Newtown School Shooting: Live Updates

This article is from the archive of our partner .

Details are continuing to emerge after a mass school shooting Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. Multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating a killing spree that left 28 people dead: 18 children died at their small K-4 school, two children died at a local hospital, six adults died at the scene, the shooter died at the school, and the shooter's mother is dead at the home that she shared with the gunman. The death toll makes Sandy Hook one of the deadliest school shootings in history, and the truth may be more nightmarish than anyone could have imagined.

Unconfirmed news reports and confirmed police information combine to indicate that 20-year-old Adam Lanza Lanza killed his mother, Nancy, before taking her legal and registered guns to the school where she did not work, targeting Sandy Hook's principle, Dawn Hochsprung, and two specific classrooms. Lanza reportedly wore combat gear and possibly a mask while carrying four weapons into a school full of five to 10 year olds, many of whom hid with teachers in closets and under desks. None of the students who died were older than seven.

In addition to an emotional outpouring at the horrific (if at times heroic) scene — even the president cried — Friday's events have led to a wave of reaction about gun control and gun legislation in America.

This is a breaking story, and we'll continue to update it below as more details come in, but stay tuned for regular updates about Newtown, Adam Lanza, and gun control:

5:10 p.m., Wednesday: New info out of the Newtown investigation at this point are few and far between. The main narrative hasn't changed—Adam Lanza killed 20 first graders, six adults, and his mom with guns that belonged to his mother. Now, smaller details are filling the the rest of the story.

Headline News is reporting that just before the shootings Lanza's mother had left him alone. They have the receipts from a hotel confirming a trip Nancy Lanza took to Bretton New Hampshire just before the shootings. That doesn't really change the story but provides a small wrinkle into the days just before the shooting.

We also have a few more details about what Adam Lanza was like from The New York Post:

12:21 p.m. Tuesday A tentative plan has been laid out for the students of Sandy Hook elementary. According to Newtown's superintendent, they'll be going back to school in January in a nearby school.

1:15 p.m. The Connecticut police are still trying to piece together a motive. But they are stating that there is no connection between Adam Lanza and Sandy Hook Elementary—there were earlier reports that his mother was a teacher at the school and that he may have an altercation there days before. Not that it makes any of us feel better, but those have been ruled out by police based on interviews with authorities at the school:

Monday, 9:41 a.m. State police had another briefing this morning.

Sunday, 9:30 p.m.: President Obama gave a moving and memorable speech — some say it's his best ever — and spent some time with the victims' families backstage. Read our full coverage of the speech here.

7:07 p.m.: The vigil should be starting any minute now. You can watch it live here:

6:45 p.m.: The President is currently in Newtown visiting with victims families and first responders, according to the White House press pool. He's going to attend a vigil at 7 p.m. ET, where he will be speaking with First Selectwoman Patricia Llodra & Gov. Dan Malloy. This AP photo of people waiting outside Newtown high school is pretty powerful:

A law enforcement official confirmed to the Wall Street Journal's Tamer El-Ghobashy that the rifle used by the shooter was a Bushmaster XM-15, which looks like this:

4:15 p.m.: Lt. Vance just finished another briefing with reporters. Adam Lanza was identified as the shooter by police for the first time, and his death was officially confirmed as a suicide. Vance acknowledged that the AR-15 rifle was the primary weapon used, and confirmed the existence of a fourth weapon at the scene of the crime. Vance said Lanza had "multiple high-capacity" magazines that had around 30 bullets each for the rifle. Lanza fired "hundreds" of rounds and had hundreds left when the shooting was over, Vance said. He couldn't confirm a motive, or exactly how many rounds were fired.

Also, the President landed in Connecticut:

It will take him approximately an hour to get to Newtown.

3:15 p.m.: The President departed for Newtown in Air Force One moments ago. He's travelling with aides Valerie Jarrett & David Plouffe, photographer Pete Souza, speechwriter Cody Keenan & Marvin Nicholson, according to the White House pool report. Keenan was the same speechwriter who helped him pen his speech in Tuscon after the Giffords shooting, The Hill's Amie Parnes points out. Obama will land in east Granby and drive to Newtown in the motorcade. It's about an hour's drive, according to Google Maps.

1:47 p.m.: A church representative speaking to a reporter for Ora.TV said the church received a phone call this morning. The man on the other end of the line repeated, "I'm coming to kill," multiple times during the conversation. Police are still investigating.

The coroner also revealed that Nancy Lanza died of "multiple gunshot wounds to the head," while Adam died of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound.

