December 14th, 2012
11:18 PM ET

Children and adults gunned down in Connecticut school massacre

  • 20 children, six adults and the shooter are dead after shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Friday morning
  • Three law enforcement officials say Adam Lanza, 20, was the shooter, and that he died apparently by his own hand
  • Suspect's mother, Nancy Lanza, found dead in suspect’s home in Newtown, law enforcement source says
  • Ryan Lanza, 24, older brother of Adam Lanza, questioned by police but not labeled a suspect, three law enforcement officials say
  • Below are the latest updates as they come to us. You also can read our story of the Connecticut school shooting

[Updated at 11:18 p.m. ET] Aimee Seaver, the mother of a first-grade girl at Sandy Hook and a fifth-grader who attends a different school, told CNN's Anderson Cooper that her children are having trouble dealing with what happened.

"It's a very rough night here," she said. "When your first-grader goes to bed and says, 'Mommy, is anyone from my class last year - are they all OK?' and you look at them and say, 'I'm not really sure,' it's a rough night to tell that to your 7-year-old."

Her younger daughter has asked a lot of questions about Principal Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, who was killed.

“She got wind very quickly that something was wrong with our principal, which we didn’t tell her till just now that yes, she was definitely hurt and it wasn’t good," Seaver said. "It’s taking her a while. I think tomorrow will probably be harder for her.

“I also have a fifth-grader who came off the bus crying because she … had a sister who she was worried about, and … just basically left that school a few months ago. I think for a lot of those kids, they kind of are a little older and can get it a little bit faster, even though they weren’t in it.

“So the questions, I think, are coming. They’re not here, yet, especially for the littler ones. It started as I put them to bed tonight, the questions.â€

[Updated at 10:50 p.m. ET] Janet Vollmer, a kindergarten teacher at the school, says she locked her classroom doors and - to keep her students calm - read them a story until the police came.

Vollmer, her 19 students and the adult helpers in her classroom were not injured.

"You could hear what sounded like pops, gunshots. Of course, I’m not going to tell that to 5-year-olds, so I said to them, ‘We’re going over in a safe area,'" Vollmer told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "And we read a story and we kept them calm, did a lockdown drill, closed the doors, locked (them), covered the windows, and kept the children with us.â€

She said the children knew something unusual was going on.

“It didn’t seem a natural thing (to the children), although we do practice drills," Vollmer said. "We said, ‘We’re not really sure, but we’re going to be safe, because we’re sitting over here and we’re all together.’â€

When asked how she kept cool, she said: “With 5-year-olds, you can’t lose it. I’ve been doing this for a long time, it’s my 18th year of teaching. My job was to keep them safe."

"After we got down to the firehouse, later on, as a lot of the events started to unfold throughout the day  I think some of (the children) realized the magnitude of what was going on.," she said. "They saw other people upset. We just held them close until their parents came and we released them.â€

[Updated at 8:58 p.m. ET] Denise Correia says her daughter, a Sandy Hook Elementary second-grader who was not injured, heard the gunshots from the classroom she was in. The girl, while talking about the shooting with Correia, has been mentioning slain principal Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung "quite a lot."

"I think everyone's coping as best as they possibly can," Correia told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "I'm letting her talk. She's mentioned quite a bit about the principal, who many of us have worked with. I adored her. I worked with her personally with my business. That is one person I know we have lost on a personal level."

Correia said she has heard that her daughter's teacher, when the gunfire started, grabbed two kids from the hallway, put them into her classroom with other students, locked the door and gathered the students to a side of the room away from the gunfire. "She did a very heroic thing," Correia said of the teacher.

"The kids are going to suffer from this," Correia said. "... We lost a lot of babies today in this town, and there are a lot of very sad families."

[Updated at 8:20 p.m. ET] One injured victim, a female employee of the school, is "doing well," Connecticut State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance said.

[Updated at 7:53 p.m. ET] The public release of the victims' names may come on Saturday morning, Connecticut State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance says.

Vance said investigators have made preliminary identifications of the bodies, and that they've notified the appropriate families. But investigators want to make final, positive identifications before releasing the names to the media.

"It's a horrific scene," Vance said. "Between our mutual experience, we've never seen anything like this."

Vance said the next briefing from state police would be at 8 a.m. ET Saturday.

[Updated at 7:48 p.m. ET] U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut, says her thoughts and prayers are with the families.

"This really hits close to home," said DeLauro, who said she is visiting her grandchildren in Washington, D.C. "These beautiful young angels who had so much to live for - and it seems so senseless. Unthinkable that this could happen ,but it has, and now, as the president said, we come together, we wrap our arms around these families and hold them close to our hearts."

[Updated at 7:10 p.m. ET] Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, offered his prayers for the families of those affected by the Connecticut shooting, according to a release from the group.

The shooting "wrenches the hearts of all people," he said.

