First pictures of the tragic children murdered in their classrooms after 'deeply disturbed' gunman massacred 26 at Connecticut school

• Bodies of the victims have all been identified and were removed from the school during the night
• Emilie Parker, 6, Ana Marquez-Greene, 6, Jesse Lewis, 6, Noah Pozner, 6, and six-year-old Grace McDonnell among the victims
  
• Teacher Victoria Soto threw herself in front of her first grade class to protect them from the gunfire
• Principal Dawn Hochsprung and school psychologist Mary Sherlach were killed execution-style after confronting shooter Adam Lanza
• Mrs Hochsprung reportedly buzzed Lanza into the school and past the security system because she recognized him as the son of a teacher

By James Nye In Newtown, Connecticut and Louise Boyle and Michael Zennie and Leslie Larson

Published: 08:46 EDT, 15 December 2012 | Updated: 19:07 EDT, 15 December 2012

These are the first pictures of the victims who died in a shooting rampage when a 'deeply disturbed' gunman went classroom to classroom at a Connecticut school.

Emilie Parker, six, was killed when the shooter opened fire on children and teachers at 9.30am on Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty-six people died in the mass shooting. All 20 children were aged six and seven.

The little girl's father spoke to the press on Saturday, holding back tears as he remembered his eldest daughter and also graciously extending his remorse to the family of the gunman in a remarkable act amid the trauma and tragedy

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Innocence: Six-year-old Emilie Parker was killed in the shooting tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School

Innocence: Ana Marquez-Greene, seven, was named as one of the first victims of the Connecticut shooting on Friday

Lost: Six-year-old Noah Pozner (pictured on Nov. 13, 2012) was one of the victims in the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn. on Dec. 14

Tragedy: Jesse Lewis, six, pictured with his father Neil Heslin, was killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School

Another student from the school, Ana Marquez-Greene, aged six, was also identified as a victim of the attack.

The little girl and her older brother had attended Linden Christian School nearby, before moving with their parents to Newtown in July and enrolling at Sandy Hook. Both children were inside the school when the shooting began.

Ana Marquez-Greene's father is Canadian jazz musician Jimmy Greene. The distraught father told MailOnline today that he couldn't find the words to express the loss of his daughter Ana.

Neighbors said that the family had only arrived in the affluent neighborhood two months ago and they hadn't had the chance to get to know them.

Distraught: Jazz musician Jimmy Greene could not put into words the loss of his daughter Ana at the school shooting in Connecticut on Friday

The number of cars outside the family residence suggested that the grieving family had been joined by loved ones since yesterday's tragic shooting.

Another victim has been named as six-year-old Jesse Lewis. His father Neil Heslin told the New York Post that he dropped his son off at school that morning and planned to return in the afternoon to join parents in the holiday tradition of making gingerbread houses.

Grace McDonnell, six, who was also killed, has been described as 'utterly adorable' and 'full of life'. She had blue eyes and hair that was so blonde that friends thought she looked like a 'little doll'.

Her parents are going through 'indescribable' pain, MailOnline has learned.

In a chilling twist, Lynn McDonnell, 45, a housewife, and Christopher, 49, a business executive, live in a $500,000 detached home in Sandy Hook, Connecticut that is just one street away from where alleged shooter Adam Lanza lived.

Another victim, six-year-old Noah Pozner, was also killed in the shooting. Rabbi Shaul Praver of Adath Israel in Newtown, Conn., told reporters that Pozner was shot execution style.'

'His little body could not endure so many bullets like that,' Rabbi Praver said on Saturday.

The spiritual leader said he was comforting the child's mother. The boy will be laid to res on Sunday.

Grief-stricken members of the community tied white balloons to the sign for Sandy Hook school today in honor of all those who lost their lives.

Outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut, mourners left teddy bears, flowers and lit candles for victims. 

Law enforcement sources said today that the bodies of the deceased have all been identified after being removed from the school in the middle of the night.

Over the course of the evening, parents were led into Sandy Brook Elementary school and asked to identify the bodies, sources said.

Further details from the medical examiner were expected later today.

The three teachers murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School all died heroes trying to save their students from the gunman.

Rest in peace: Flowers and candles are laid at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting on December 14

Overwhelming: A memorial piled high with flowers, stuffed toys and candles outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut

Outpouring of grief: White balloons are tied to the Sandy Hook school sign and place flowers for the victims

United in grief: A banner on the highway reads 'We love you Sandy Hook Elementary' after 26 people were shot dead by a gunman

Principal Dawn Hochsprung, 47, school psychologist Mary Sherlach, 56, and 27-year-old Victoria Soto, a first grade teacher, as three of the eight adults found dead on Friday. 