1:18 p.m.: The Connecticut Post reports the SWAT teams and state police didn't find anything in the church or a building next to it, where the bomb was believed to be. NBC News now saying police officials have given the "all clear" sign. It should be noted that police officials have no confirmed anything.

1:13 p.m.: St. Rose Church was evacuated in the middle of its Sunday morning mass, the Hartford Courant reports. The New York Times says the evacuation came after someone called in a "credible threat" to the church. The Associated Press is saying there was a bomb threat.

1 p.m.: There was supposed to be an update to this post earlier this morning but apparently it was lost in the gears somewhere. Our apologies.

The Hartford Courant published a must-read "tick-tock" re-telling of the shooting. It's the most complete, succinct story of events we've seen. It confirms what we gathered from multiple reports, like the detail that Lanza shot the glass on the partitions beside the school's front doors until he could pass through. The most notable new detail is this bit about his computer:

Otherwise, it was a relatively quiet night that didn't yield too much new information. The White House announced the President would be coming to Newtown Sunday evening. It was previously reported that his pre-arrival team was scouting the city on Saturday. The President will be meeting with grieving families during his visit:

Lt. Vance also gave a quick press conference Sunday morning. "There's nothing new to report relative to the investigation," he told reporters. The biggest thing he talked about was the spread of misinformation online. "There has been misinformation posing from people as the shooter in this case" spreading online, he said. Vance also promised anyone giving out false information and representing it as coming from police officials on social media would be tracked down and prosecuted. When asked if police know a possible motive yet, Vance told reporters, "for us to be able to give you a summary of the motive, we have to complete the investigation... that's not going to come very quickly."

In a disturbing piece of news, the Associated Press reports a man in Indiana was arrested this weekend for threatening to shoot up an elementary school. He owned 47 guns. With the ammunition also found in his house, it was all worth of $100,000.

Everyone is sharing this touching essay by Liza Long about a parent dealing with raising a son with mental problems. "I am Adam Lanza's mother," she writes. The two most important things you should read today are the Hartford Courant story and this. Just make sure you have tissues nearby.

There also appears to be a developing story at a church in Newtown. This guy has a camera on the ground, and reporters from the Courant and FoxCT are on their way now. The church was evacuated and it looks like state police are on the scene:

Saturday, 5 p.m.: The full list of victims has been released. Of the staff members killed, all six were women. Of the children killed, eight were boys and 12 were girls. No one was older than seven or younger than six years old. Each victim, according to the medical examiner was shot multiple times at close range. And then there's this:

4 p.m.: The medical examiner just spoke briefly with reporters to confirm that all the victims (the full list of names and ages is here) died of multiple gunshot wounds. "I believe everybody was hit more than once," he told reporters. He also said he believed that the rifle was the primary weapon Lanza used. When asked if any of the victims suffered, he said, "if so, not for very long."

The New York Daily News reports the Lanza family used to go to target practice together. "They went target shooting as a family,' landscaper Dan Holmes told The Daily News. 'That was a passion. The whole family would go together.'"

The Guardian's Adam Gabbatt snapped this picture of a few insensitive photographers at a prayer service in Newtown this morning that went pretty viral:

Sort of in response to that, sort of in response to the general descending of every media outlet on his town, one Newtown resident wrote a scathing open letter to the media on Reddit this morning that's a pretty interesting read. Basically, he wants every journalist here to take a step back, a deep breathe, and to let community mourn for a few minutes.

Elsewhere, the New York Times' Thomas Kaplan spoke with Newtown's superintendant who said there's "no evidence" that Nancy Lanza was a substitute at the school.

Speaking of heroes, based on comments from the superintendant and another school official, we now know how exactly Dawn Hochsprung and Mary Sherlach died. They were throwing themselves at Lanza and trying to take him down when they were shot.

1:07 p.m.: NBC News has more details up about the "altercation" between Lanza and four school officials that happened the day before the shooting. Three of the four school employees involved were killed on Friday. The fourth wasn't at school that day and is now being interviewed by state and federal officials.

NBC is also backing up the AP's report that Lanza had four handguns when he entered the school, plus the rifle waiting outside. CNN is reporting he also had three rifles at a second location.

NBC previously reported Lanza tried to buy another rifle last week at a sporting goods store, but ultimately didn't because of the state's waiting period.

11:57 a.m.: We have two stories up this morning outside of this space looking at some of the reported heroes from yesterday's shooting, and at the information available on the Lanza family's connection to Sandy Hook Elementary.

