The woman pictured in anguish above is Carlee Soto, the sister of Sandy Hook Elementary massacre hero Vicki Soto . Though the image above has become iconic nationwide since the Newtown, Connecticut shooting, Carlee Soto says that it is a painful reminder of the moment she learned that her sister had been killed.
Vicki Soto, 27, died a hero last Friday when she shielded her first-grade students from gunman Adam Lanza’s shots at Sandy Hook Elementary.
But before she learned of her sister’s heroism, Carlee Soto was captured in an emotional and riveting photograph that has both circulated across the globe and become one of the most iconic images from the tragic massacre.
Now, Carlee Soto is speaking out about the image, which defines the pain and shock of December 14, 2012 better than any speech, story, or report.
“It’s like a reminder of that moment all over again,” Soto told CBS This Morning of the image. “It kills.”
The image, shot by the Associated Press ‘ Jessica Hill, shows Carlee Soto in tears pleading for news about her sister, Vicki Soto, outside of the Newtown school.
“She was truly selfless,” Vicki’s mom, Donna Soto, told CNN . “She would not hesitate to think to save anyone else before herself … especially children. She loved them more than life, and she would definitely put herself in front of them any day – any day and for any reason.”
The Soto family will bury Vicki on Wednesday, reports NY Daily .