Connecticut school shooting: 18 children among 27 dead

[Tribal Warfare]

'Close to 20' dead in Connecticut school shooting, source says
Newtown, Connecticut (CNN) -- Nearly 20 people died Friday in an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.

At least 10 of the dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School were children, the source said. At a news conference Friday afternoon, state police Lt. Paul Vance would say only that there had been "several fatalities."

The school was secure, and the public was not in danger, Vance said.

"Why? Why?" one woman wailed as she walked up a wooded roadway leading from the school.

A parent who was inside the school at the time of the attack said she heard what sounded like at least 100 rounds being fired. She said she saw two school employees who had died.

'I hope my mom is ok': Tweets from the Connecticut school shooting

Hospital officials in neighboring Danbury said they were treating three people wounded in the shooting. Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said the victims were in "very serious" condition.

The shooter is dead, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN's Susan Candiotti. The suspect's body is in a classroom at the school, the source said.

A law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation said a male was being questioned but he is not being called a suspect.

Federal officers in tactical gear were on the scene, coordinating with local and state police. At least four ambulances remained at the school Friday afternoon.

Police have recovered two weapons from the suspect, a Glock and a Sig Sauer, the source said. It's unclear if police killed the suspect.

'It doesn't seem possible' -- parents shocked by school shooting

Police and teachers rushed students from the building as police swarmed the area shortly after the first calls came in, around 9:40 a.m. ET. Officials moved students to a nearby firehouse, where parents frantically sought information about their children.

Third-grader Alexis Wasik said police and teachers barged into her classroom and told students to hide in the corner.

"Everybody was crying," she said. "And I just heard the police officers yelling."

Aerial images from CNN affiliate News 12 New Jersey showed police officers armed with rifles following a dog into woods near the school.

Other officers, some in tactical gear, stood around the school with guns drawn, CNN affiliate WFSB reported.

All schools in the city were on lockdown Friday as police assessed the situation, Vance said.

Gov. Dan Malloy is "horrified" by what happened, a spokesman said.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the Obama administration feels "enormous sympathy" for affected families and pledged federal support for state and local law enforcement.

Newtown is about 60 miles north of New York.

Originally Posted by DaFace

This thread is not a place for discussion about gun control. There's a thread for that here:

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=261606

People who can't understand that will be banned from this thread.

[seaofred]

Originally Posted by frankotank

I wish we could force teachers to have to carry.
I discussed this with a buddy of mine who was the head of the kansas city school district for 2 years and he shot that idea down very solidly. (bad choice of words...unintentional)

In Missouri, a teacher with a valid CCW can carry at school, as long as the school district has approved it. I think it might be time to put pressure on the school districts to approve this.

[frazod]

The more I reflect on this, the angrier I become at the mother. Sure, it was her batshit crazy son that pulled the trigger, but seriously, if your child is some wild-eyed Icabod Crane-looking ****ing psychopath, it's probably not a good idea to have an arsenal of weapons sitting around the house that he has easy access to. They should have at least been in a safe he didn't know the combination to.

She certainly paid the ultimate price for her irresponsibility, but so many others did too. Or will in the future as a result of the shitstorm or hype.

[bevischief]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...gun-spree.html

Home alone to plot a massacre: How deranged Adam Lanza spent three days on his own before gun spree after his mother left him to go to New Hampshire - and paid with her life

By Rachel Quigley

PUBLISHED: 17:02 EST, 19 December 2012 | UPDATED: 03:06 EST, 20 December 2012

Comments (147)
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Sandy Hook gunman Adam Lanza was left home alone with an arsenal of weapons in the $1.4million mansion he lived in with his mother for three days while she went on vacation, it emerged today.

During this time he refused to speak to Nancy and sources believe he may have become so consumed with anger, that it drove him to plan one of America's worst school shootings.

Before the deranged 20-year-old shot dead 20 innocent children and six brave adults who tried to stop him at Sandy Hook Elementary School last Friday, he shot his mom in the face four times while she lay sleeping in her bed.

The pair had not spoken for the whole three days she was gone. Consequently, Nancy would pay with her life.
According to Headline News, Nancy Lanza had left Adam alone while she went on a mini-break to Bretton Woods in New Hampshire - something she often did.

She had just arrived home on Thursday evening.

A friend said she trusted her autistic son and thought it was OK to leave him home alone.

She didn't, however, want him to cook while she wasn't there so would prepare him meals and leave them for him to reheat.

The 52-year-old checked into the Omni Mount Washington Resort at 12:10pm on Tuesday, December 11, and checked out at 12:27pm on Thursday, according to HLN.

It is a five-hour drive between there and her Newtown home. She would always drive there, her friend said, and when she spoke with Nancy during her getaway she was in 'good spirits'.

According to the New York Daily News, Adam stopped speaking to his mother because she was trying to pressure him to get out of the house more and interact with the world.

She was concerned because he spent hours on end holed up in his room playing violent video games like Call Of Duty.