In semi-related news, there was apparently a foiled school shooting plot in Tulsa Friday.

11 a.m.: The Hartford Courant's Dave Altimari reports how Lanza gained access to the school:

10:35 a.m.: Despite our initial expectations, state police official Lt. Paul Vance speaking moments ago did not release the list of victims. Officials did say Lanza forced his way into the school but wouldn't elaborate how. Reporters tried to ask if he went in through a window but Vance wouldn't confirm. Vance said they found evidence at the scene at the house that gave them a good indication of the "how and why" the crime happened. Vance said he would be back soon with more information. The state police press statement can be found here.

NBC News is reporting that Lanza brought four handguns into the school along with the rifle, and also that Lanza went to a sporting goods store and was denied the right to buy another rifle earlier this week. They're also saying there was an "altercation" between Lanza and school officials on December 13, but it's unclear why.

10:15 a.m.: Press conference is live now:

9:30 a.m.: It appears there's been a slight delay with the press conference. It's currently 9:20 a.m. and it was supposed to start at 8 a.m. Fox CT's Ryan Bernat reports the start of the conference has been pushed back. We'll keep posting the embedded player with the latest update in the live blog.

The Associated Press reports there was a fourth weapon found outside Sandy Hook Elementary. We previously knew about a Glock 9mm pistol, a Sig-Sauer pistol, and a civilian version of the military's M4 carbine. It's unclear right now what kind of gun the fourth

8:00 a.m.: Police officials are about to brief the complete list of victims any minute now. Watch live here courtesy of NBC News.

7:27 a.m.: We're parsing through overnight reports while we wait for the the 8 a.m. press conference with policie officials where we're expected to confirm the names ages of the victims.

This is Saturday morning's front page of the Hartford Courant:

Via Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitch, The Boston Globe's Dan Wasserman's editorial cartoon Saturday morning is pretty powerful:

7:05 a.m.: The President offered his thoughts and prayers to the families in his weekly address Saturday morning, saying the U.S. has, "endured far too many of these tragedies in the last few years," and advocating the country, "come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this. Regardless of the politics."

The complete transcript of his address:

Friday, 9:34 p.m.: We're breaking for the night. We'll be back at 8 a.m. for the press conference that will identify all positively identified victims and potentially confirm the name of the shooter, as well as provide other emerging news.

9:30 p.m.: According to this recent tweet, the shooter was armed with extensive amounts of ammunition.

9:27 p.m.: From The Wall Street Journal, Nancy Lanza may not have been a teacher at the school: "'No one has heard of her,' said Lillian Bittman, who served on the local school board until 2011. 'Teachers don’t know her.'” Per ABC News, "State and federal authorities believe his mother may have once worked at the elementary school where Adam went on his deadly rampage, although she was not a teacher, according to relatives, perhaps a volunteer."

9:13 p.m.: Via Hypervocal, here's a group hug outside St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, which was filled to capacity during tonight's vigil in Newtown. AP photo by Charles Krupa.

8:35 p.m.: A source has told Hearst Connecticut Newspapers that Obama will be in Newtown and Danbury on Saturday, the Connecticut Post has tweeted:

(Update: The Connecticut Post has corrected its reporting — the president will not be visiting Newtown Saturday.)

8:06 p.m.: Vance, speaking to CNN's Soledad O'Brien, says they'll be processing the crime scene until Sunday and that the bodies of the children and adults killed remain in the school where they fell, and will still be there until Sunday. Parents have not been allowed to see the bodies of their children. "We will leave no stone unturned" in pursuit of answering the questions of how and why this happened, says Vance. At this time he would not confirm the name of the shooter or whether he had "a personality disorder" or "a mental disorder."

7:53 p.m.: The last press briefing from Vance of the evening ends, with promises to return at 8 a.m. to update as to the progression of the investigation overnight and issue a full list of positively identified victims. "Everybody's all hands on deck," he said.

7:47 p.m.: A press conference with law enforcement is happening now, and can be watched here. "It's a horrific scene ... we've never seen anything like this," says Lt. J. Paul Vance, spokesman for Connecticut State Police. He says the police response was instantaneous after 911 calls earlier today, and that it prevented the loss of further lives. In a heartbreaking note, because no positive I.D.s have yet been made, parents who were not reunited with their children today learned "by the process of elimination" that they likely never would be.

7:35 p.m.: CNN reports that Sandy Hook's principal, Dawn Hochsprung, had only recently implemented a new security system at the school, but that the system didn't go into effect each day until 9:30 a.m., by which time the gunmen is thought to have entered the building.