"Once again we speak against the culture of violence infecting our country even as we prepare to welcome the Prince of Peace at Christmas," Dolan said. "All of us are called to work for peace in our homes, our streets and our world, now more than ever.â€

Faisal Ali, right, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, joins other people outside the White House in Washington, D.C., to participate in a vigil to remember the Connecticut school shooting on Friday.

[Updated at 6:51 p.m. ET] A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation says the three guns found at the shooting site were legally purchased by Nancy Lanza, the mother of the suspect in the shooting.

According to the law enforcement official, the Glock and Sig Sauer handguns were found inside the school with the deceased gunman. The Bushmaster was found in a car outside the school. The official did not know if the car was registered to the gunman, to his mother or to someone else.

The official echoed what other law enforcement officials have told CNN: That Adam Lanza was the suspected gunman, and that he died at the scene of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot.

[Updated at 6:44 p.m. ET] Three U.S. law enforcement officials, from different agencies, separately tonight identified the suspected shooter as Adam Lanza, contrary to what investigators had said previously. It is not clear what caused the confusion among investigators.

His older brother, Ryan, was taken into custody for general questioning from a home in Hoboken, New Jersey. Officials did not label Ryan Lanza as a suspect. It is unclear when he may be released.

One of the officials say Adam’s father was also taken in for similar questioning. There is no indication that the father will be charged. The official noted the father has remarried and lives with his new wife in a residence in the general area of Connecticut not too far from where his ex-wife lived.

[Updated at 6:43 p.m. ET] CNN’s Susan Candiotti is talking to investigators at the scene as they piece together exactly what happened and when. She says she’s learned that the mother of the suspected shooter, Nancy Lanza, was found dead in the suspect’s home in Newtown.

“Earlier we had information that she was found in the classroom. However, now I’m being told that in fact her body was found at the suspect's residence," Candiotti said. "We don't know whether she also lived there. We also don't know the timeline - when was she killed? Was she killed before the shooting began at the school? These are the things that authorities are still trying to piece together.â€

[Updated at 6:02 p.m. ET] "Evil visited this community today," Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy just told reporters in Newtown. "And it's too early to speak of recovery, but each parent, each sibling, each member of the family has to understand that Connecticut - we're all in this together.

"We'll do whatever we can to overcome this event. We will get through it. But this is a terrible time for this community and these families."

[Updated at 5:14 p.m. ET] The mother of the suspected shooter was found dead in her son's residence in Newtown, a law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the investigation told CNN. CNN had previously identified the mother as Nancy Lanza, a teacher at the Sandy Hook Elementary, according to law enforcement sources.

The source also told CNN there was no body found in the house searched by authorities in Hoboken, New Jersey. Two law enforcement sources say a man was taken away from questioning from that house. He is believed to be the brother of the shooter, according to the sources.

The first law enforcement source says the school shooter was dressed in "black battle fatigues and a military vest."

The Bushmaster .223 found at the scene is a semi automatic weapon, the source says. Two other weapons found were handguns, a Sig-Sauer and a Glock.

[Updated at 5:10 p.m. ET] We just learned that Governor Dannel P. Malloy will be speaking at Treadwell Park in Newtown, Connecticut, at 6:00 p.m. ET.

[Updated at 5:04  p.m. ET] We've just received a statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about the shooting:

"School shootings are always incomprehensible and horrific tragedies. But words fail to describe today's heartbreaking and savage attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School. As the father of two children in elementary school, I can barely imagine the anguish and losses suffered today by the Newtown community.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to every parent, child, teacher, staff member, and administrator at Sandy Hook and the surrounding community. And our thanks go out to every teacher, staff member, and first responder who cared for, comforted, and protected children from harm, often at risk to themselves. We will do everything in our power to assist and support the healing and recovery of Newtown."

[Updated at 5:01  p.m. ET] Law enforcement officials are not prepared to identify the shooter right now, Connecticut State PoliceLt. J. Paul Vance said in a press conference.

Vance said that they are working diligently at the crime scene as well as with the medical examiner to identify the victims.

"We will leave no stone unturned," Vance added about the entire investigation.

[Updated at 4:54 p.m. ET] We are now being told there was no body found in the Hoboken, New Jersey, home as had been previously reported.

[Updated at 4:23 p.m. ET] We have learned that Connecticut police have searched the suspected gunman's home and place of employment in the wake of Friday's mass shooting, Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

They have also interviewed his friends, relatives and "everyone who possibly had any connection with him whatsoever," he said.

[Updated at 4:11 p.m. ET] Police did not discharge their weapons at any time when responding at the school, police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. However, he could not confirm whether the suspected shooter - who died at the scene - killed himself, saying that would have to be determined by the medical examiner.

[Updated at 4:07 p.m. ET] Mark Kelly, who's lived through this kind of horror, has issued a statement. He's the husband of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords who was shot in the head at a massacre in Tucson, Arizona, in January 2011. Here's what he said:

I just woke up in my hotel room in Beijing, China, to learn that another mass shooting has taken place - this time at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and the entire community of Newtown, CT. I just spoke to Gabby, and she sends her prayers from Tucson.