A friend of Nancy said: 'He was like a ghost.'

It was revealed earlier this week that the mass murderer had not spoken to his father Peter for years - since he remarried in 2010.

Neighbours of Peter Lanza and second wife Shelley Cudiner told MailOnline that the pair packed up their car and left their affluent home in the Stamford suburb of Westover, Connecticut, shortly after being informed of Adam's involvement in the massacre on Friday afternoon.

In the wake of the devastation, Mr Lanza that he and his family are in disbelief at the atrocity his son committed at the Newtown elementary school.

'We too are asking why,' he said in a statement.

'Like so many of you, we are saddened, but struggling to make sense of what has transpired.
Nancy Lanza was divorced from Peter Lanza who lives in Stamford, Connecticut

'Our family is grieving along with all those who have been affected by this enormous tragedy.'

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by frazod

The more I reflect on this, the angrier I become at the mother. Sure, it was her batshit crazy son that pulled the trigger, but seriously, if your child is some wild-eyed Icabod Crane-looking ****ing psychopath, it's probably not a good idea to have an arsenal of weapons sitting around the house that he has easy access to. They should have at least been in a safe he didn't know the combination to.

She certainly paid the ultimate price for her irresponsibility, but so many others did too. Or will in the future as a result of the shitstorm or hype.

Pretty much how i feel.

The father too. It says he had not spoken to the kid in several years. Kid was a loner, isolated himself, had few friends if any..

Parents, dont alienate your kids. Worst thing you could ever do.

[FAX]

Originally Posted by frazod

The more I reflect on this, the angrier I become at the mother. Sure, it was her batshit crazy son that pulled the trigger, but seriously, if your child is some wild-eyed Icabod Crane-looking ****ing psychopath, it's probably not a good idea to have an arsenal of weapons sitting around the house that he has easy access to. They should have at least been in a safe he didn't know the combination to.

She certainly paid the ultimate price for her irresponsibility, but so many others did too. Or will in the future as a result of the shitstorm or hype.

Other than the sadness and empathy I feel for the victims and their families, this is actually my primary take-away on this deal.

There is no way this kid should have had anything remotely resembling unsupervised access to firearms. It was incredibly irresponsible. It's simply another example of the stupidity of the few outweighing the liberty of the many. Unfortunately, as our culture continues to evolve into a more dysfunctional society, events like these become policy drivers when they should never have happened in the first place ... or even had the opportunity to happen.

FAX

[-King-]

Originally Posted by memyselfI

Why is it weird? I thought he was eloquent and inspirational and very brave to be trying to counsel others to feel better in the midst of his own deep pain. Some people, more power to them, are kicked into a higher gear during times of personal tragedy. He appears to be one of them.

Not to mention, he works in neonatal intensive care. He's likely seen his share of tragedy and miracles. I imagine he's helped many people in his work and his natural inclination was to help others again. I appreciate him and others like him so much more than the kneejerk assholes who want to grab their guns and go out and 'fix it.'

He wants his daughter's death to not be in vain and to instead be a catalyst for love, healing, and change. I think with people like himself in the forefront it will happen. God bless him and all of the other people hurting because of this horrible situation.

[-King-]

Claim seeks $100 million for child survivor of Connecticut school shooting
By Mary Ellen Godin | Reuters – 4 hrs ago



Reuters/Reuters - A U.S. flag hangs over stockings left as a memorial for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, along a fence surrounding the Sandy Hook Cemetery in Newtown, Connecticut December …more

MERIDEN, Connecticut (Reuters) - A $100 million claim on behalf of a 6-year-old survivor is the first legal action to come out of the Connecticut school shooting that left 26 children and adults dead two weeks ago.

The unidentified client, referred to as Jill Doe, heard "cursing, screaming, and shooting" over the school intercom when the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, opened fire, according to the claim filed by New Haven-based attorney Irv Pinsky.

"As a consequence, the ... child has sustained emotional and psychological trauma and injury, the nature and extent of which are yet to be determined," the claim said.

Pinsky said he filed a claim on Thursday with state Claims Commissioner J. Paul Vance Jr., whose office must give permission before a lawsuit can be filed against the state.

"We all know its going to happen again," Pinsky said on Friday. "Society has to take action."

Twenty children and six adults were shot dead on December 14 at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The children were all 6 and 7 years old.

Pinsky's claim said that the state Board of Education, Department of Education and Education Commissioner had failed to take appropriate steps to protect children from "foreseeable harm."

It said they had failed to provide a "safe school setting" or design "an effective student safety emergency response plan and protocol."

Pinsky said he was approached by the child's parents within a week of the shooting.

The shooting, which also left the gunman dead, has prompted extensive debate about gun control and the suggestion by the National Rifle Association that schools be patrolled by armed guards. Police have said the gunman killed his mother at their home in Newtown before going to the school.

(Reporting by Mary Ellen Godin Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst)

Wow.