Twenty-eight people died in the shooting rampage, including 20 young children between the ages of five and ten, alleged gunman Adam Lanza, who took his own life, and his mother, who was shot before the school massacre.

Passion: Victoria Soto, 27, was killed by the gunman after she threw herself in front of her students to save them

MailOnline can now reveal that Miss Soto sacrificed herself to save her students - throwing her body in front of the young children.

When Lanza began started firing at the school in suburban Newtown, Connecticut, some teachers dived under tables - but the Mrs Hochsprung and Mrs Sherlach never hesitated.

They ran into the hallway to confront the danger - and were murdered execution-style as a result . The New York Times reports that Mrs Hochsprung buzzed Lanza into the school, bypassing the newly-installed security system - recognizing him as the son of Nancy Lanza. It's unclear what Nancy Lanza's connection to the school was, if she had one at all.

Little did she know that Adam had already killed his mother at the home they shared nearby. He took three of her guns and used her car to drive to the school.

Diane Day, a school therapist, told the Wall Street Journal that she and several other teachers were in a meeting with Mrs Hochsprung and Mrs Sherlach when the shooting began.

'We were there for about five minutes chatting and we heard, "pop pop pop,"' she said. 'I went under the table.'

The principal and the school psychologist had other ideas. They jumped out of their seat and ran toward the sound of the gunfire.

'They didn’t think twice about confronting or seeing what was going on,' Ms Day said.

Murdered: Principal Dawn Hochsprung, left, and school psychologist Mary Sherlach, right, were killed after confronting the Connecticut school gunman

Hero: Vicki Soto, 27, was trying to shield her first grade students from the gunman when she was shot

Killer: Adam Lanza shot dead 26 people, among them 20 children, at a Connecticut school on December 14

Rabbi Shaul Praver told MSNBC that Mrs Hochsprung and Mrs Sherlach were killed execution-style. 

Tributes for all educators poured in on Friday night. A deeply distraught 10-year-old boy is a former student of Miss Soto, who had taught at the school five years, said she was 'really nice and funny.'

The woman's cousin, Jim Wiltsie, told ABC News that police said the 27-year-old was trying to shield her students and usher them into a closet when she came face to face with the gunman. 

'She put herself between the gunman and the children and that's when she was tragically shot and killed,' Mr Wiltsie said.

'I'm just proud that Vicki had the instincts to protect her kids from harm,' he continued.

'It brings peace to know that Vicki was doing what she loved, protecting the children and in our eyes she's a hero,' he added.

Grieving: Jim Wiltsie, the cousin of victim Vicki Soto, said the family finds peace knowing that in her last moments Vicki was caring for her students

Devastation: Sandy Hook Elementary School, home to 700 students, was attacked by a crazed gunman on Friday

Fire drill: Mrs Hochsprung tweeted a photo her students at Sandy Hook Elementary performing an evacuation drill

Jacob Riley told MailOnline Miss Soto liked to chew gum in class - something is not usually allowed for teachers. He said he often teased her about her habit - and she playfully teased him back.

She was popular with all the students, the young boy said.

Former school superintendent John Reed told the Connecticut Post that Mrs Sherlach was warm and cared deeply for her students.

'If there ever was a person, by qualifications and personality, to work with children, to be a school psychologist, it was Mary,' he said.

She was married and had two grown daughters in their 20s and enjoyed gardening, reading and the theater, according to her school biography. Mrs Hoschspring was happily married to her second husband and tweeted dozens of pictures of her school.

Mourning: Newtown residents turned out for memorial ceremonies on Friday night across the city - including at Lima Roman Catholic Church

Friends and neighbors said it was immediately clear to everyone she knew that she loved her students and her school.

'I don’t think you could find a more positive place to bring students to every day,' she told a local newspaper recently.

Another tale of heroism came from an eight-year-old student who said a teacher pulled him from the hallway as bullets rang out.

'I saw some of the bullets going down the hall that I was right next to and then a teacher pulled me into her classroom,' the boy told CBS News.

'It sounded like someone was kicking a door,' he said of the piercing sound of the gunfire.

His relieved mother agreed, saying that the teacher saved her son's life.

Saved: This eight-year-old student said a teacher pulled him from the hallway into her classroom as bullets rang out

VIDEO: Trying to come to terms, a nation in mourning...