As we mourn, we must sound a call for our leaders to stand up and do what is right. This time our response must consist of more than regret, sorrow, and condolence. The children of Sandy Hook Elementary School and all victims of gun violence deserve leaders who have the courage to participate in a meaningful discussion about our gun laws - and how they can be reformed and better enforced to prevent gun violence and death in America. This can no longer wait.

[Updated at 3:56 p.m. ET] The principal killed was Dawn Hochsprung. We received this photo via Newtown.Patch.com.

[Updated at 3:54 p.m. ET] Three guns were found at the scene, CNN's Susan Candiotti reports. According to a law enforcement source, the third weapon found on the scene was a .223 Bushmaster. The other weapons, previously reported, are a Glock, and a Sig-Sauer. No word on the models of Glock or Sig-Sauer.

[Updated at 3:51 p.m. ET] A federal law enforcement source tells CNN's John King the information from the scene is that the shooter arrived and headed directly toward and to his mother’s classroom. That and the other information now emerging - another family member killed, police interviews - lead them to believe his mother was the primary target. But they note he also came armed with clear intention of mass killing.

[Updated at 3:45 p.m. ET] There were a total of 27 people dead at the school, Lt. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police said.

Six adults, 20 children and the shooter were killed. Eighteen students were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others died at the hospital, said Lt. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police. The six adults died at the scene.

[Updated at 3:43 p.m. ET] Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance has just said that the shooting took place in one section of the school and in two rooms.

[Updated at 3:33 p.m. ET] Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy called the mass shooting "a tragedy of unspeakable terms."

"Earlier today a tragedy of unspeakable terms played itself out in this community," Malloy said, adding that "you can never be prepared for this kind of incident.

"A number of our citizens, beautiful children, had their life taken away from them as well as adults whose responsibility it was to educate and supervise those children," Malloy said.

[Updated at 3:22 p.m. ET] It appears that another member of the alleged shooter's family is dead. A senior law enforcement official familiar with the investigation says a brother of the alleged shooter was found dead in a home searched in Hoboken, New Jersey. We already knew the suspect's mother was found dead in the elementary school.

(6:43 p.m. ET update - CNN’s Susan Candiotti is talking to investigators and has now learned that the mother of the suspected shooter was found dead in the suspect’s home in Newtown. No brother of the suspect has been found dead, and no one has been found dead in the home in Hoboken, New Jersey, investigators say.)

[Updated at 3:16 p.m. ET] From the president: "I offered Gov. Malloy my condolences on behalf of the nation."

The president appears to be emotional, he's wiping his eye.

Here's more of what he's saying:

"We've endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years. Each time I learn the news I react not as a president but as anybody else would as a parent.

"That was especially true today.

"I know there's not a parent in America that doesn't feel the same overwhelming grief that I do.

"The majority of those who died today were children, beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.

"They had their entire lives ahead of them, birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own.

Obama sighed.

"Among the fallen were also teachers - men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams. Our hearts are broken today for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these children and the families of the adults we lost.

"Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know that their children’s innocence has been torn away from them too early, and there are no words that will ease their pain.

"As a country, we have been through this too many times. Whether it’s an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago - these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children. And we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.

"This evening Michelle and I will do what every parent in America will do - hug our children a little tighter and tell them that we love them.

"There are families in Connecticut that cannot do that tonight and they need all of us tonight.

"May God bless the memory of the victims and in the words of scripture heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds."

[Updated at 3:14 p.m. ET] The president will talk soon. You can watch him on our live stream here.

[Updated at 3:12 p.m. ET] President Obama has ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff as a mark of respect for the victims “of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut,†according to a release from the White House.

[Updated at 3:09 p.m. ET] The suspect's mother was shot and killed at the school, according to source close to the investigation. She was a teacher there.

And we now know that Ryan Lanza, the suspected gunman, was 24.

(6:44 p.m. ET update - (Three U.S. law enforcement officials say the suspected gunman was Adam Lanza, not his brother Ryan Lanza as officials had previously said. It is not clear what caused the confusion among investigators. Ryan Lanza was picked up from a home in Hoboken, New Jersey, on Friday and has been questioned but has not been labeled as a suspect, officials now say. Also, CNN’s Susan Candiotti is talking to investigators and has now learned that the mother of the suspected shooter was found dead in the suspect’s home in Newtown)

[Updated at 3:01 p.m. ET] The principal and guidance counselor at Sandy Hook Elementary School were both killed during the shooting, according to a witness that spoke to CNN.

[Updated at 2:52 p.m. ET] We have just learned via a tweet from House Speaker John Boehner that flags at the U.S. Capitol will be lowered.

[tweet https://twitter.com/SpeakerBoehner/status/279674241979400192%5D

[Updated at 2:47 p.m. ET] President Obama will make a statement on the tragedy at 3:15 p.m. ET. We'll have that live on CNN TV and right here.

