The parents of a boy killed in the Sandy Hook  massacre revealed on Monday that they are selling their home because they cannot  bear to see the neighboring house of the man who shot dead their son.

Dylan Hockley, six, was one of 20 children  and six teaching staff who lost their lives when a gunman opened fire on Sandy  Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut a little over a month ago.

His parents Ian and Nicole Hockley opened up  about the joy that Dylan, who had autism, had brought to their lives as they  attended a gathering with other families to mark the one-month anniversary of  the tragedy.

Mrs Hockley told CNN: ‘He was autistic but incredibly  empathetic. He just wanted to have fun.’

Enduring pain: Ian Hockley and his wife Nicole during a press conference with families of Sandy Hook massacre victims, one month after the shooting took place in Newtown, Connecticut

Her husband Ian said that his son was a happy  child who would run to greet him every time he came home from work, shouting  ‘Daddy!’

He added that his little boy would love to  play on the trampoline in their backyard and would insist that his father join  him.

As the Hockleys try to come to terms with the  devastating loss of their son, they have decided to move house as driving past  the home of gunman Adam Lanza is more than they can cope with each  day.

Mrs Hockley said: ‘You  can’t drive up your driveway every  day and see the house of a person who took  your son’s life and who  brought so much pain to so many people.’

The couple plan to remain in Newtown where  they moved with their two sons, Dylan and  eight-year-old Jake, from Hampshire in England two years ago.

Dylan’s older brother Jake is also struggling  to come to terms with the  loss of his sibling and the many questions he has as  to why this  happened.

One of the ways that the Hockley family is  coping is by fundraising in Dylan’s name for programs that support children with  autism and special needs.

Although the family have shielded themselves  from much of what happened on December 14 at Sandy Hook, they have been brought  comfort by the bravery of one of Dylan’s teachers.

Special education teacher Anne Marie Murphy,  52, died trying to shield her students from bullets and was found still cradling  Dylan, whom she had tried to protect. The  Hockleys previously paid tribute to the loving teacher.

‘We take great comfort in knowing that Dylan  was not alone when he died, but was wrapped in the arms of his amazing aide,  Anne Marie Murphy,’ they said.

‘Dylan loved Mrs. Murphy so much and pointed  at her picture on our refrigerator every day.’

The Hockleys joined other families and neighbors of children killed at Sandy Hook on Monday to launch an initiative to help curb gun violence in America.

One month after the shootings, the group,  called Sandy Hook Promise, vowed at a press conference to transform public  outrage into action to ‘make our communities and our nation a safer, better  place’.

Several of the parents of children  slain in  the attack appeared on stage with the organizers, some making  their first  public appearances since the shooting, all holding  photographs of their son or  daughter.

Mrs Hockley told the group: ‘There is no  quick-fix single action but  instead a multitude of interlinked actions that are  needed.’

The Newtown group offered no specific  solution or policy position, but co-founder Thomas Bittman said its aim  is to  drive a national conversation on three issues: gun ownership and  regulation,  mental health, and school and public safety.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here