Derek Jeter Calls Mother Of Victoria Soto, Teacher Killed In Newtown Shooting
Derek Jeter reached out to the mother of Victoria Soto, the teacher killed while protecting her first-grade students at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the shooting there last week.
Soto was known to be a big Yankees fan, and when Jeter found out he decided to place a phone call to Donna Soto on Wednesday, the same day as her daughter’s funeral. Victoria Soto’s sister, Carlee, tweeted about the family’s excitement that the Yankee star reached out in their time of need.
“Derek Jeter just called my mom!!!!! Thanks Vicki, she needs it thank you @yankees this meant a lot to my mother and all of us,” the tweet read.
Victoria Soto was known for being a devoted Yankees fan during her too-brief life. As the New York Daily News reported, her love of the Bronx Bombers was even part of her eulogy.
“Vicki loved the Yankees — that was part of her eulogy,” said James Wiltsie, a cousin of Victoria Soto. “No one in the family reached out, so (Jeter) must have heard about it and … reached out.”
Derek Jeter didn’t give details of what was said during the conversation, ESPN reported, but her family said his words did bring some comfort.
“Nothing is going to fix the fact that [Donna] had to bury her daughter today,” Wiltsie told the Daily News. “But I’m happy that it brought some comfort. … People like Jeter have reached out. It brings some comfort to know that people recognize Vicki as a hero.”
The 27-year-old teacher was killed when gunman Adam Lanza came into her first-grade classroom. Soto had told the students to hide in closets and throughout the room, and when Lanza came to her room she told him the students were in gym. She was shot and killed as she tried to protect the students.
Derek Jeter’s phone call to Victoria Soto’s family was not the only act of kindness from a professional athlete. New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz visited the family of Jack Pinto, a 6-year-old killed in the attack who was a big Giants fan. Pinto was buried in his Victor Cruz jersey.