[Updated at 2:45 p.m. ET] Various locations are being used as staging areas around Newtown. This is outside the Newtown Methodist Church near the school where a woman is hugging a child.

[Updated at 2:39 p.m. ET] Federal law enforcement officials have told CNN's John King that the shooting happened quickly and happened in a concentrated area.

[Updated at 2:32 p.m. ET] Connecticut Gov. Malloy will be in Newtown and talk about the tragedy today at 3:30 p.m. ET.

[Updated at 2:20 p.m. ET] We are now hearing from CNN's Mary Snow, who is reporting from outside the suspect's home, that dozens of law enforcement officials are on the scene.

Neighbors are "shaken," Snow said.

[Updated at 2:11 p.m. ET] CNN's Susan Candiotti has just reported that a law enforcement official tells her the suspect is named Ryan Lanza and he is in his 20s.

[Updated at 2:09 p.m. ET] We're hearing even more devastating news out of Newtown, Connecticut. CNN's Susan Candiotti has been told that 18 to 20 of the dead are children.

[Updated at 2:07 p.m. ET] CNN's Jessica Yellin is reporting that we're likely to hear from President Obama today on the school shooting, according to a senior administration official. We don't know when our where we may hear from President Obama.

[Updated at 2:04 p.m. ET] Lisa Procaccini, the parent of an 8-year-old at the school, tells CNN that her daughter said school officials kept her calm during the shooting and told her the loud noise was hammering going on.

Eventually police came in and let her daughter and her teacher leave the school building.

"I'm even kind of numb about what's going on," she told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I'm in a state of shock. I don't know how Im going to handle having [my daughter] know ... about the whole situation."

[Updated at 1:57 p.m. ET]  The death toll is closer to 30 than 20, a federal law enforcement source in Washington told CNN's John King.  Most of those killed are children, the source said.

The source also said the suspected gunman, who is dead, had a connection to the school. He would not elaborate on that connection. The source is in touch with authorities on the scene.

[Updated at 1:53 p.m. ET] Congresswoman-elect Elizabeth Esty, who was recently won a seat representing a district that includes Newtown, Connecticut, just released the following statement on the tragedy:

As a mother, I can only begin to imagine what the students, parents, teachers and staff of Sandy Hook Elementary must be experiencing. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone impacted by this horrific tragedy. While details are still emerging, I hope for the safety and well being of the children, teachers and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary and for the Newtown community.

[Updated at 1:51 p.m. ET] We have just learned that the suspected shooter is 20-years-old, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation tells CNN’s Susan Candiotti.

[Updated at 1:47 p.m. ET] A few more details from the White House press briefing earlier. White House spokesman Jay Carney said while today is not the day to debate gun policy, an assault weapons ban "does remain a commitment" of President Obama.

[Updated at 1:45 p.m. ET]  We are now learning that a male is being questioned by investigators, but he is not being called a suspect, CNN's Susan Candiotti reports.

[Updated at 1:42 p.m. ET] Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance said the shooter is dead inside the school.

[tweet https://twitter.com/ljanyNT/status/279657796985823232%5D

Vance said there are a number of fatalities that includes both children and adults. He did not add more details about how many people were killed during the school shooting.

[Updated at 1:41 p.m. ET] Police have now begun their briefing on the shooting.

[Updated at 1:32 p.m. ET] We're hearing more from the scene of the massacre through tweets and interviews.

[tweet https://twitter.com/HenaDaniels/status/279651793150033922]

[tweet https://twitter.com/johnfrey/status/279652142447476736%5D

[Updated at 1:23 p.m. ET] President Obama has spoken to FBI Director Robert Mueller and Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy to get the latest information and express his condolences, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

[Updated at 1:21 p.m. ET] We're now hearing that it may be a while for the briefing from the police.

[Updated at 1:17 p.m. ET] This was the scene from the air earlier, taken by News 12 Connecticut, with emergency vehicles in the school parking lot.

[Updated at 1:09 p.m. ET] The police are set to give a news conference soon where we'll learn more. We'll bring that to you as soon as it starts.

[Updated at 1:07 p.m. ET] Here's the chilling account told to CNN's Meredith Artley of what happened at the school.

[Updated at 12:59 p.m. ET] Many people are talking again about gun control. But White House spokesman Jay Carney isn't joining in for now.

"I think it's important on a day like today to view this as I know the president, as a father does and I as a father and others who are parents certainly do, which is to feel enormous sympathy for families that are affected and to do everything we can to support state and local law enforcement and support those who are enduring what appears to be a very tragic event.  There is, I'm sure, will be, rather, a day for discussion of the usual Washington policy debates but I don't think today is that day.

[Updated at 12:57 p.m. ET] From the News Times reporter at the school:

[tweet https://twitter.com/ljanyNT/status/279644862771523585]

[Updated at 12:48 p.m. ET] "Close to 20†people have been killed, including at least 10 children, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation says.

[Updated at 12:47 p.m. ET] President Barack Obama has been informed of the school shooting in Connecticut and will receive regular updates throughout the day, the White House said on Friday.

