police said. Authorities said Richman’s death appears to be a suicide. They did not disclose the method or any other details about the death.

Richman was the father of Avielle Richman, a 6-year-old who was among the 20 first-graders and six educators killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012.

He was the founder of the Avielle Foundation, an organization created to prevent violence through brain health research and fostering community, according to its Facebook page.

Richman had an office at Edmond Town Hall, according to police.

“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,” Lt. Aaron Bahamonde said in a statement.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal called Richman’s death “devastating.”

“Jeremy Richman’s passing is simply devastating. I was proud to call Jeremy a good friend, a dedicated father, an esteemed researcher & an outstanding human being. He will be deeply missed by all that knew him,” Blumenthal said in a Tweet. 

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy said in a Tweet that Richman’s death was “awful, horrible devastating news.”

“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,” Murphy said in a Tweet.

U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes released a statement, saying she recently met with Richman and his death is heartbreaking.

“The news of Jeremy Richman’s death is heartbreaking. I recently met with Jeremy to learn about the Avielle Foundation, and was struck by how optimistic he was about the progress the foundation was making in understanding brain health. He spoke about how the foundation’s investments have led to broader study of brain chemistry and violence,” Hayes said.

Richman’s death comes after a second survivor of the Parkland school shooting died of what police called an apparent suicide on Sunday.

“Today’s news, along with the two recent suicides of Parkland students, further illuminates the fact that we must do more as a society to help victims of gun violence and their families grieve. These tragedies show that the trauma of gun violence extends far beyond the initial tragedy,” Hayes said in a statement. “We have failed in this area and must do more to help survivors and their support networks when tragic events occur. I am so thankful for Jeremy’s work and grieve today with his family and the rest of the Newtown community.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that suicide is a serious and preventable problem and causes vary. The CDC has resources for prevention strategies here.

If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741.

Photo Credit: AP

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