IN PICS | Sandy Hook memorial opens nearly 10 years after 26 killed in mass shooting

The long-awaited memorial to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown opened to the public on November 13, 2022, drawing visitors steadily throughout the day. There was no ceremony, in keeping with Newtown's tradition of marking anniversaries and other remembrances of the shooting with quiet reflection. The shooting happened on December 14, 2012.

The long-awaited memorial to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown opened to the public on November 13, 2022, drawing visitors steadily throughout the day. There was no ceremony, in keeping with Newtown's tradition of marking anniversaries and other remembrances of the shooting with quiet reflection. The shooting happened on December 14, 2012. (Photo | AP) 

A path from the small parking lot leads down a hill to the focus of the memorial — a manmade water feature with a sycamore tree sprouting from an island in the middle. (Photo | AP)

Flowers lay next to the name of Charlotte Bacon, carved in the stone of the memorial. The 20 first graders and six educators are engraved on the top of a stone wall supporting the pool. A cobblestone walkway surrounds the feature, its outer ring lined with black-eyed Susan flowers. Other paths lead past a variety of plantings on the grounds. (Photo | AP)

Bouquets of flowers floated counterclockwise in the waters of the circular memorial pool, passing the 26 engraved names who had been killed a short distance away at Sandy Hook Elementary School nearly 10 years ago. (Photo | AP)

With tree leaves falling, the new Sandy Hook School is now visible from the memorial. The new school was built on the same property, but not in the same footprint as the old one, which was torn down after the shooting on December 14, 2012. (Photo | AP)

Victims' relatives were offered a private tour a day before. Jennifer Hubbard, one of the visitors said, 'It took my breath away to see Catherine’s name and to see what has been created in honor of those that lost ... the families, those that survived — they’ve lost their innocence. I think that the memorial is so perfectly appointed in honouring and providing a place of contemplation and reflection for a day that really changed the country.' (Photo | AP)

Near the beginning of a path that leads down the hill, a plaque welcomes visitors and includes a quote by former President Barack Obama, 'Here in Newtown, I come to offer the love and prayers of a nation. I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts. I can only hope it helps for you to know that you're not alone in your grief; that our world, too, has been torn apart; that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you.' (Photo | AP)