[Updated at 12:27 p.m. ET] The mom who spoke to CNN's Meredith Artley said she heard "at least 100 rounds" being fired.

The shooting began about 9:35 a.m., the parent said. There was a "pop pop pop" in the hall outside the room. Three people went out of the room into the hall where the sounds had come from. "Only one person came back," we were told.

The witness told Artley that she then called 911. She said she never saw the shooter but she later was escorted outside the room past two bodies lying in blood.

[Updated at 12:20 p.m. ET] A third-grader describes the shooting to WTNH:

[Updated at 12:16 p.m. ET] Two adults were killed, according to a parent who was at the school during the incident, and who talked to our colleague Meredith Artley.

[Updated at 12:12 p.m. ET] We just got this from U.S. Senator-elect Chris Murphy:

"I am shocked and saddened by the horrific news from Sandy Hook Elementary School this morning, and I pray that kids, teachers, staff, and families reach safety as quickly as possible. While we don't have much information right now, our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones."

[Updated at 12:05 p.m. ET] The shooter's body is in a classroom, a source with knowledge of the investigation tells CNN’s Susan Candiotti.

[Updated at 12:02 p.m. ET] Multiple local media are reporting there are fatalities. We're checking.

[Updated at noon ET] News Times reporter Libor Jany reports that all Newtown schools are on lockdown.

[tweet https://twitter.com/ljanyNT/status/279629101160087553]

[Updated at 11:58 a.m. ET] Danbury Hospital confirms it's treating some victims. It says this on its Facebook page:

To date, three patients have been transported to Danbury Hospital from the scene. Out of abundance of caution and not because of any direct threat Danbury Hospital is under lockdown. This allows us simply to focus on the important work at hand.

[Updated at 11:54 a.m. ET] Connecticut House Rep. John Frey has nieces and a nephew at the school and is tweeting updates.

[tweet https://twitter.com/johnfrey/status/279626856444067840]

[Updated at 11:47 a.m. ET] The dad of a student at the school told CNN affiliate WTNH there were about 600 pupils in the building at the time of the shooting.

[Updated at 11:45 a.m. ET] At least three people were wounded and are in "very serious" condition at a hospital in Danbury, Connecticut, that town's mayor, Mark Boughton told CNN. He couldn't say whether the victims were children.

[Updated at 11:44 a.m. ET] Andrew Doba, Director of Communications with Connecticut Governor Malloy's office, says they are  coordinating with local authorities and state police. They continue to monitor developments in Newtown. The governor is in Connecticut today.

[Updated at 11:40 a.m. ET] We're getting live pictures from the scene from CNN affiliates.

[Updated at 11:34 a.m. ET] The shooter is dead, a source with knowledge of the investigation, tells CNN’s Susan Candiotti.

Police have recovered two weapons from him, the source added.

It's not known whether police killed the alleged shooter or he took his own life. The source says one weapon recovered is a Glock and the other is a Sig Sauer.

[Updated at 11:27 a.m. ET] The Hartford Courant, citing police, said an unspecified number of people had been shot. The nature of their injuries was unclear, the newspaper said. But it cited police in saying one person had "numerous gunshot wounds."

[Updated at 11:19 a.m. ET] Affiliate WTNH says children are being taken to a nearby firehouse.

[tweet https://twitter.com/WTNH/status/279620094768852992]

[Updated at 11:10 a.m. ET] Details are still really sketchy, but we now have a photo from the Newtown Bee of children being led from the scene.

[Updated at 11:03 a.m. ET] We're still getting details in of how many people may have been hurt.

Newtown is southwest of Hartford:

[Updated at 10:53 a.m. ET] Sandy Hook school is on lockdown and students are not being evacuated, a Newtown police spokesman tells us.

[Posted at 10:30 a.m. ET] Breaking news coming in - Connecticut State Police are responding to reports of a shooting at a Newtown elementary school in southwestern Connecticut, according to police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance.

We'll bring you more details as soon as we get them.

Our affiliates in the area are saying the school is the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

CT Now says injuries are being reported. 

soundoff (9,611 Responses)
  1. rosethornne

    Oh COME ON, stop these shootings already!

    Are there more crazy people or are they somehow getting the idea that the 'thing to do' is grab a gun and go out to murder bunches of innocent people?

    Absolutely horrible for the children at that school, I hope the shooter is taken out quickly.

    December 14, 2012 at 10:44 am | Report abuse |
    • Lynda Elaine

      No. There aren't more shootings. Just more media coverage. Think about it. We are inundated with instant reports from all over the country. 10 years ago we weren't. Now it is all sensational news you can have right now this instant. In fact you don't even have to wait for the media. Anyone with a cell phone can instantly post to the nets.

