Just two days before the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., principal Dawn Hochsprung tweeted a photo of her 4th graders rehearsing for their winter concert.
It would be one of her final tweets.
Hochsprung was among the 27 people killed Friday at the elementary school. Twenty children between the ages of 5 and 10 were among the dead, allegedly shot by 20-year-old Adam Lanza. Also killed was Lanza's mother, Nancy J. Lanza, who was found dead in her home.
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On Saturday, police said the suspect, armed with two semiautomatic pistols and a semiautomatic rifle, broke through glass partitions to enter the school, where he began firing shortly after 9:30 a.m.
"He was not voluntarily let into the school at all. He did force his way into the school," Lt. J. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police said at a news conference, contradicting reports in the New York Times and other publications that Lanza was buzzed in by the principal "because she recognized him as the son of a colleague."
Vance said the names of the victims would be released soon.
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In the days leading up to the massacre, Hochsprung tweeted frequently with photos of an upcoming book sale, kindergarteners playing "supermarket" in the classroom and other happenings at the school.
Meanwhile, others in the Twitterverse paid tribute to Hochsprung and the dedication she showed to her students. Jim Roberts of the New York Times and others linked to her Twitter feed with one noting: "Keep rereading @DHochsprung's Twitter feed: Portrait of a great principal in 100 tweets: http://bit.ly/XmOpXz"
Education specialist Diane Ravitch tweeted: "@DHochsprung God bless you and may you rest in peace, knowing you were an inspiration to millions and a protector of children."
In other reactions to the tragedy, late Friday Paramount announced it would delay the premiere of the new Tom Cruise movie "Jack Reacher" out of respect for families of the victims. The film deals with a military sniper who guns down five random victims.
The cable channel Syfy also reacted to the shootings, pulling Friday's episode of its supernatural drama "Haven" because it depicted scenes of fictitious violence at a high school. And Fox pulled Sunday episodes of "Family Guy" and "American Dad" to avoid airing sensitive content in the wake of the shootings, according to the Futon Critic.
In an address to the nation Friday, a visibly emotional President Obama said: "We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics."