(NBC News) — The father of one of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre took his own life at Newtown’s Town Hall on Monday morning.
Emergency crews responded to the town hall at 45 Main Street around 7 a.m. for the report of suicide, according to police.
Paramedics found Jeremy Richman, 49, of Newtown, dead at that location, police said. Authorities said Richman’s death appears to be a suicide. They did not disclose the method or any other details about the death.
Richman was the father of Avielle Richman, a 6-year-old who was among the 20 first-graders and six educators killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012.
He was the founder of the Avielle Foundation, an organization created to prevent violence through brain health research and fostering community, according to its Facebook page.
“This is a heartbreaking event for the Richman Family and the Newtown community as a whole, the police department’s prayers are with the Richman family right now, and we ask that the family be given privacy in this most difficult time,” Lt. Aaron Bahamonde said in a statement.
If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting “Home” to 741741.