      December 14, 2012 at 10:53 am | Report abuse |
    • dapress702

      its the world we created...accept it

      December 14, 2012 at 10:57 am | Report abuse |
    • DAT

      Oh, please, you can't believe that? It's the "instant reporting?" Right – in the "old days" a mass shooting or shooting at an elementary school wouldn't have appeared in the next day's newspaper because by then it was old news? Really. Of course it's happening more often. It's the gun nut culture that allows anyone and everyone to get a gun. Preferably an assault rifle.

      December 14, 2012 at 11:00 am | Report abuse |
    • Gun_control_what_is_ot_good_for-Absolutly_nuntin

      We needs more of that thar gun control just like Oreeegon, NYC, and Conneticut who has the 3rd strongest gun control laws.

      December 14, 2012 at 11:10 am | Report abuse |
    • The Captain

      Connecticut has the 3rd Strongest gun laws? Didn't seem to do much good today seeing how this shooting is IN CONNECTICUT!!!

      December 14, 2012 at 11:22 am | Report abuse |
    • bczu

      Horrible logic. People are still allowed to own guns in those states. And even places like NJ who have very strict gun laws. Criminals will still own them. Its not the laws, its the ability to own them. Why do you feel the need to own one anyway? If you hunt, use a bow.

      December 14, 2012 at 11:58 am | Report abuse |
    • bczu

      Look at the states with the highest murder rates. They are mainly states with loose gun control. Top two, Louisiana and Mississippi

      December 14, 2012 at 12:03 pm | Report abuse |
    • We need to stand up

      We need to stand up
      As former military I defended the rights to bear arms. However, I do not believe that we should be selling semi-automatic weapons to people at Walmart, seriously? We need gun regulation. Good honest people should have no problem with background checks, prolonged waiting periods (months; i mean when do you have to have a gun in a few days? etc...

      If protecting the rights of gun owners mean we are held captive to these people (terrorists in my opinion), it is not worth it any longer.

      December 14, 2012 at 12:56 pm | Report abuse |
    • dj

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Genocide
      estimated 500k people killed by machete

      http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0407/1224314495813.html
      More knifes

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanping_school_stabbings
      8 more in 2010

      In fact
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_attacks_in_China_%282010%E2%80%932011%29

      It happens because people are crazy.

      December 14, 2012 at 1:21 pm | Report abuse |
    • bczu

      DJ- 500k people were not killed by a machete. Maybe you should read your own links. Add up your other three links and it may not even be as many that were killed today in Connecticut. Think about that. Your three links span years, add up the Oregon shooting yesterday and this shooting today. More people were killed in two days than you can find on the internet by "knives"

      December 14, 2012 at 2:09 pm | Report abuse |
    • monte112

      The gun companys and gun shareholders are behind all this dissatisfaction and confusion, now its rampant

      December 14, 2012 at 2:52 pm | Report abuse |
    • bfpiercelk

      "Oh, please, you can't believe that? It's the "instant reporting?" Right – in the "old days" a mass shooting or shooting at an elementary school wouldn't have appeared in the next day's newspaper because by then it was old news? Really. Of course it's happening more often. It's the gun nut culture that allows anyone and everyone to get a gun. Preferably an assault rifle."

      I love idiots. Do you think gun control of looser or tighter prior to Columbine? How about in the 40's and 50's? The media attention these incidents gain is the only thing that's changed over the years, not the availability of guns.

      December 14, 2012 at 2:53 pm | Report abuse |
    • Jay

      Ten years ago we had the Columbine shooting, the Kentucky school shooting, and on larger terror scale 9/11. These things are just product of society we live in. Everybody resorts to violence instead of peaceful solutions.

      December 14, 2012 at 6:49 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Jinx88

    It wouldnt be a Friday without some crazy with a gun.

    December 14, 2012 at 10:44 am | Report abuse |
    • DAT

      And another proud day for the NRA.

      December 14, 2012 at 11:17 am | Report abuse |
    • rixter

      I hope the NRA supporters can sleep comfortably tonight, because there are 20 children who won't......

      December 14, 2012 at 6:24 pm | Report abuse |
    • Mr. N

      I hope "gun free" school zone law supporters can sleep well tonight knowing that they rendered every single law abiding person at that school completely defenseless, per law.

      December 14, 2012 at 7:08 pm | Report abuse |
    • rixter

      MR. N - really? so you propose we have teachers carry weapons to school? I know that every teacher is exempt from being a whacko, I also know that all gun carrying people are prepared for a shootout against a semi-automatic carrying whacko dressed in combat clothing.... hooray for your hillbilly Clint Eastwood delusions.... ever been in a gun fight with a crazy person who is cold and calculating? the fact is simple - three guns, illegal or not, killed 20 precious children

      December 14, 2012 at 8:39 pm | Report abuse |
  3. kwdragon

    Local news is reporting one gunman dead and one on the loose. I just heard from one teacher who is at the Sandy Hook firehouse with her students, and they are all okay.

    December 14, 2012 at 10:49 am | Report abuse |
  4. Shaft

    This is absolutely inhumane and reckless.

    December 14, 2012 at 10:49 am | Report abuse |
    • Gchrk

      Inhumane? Well, maybe it WAS inhumane, but it certainly wasn't inHUMAN. People have been killing each other since the beginning of time. These poor kids are the latest casualties of a manmade cycle of hate. Maybe together we can join hands and stop this kind of thing, and make the world a better place. We can always hope.

      December 14, 2012 at 7:43 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Ding

    what about the crazy guy in China who stabbed 22 kids at an elementary school?

    December 14, 2012 at 10:50 am | Report abuse |
    • Erick

      Don't interrupt their anti-inanimate-object rant with common sense or facts, dude. Just sit back and have some Kool-Aid

      December 14, 2012 at 10:52 am | Report abuse |
    • Uh-oh

      Dont let the people who are against guns hear about that they may try to ban all knives next...

      December 14, 2012 at 11:01 am | Report abuse |
    • Nazxul

      If he had an assault rifle it would have been 22 dead kids instead 22 injured kids.

      December 14, 2012 at 12:38 pm | Report abuse |
    • bczu

      How many people died? Does it happen 2-3 times a week like it seems to happen in the US?

      December 14, 2012 at 12:41 pm | Report abuse |
    • Sense

      If it was an assault rifle it would have been the whole school.

      December 14, 2012 at 12:58 pm | Report abuse |
    • Brandon

      What, did he kill them all? Yes, "this one time in China..." clearly a reason that we just shouldn't bother with gun control, 'cuz then we'll have a KNIFE CRIME epidemic!

      December 14, 2012 at 1:49 pm | Report abuse |
    • Mace

      We know you don't believe this. If we gave you the choice to square off with someone armed with a gun and someone armed with a knife, and the objective was TO SURVIVE, you would pick the knife every time.
      Knives 'can' be fatal with sufficient intent.
      Guns 'tend to' be fatal, deliberately, by way of an accident or even from basic negligence.
      There is no serious comparison here.
      That's why the kids in China are by and large injured, not dead.
      I hope no one is taking this seriously.

      December 14, 2012 at 2:25 pm | Report abuse |
    • iamgrunge

      Guess how many people died from those stabbings?

      Zero.

      Guess how many people died today from guns?

      30.

      December 14, 2012 at 4:59 pm | Report abuse |
    • 2tired2care

      I'd take my chances against someone with a knife over a gun, wouldn't you??????

      December 14, 2012 at 7:16 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Wanda

    What is going on?! Did everyone decide to take a stupid pill this year?

    December 14, 2012 at 10:51 am | Report abuse |
    • Adam

      Yes

      December 14, 2012 at 11:37 am | Report abuse |
    • Wildernessyes

      yes, and then we gave them access to all the guns they wanted. Thanks GOP, NRA and Conservatives.

      December 14, 2012 at 12:44 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Kathy Chambers

    Newtown CT is next the town east of Danbury CT. It's only an exit or two east of Danbury CTon I-84 (Home of the Danbury Fair Mall).

    December 14, 2012 at 10:52 am | Report abuse |
  8. Stevee

    so sad.I hope some N.R.A member takes the shooter out.

    December 14, 2012 at 10:53 am | Report abuse |
  9. OneTruth

    Foolish (and ignorant) comments for the most part, at least the previous few. Facts aren't even all out yet and idiotic comments are being made.

    December 14, 2012 at 10:53 am | Report abuse |
  10. John

    NRA is no the one doing the shooting. You almost had it right, gund do not kill poeple, people (criminal, crazies) kill people. I have yet to see a gun fire all by itself and kill someone. Has anyone ever been robbed by a gun without some nitwit holding it. Think not..

    December 14, 2012 at 10:53 am | Report abuse |
    • Josh

      The issue is that if guns were illegal, then police would have a chance to arrest such people BEFORE they open fire.

      December 14, 2012 at 10:56 am | Report abuse |
    • rabrandon

      Josh, so if guns were illegal, you could positively assure me this perp or any of the others would not have one? Didn't think so.

      December 14, 2012 at 11:00 am | Report abuse |
    • swac

      Its time we stop repeating stupid comments like "guns don't kill people, people kill people". If you use that insane logic, then why are we concerned with Weapons Of Mass Destruction (WMD 's). WMD's don't kill people...people kill people. We try to keep these weapons off the market because we know crazy people are out there...same logic with guns...we know crazy people are out there...so why have so many guns available? Using the typical insane argument that by having more guns available to everyone will deter shootings is insane as saying let all countries around the world have wmd's to deter others from using them. And if you haven't noticed...guns are the most destructive wmd ever known to mankind. Guns have killed more humans since its invention than any other wmd. A wmd would have to wipe out half the population of this world to even get close to the destruction caused by our "closet wmd" known as guns. We will never admit it but we can't keep hiding our heads in the sand and think that guns are not destructive in our society. Lets be real...we are in denial!

      December 14, 2012 at 11:26 am | Report abuse |
    • bczu

      We should arm the school children. Then things like this wouldnt happen.

      December 14, 2012 at 12:43 pm | Report abuse |
    • Debbie

      What if someone in that building had a concealed weapons permit and took out the gunman before he killed his second victim?

      December 14, 2012 at 1:28 pm | Report abuse |
    • Houkoten

      Because debbie, that would make normal people omnicient. If people were omnicient, crimes wouldn't be able to occur in the first place.

      December 14, 2012 at 1:57 pm | Report abuse |
    • Reply

      Debbie, that person with a concealed weapon would then be arrested for a having a gun in a government building. Just because you have a concealed weapons permit doesn't mean you can march around anywhere you want with it. Try that at an airport and tell me how it goes.

      December 14, 2012 at 2:11 pm | Report abuse |
    • Santorum

      John: You are an idiot. It is true what they say do not argue with a fool because he will never know when you are right.

      December 14, 2012 at 2:51 pm | Report abuse |
    • aop27

      Half right – its people WITH guns that kill people

      December 14, 2012 at 4:46 pm | Report abuse |
  11. Josh

    Probably yet another parent being screwed over by the court, deciding that if they can't see their kid on weekends, no body will.

    December 14, 2012 at 10:54 am | Report abuse |
    • StlNell

      Clearly in that case the court would have made an ccurate assessment.

      December 14, 2012 at 11:36 am | Report abuse |
  12. sharpchargers

    Crooks and crazies would find a gun even if they were illegal. if a more good people had a carry permit someone could stop the crime before the police got there. i kniw i would try

    December 14, 2012 at 10:55 am | Report abuse |
    • MesaMom

      and how many kids would you shoot in the process?

      December 14, 2012 at 3:14 pm | Report abuse |
    • Paul

      Nifty logic: More guns = Less killings
      Of course, yesterday you and the NRA would have used all your resources to defend the right of Mr. Lanza to own beau coup guns. Yesterday, he was one you... a "responsile gun owner"

      December 14, 2012 at 7:34 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Bonnie

    what is this world coming to, going after little children, how scarey, saying prayers for all the little children

    December 14, 2012 at 10:55 am | Report abuse |
    • Nymathin

      Bonnie, you can say all the prayers you want to but the way I figure it, if god wanted to intervene then he would have done it BEFORE 18 little kids were shot to death and parents were left grieving. What are you going to pray for anyway, that god will look after the surviving children? Why would a god that allowed so much carnage and unnecessary deaths care what happens to the survivors?

      December 14, 2012 at 3:10 pm | Report abuse |
  14. Wanda

    Is it just me or is there alot of murder suicides? Just saying...:-|

    December 14, 2012 at 10:55 am | Report abuse |
    • mm

      Looks like a mental illness epidemic.

      December 14, 2012 at 10:57 am | Report abuse |
    • Katherine

      december has the hignest suicide rate– but this is ridiculas - who goes after children- this hurts my heart

      December 14, 2012 at 2:34 pm | Report abuse |
  15. betterdays

    Things were a LOT worse in the '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s. People used to go around randomly shooting up the joint all the time, back in those horrible days of ignorance, oppression and injustice.

    Oh wait, no they didn't.

    December 14, 2012 at 10:56 am | Report abuse |
    • tekstep1

      Actually, they did. It is just more widely reported now.

      December 14, 2012 at 11:40 am | Report abuse |
    • dnick47

      In part you are correct because we do live in the Electronic Age where an event in the Australian Outback is heard about in seconds around the world; however, except for the criminal element and despots like Hitler, there was more regard for human life especially women and children. Yes, wackos like Capone, Hitler, Tojo and alike existed and didn't care about life including their own, but most people did – and still do I think – I hope.

      December 14, 2012 at 12:28 pm | Report abuse |
    • someone

      They didn't randomly just shoot kids back then.

      December 14, 2012 at 1:19 pm | Report abuse |
    • Rob

      umm...yeah, there were incidents in the past where people randomly attacked children....just because YOU haven't heard about it doesn't mean it didn't happen. It has more to do with what you don't bother to pay attention to.

      December 14, 2012 at 1:28 pm | Report abuse |
    • hanna

      we should be smarter ,we should know better!!!

      December 14, 2012 at 1:32 pm | Report abuse |
    • birthmaiddoula

      Oh, are we ignoring the race riots and the KKK and the mob lynchings and all of that? Then, yeah, way better days back then.

      December 14, 2012 at 2:25 pm | Report abuse |
    • shwebell

      Still doesn't make it right.

      December 14, 2012 at 4:49 pm | Report abuse |
    • Emory

      Yes Crime was worse in the 30s and the 90s. Today crime rate has dropped alot. Hell back in the 30's you may get killed and no one will know, the local police just chalk it up the you left off with some woman.

      December 14, 2012 at 5:26 pm | Report abuse |
    • MG12345

      @Rob

      Children have been attacked randomly in the past I am sure. But I am also sure that not so many would have fallen victim to one lunatic in as short a duration.

      December 14, 2012 at 8:14 pm | Report abuse |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303