Through A Hero's Eyes

Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis Survived the Sandy Hook Massacre. Hear How She Did It in Her Own Words.

- John Schwartze

Heroes are people capable of incredible feats of courage, but they don’t expect any thanks for their actions. Instead, they’re content to look for ways to teach us how to pay it forward and make the world a safer place, one person at a time. Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis is no different.

On December 14, 2012, while working as a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Kaitlin heard the initial shots and immediately recognized what was about to happen. RECOIL OFFGRID spoke with Kaitlin about how she survived this harrowing event and protected her students. She shares her insights for anyone who might face a similar situation.

RECOIL OFFGRID: What was the first sign that something was wrong? 

Kaitlin Roig-Debellis: I had probably a very different experience than many in our school that day in the fact that my classroom was the first one in the school. I know there were a lot of reports that they heard something, but didn’t know what it was. The second the first shot was fired, I heard it and knew what it was immediately. I teach first grade. We were seated about 15 feet from where the shooting began. We were not at all removed from the situation.

ROG: When you heard the shot, what was your first reaction? 

KRD: We needed to hide. Being that we were in such close proximity I understood that we didn’t have time to run, because if we were to have gone out our door we would have had to choose going left or right. Going right would have headed right toward the shooter and going left would’ve been a long straight hallway that I wasn’t confident we’d have time to get down. I knew immediately that hiding was going to be my students’ and my only option.

ROG: So you hid inside your own classroom?