Late Sandy Hook Principal's Daughter to Speak at Democratic National Convention: Report

NEWTOWN, CT — Erica Smegielski, the daughter of the slain Sandy Hook principal, will speak in Philadelphia on Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention, according to The News Times.

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Smegielski, whose mother Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, spoke in April with Clinton about how shootings affect the country every day and not just in mass shootings.

“My mom was murdered, and she isn’t coming back no matter how hard I fight,” she said, adding that she hopes to use her voice to encourage others to stand up.

The 47-year-old Hochsprung was one of the first people killed when a lone gunman committed one of the worst school shootings in American history, taking the lives of 20 children and six educators shortly after killing his mother in their home on Dec. 14, 2012.

Smegielski was also featured in a Clinton ad during the Democratic primary and said that Clinton reminds her of her mother who "isn’t scared of anything.”

When Smegielski joined Clinton during the gun violence prevention rally in Hartford last April, she said Clinton's Democratic rival Bernie Sanders owed the families an apology and live tweeted during the debate, calling him insensitive and disrespectful:

• Erica L Smegielski ‏@EricaSmegs -"@BernieSanders stop hiding behind your "D-" and start standing up for the American people."
• Erica L Smegielski ‏@EricaSmegs -"Look at@BernieSanders tossing around the word "murdered" like it means nothing.. #liveanhourofmylife#havesomerespect"
• Erica L Smegielski ‏@EricaSmegs - "@BernieSanders want to talk about #murder? Let's have dinner, I'm sure I can teach you a thing or two about the true meaning #insensitive"

Patch reported in April of 2013 that after the shooting, Smegielski began volunteering with Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group of U.S. mayors campaigning for gun control that was founded and funded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

She later became a paid employee for Mayors Against Illegal Guns and began traveling with others who have been impacted by gun violence, talking a need for stricter gun control laws and expanded background checks.

Read more here.

Photo: Erica Smegielski stands with her sister and her mother, the late Sandy Hook School principal Hochsprung. Credit: Erica Smegielski, used by permisison