Residents pay their respects here outside Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.
This makeshift memorial is continuing to grow through the night, a day after a lone gunman forced his way into the school and shot and killed 20 children and six adults before taking his own life.
People in nearby towns also held vigil through the night.
In Southbury, dozens of residents gathered in solidarity with their grief-stricken neighbours.
Some here knew the victims, including Principal Dawn Hochsprung, who died trying to subdue the gunman.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) GERALD STOMSKI, FIRST SELECTMAN OF WOODBURY, CONNECTICUT, SAYING:
"When she was in our school, her and I actually practised this and we had this discussion about an active shooter and it really wasn't supposed to happen. And so it's very heartfelt to be in a situation where you actually have conversations with someone of exactly what to do and how to do it and then it plays out in real life, so, she did exactly what she was supposed to do."
On Saturday Connecticut officials released the identities of those killed.
Among the children who died were 12 girls and eight boys.
Six female adults were also killed, including teachers Lauren Russeau and Victoria Soto, and psychologist Mary Sherlach.
The shooter, identified as Adam Lanza, killed his own mother on Friday before he carried out one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
President Obama was set to arrive in Newtown on Sunday to pay his respects.