7:28 p.m.: "I bring and extend the condolences of the entirety of this state," Gov. Malloy says at the town vigil.

7:00 p.m.: ABC News has a photo of Adam Lanza from 2005 and reports that he died of a "self-inflicted gunshot wound."

6:57 p.m.: A vigil is set to begin shortly at St. Rose of Lima in Newtown.

6:46 p.m.: NBC News is reporting that Adam Lanza used guns that his mother bought legally and were registered to her and then drove her car to the school. Lanza reportedly shot his mother at the home where they both lived.

6 p.m. "Evil visited this community today," Governor Malloy said in the latest briefing. We're awaiting word from Vance who is expected to speak shortly.

5:10 p.m. Although Vance is not revealing the identity of the shooter, federal law enforcement officials are confirming with ABC News that the gunman is Adam Lanza, echoing the reports from The Post and the AP. ABC's Russell Goldman adds: 

This sheds more light on an earlier report from Newtown Patch in which Lanza blamed the shooting on his "developmentally disabled brother."

4:56 p.m. "I'm not gonna confirm the identity of the shooter right now... We will identify at the appropriate time." said Paul Vance of Connecticut State Police in his latest briefing. Vance didn't reveal too much and still has not said if the shooter was killed or if he committed suicide, but he did say that there would be another briefing just before 6 p.m. Vance did confirm the three different guns that were found at the scene.

3:54 p.m. This is confusing, and we are going to get this sorted for you. The New York Post is reporting that the shooter is Adam Lanza not Ryan; the AP is also confirming that the shooter is Adam Lanza.  NBC is reporting that the shooter was carrying his brother's identification, hence the confusion. CNN is no longer identifying the shooter as Ryan Lanza:

CNN was the first network to identify the shooter.

Newtown Patch has this exclusive on the Adam/Ryan Lanza confusion.:

3:35 p.m.: Connecticut Dan Malloy's press conference has begun. Malloy had confirmed that the perpetrator and an individual he lived with are now dead. Lt. Paul Vance has given us a death toll: 18 children and six adults died at the scene which Vance says is one section of the school and occurred in two rooms; two children died at the hospital. The official death toll is at 27, and confirms at least one fatality at another crime scene. Vance has also confirmed that there is a secondary crime scene, which we think to be the Lanza-connected homes in Connecticut.

You can watch along with us here:

We're going to attempt to pick apart and edit all these reports of various reports of Lanza family members being found dead. His mother, officials say, was a teacher at the school and there are reports that she and many of her students were killed at the school. A body was found in a Connecticut home close to the school, which is reported to be another of his relatives, but it could also possibly be his mother.

3:15 p.m.: Another facet of the Lanza mystery, the AP is reporting that two people close to Lanza are missing:

3:15 p.m.: "Our hearts are broken today, " Obama said. He's in the middle of his statement and is tearing up and having trouble keeping it together. "As a country we've been through this too many times..." he added.

3:00 p.m.: Lanza's brother is being held in custody and questioning:

2:47 p.m.: Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy is scheduled to speak at 3:30 p.m.

2:41 p.m.: There are confusing reports regarding Lanza's parents. There are reports that one of his parents was killed and his body was found in a residence. Where that is exactly is unclear. NBC had reported the body was found in a New Jersey home. The Hartford Courant says a body was found in Connecticut:

Yogananda street is where a Nancy Lanza lives.

2:27 p.m.: President Obama is expected to make a statement at 3:15 p.m.

2:24 p.m.: Here's the apparent connection between the shooter and the school: the gunman's mother is reportedly a kindergarten teacher at the school and was one of those killed. There are reports that her students were among those killed.

2:18 p.m. NBC is has more information on the body that was found at a home connected to the shooter. It appears to be his father.

2:10 p.m.: This is an uncomfirmed report: the News-Times is reporting that the death toll is now at 29. Again, police officers will not confirm the official number until all of the victims' families have been notified.

2:06 p.m. A federal law official has told CNN that the death toll is close to 30—again, state police officials are waiting to contact all of the victims' families before releasing an official number.

2:01 p.m.: CBS is reporting that police have reportedly found two bodies at the house they are investigating which is reportedly connected to the shooter—there were unconfirmed reports that the house is the home of the shooter's mother.  The gun used in the massacre, the AP is reporting, is a .223-caliber rifle.

1:54 p.m.: Police are now confirming that both students and staff are among those killed. This was reported, but not confirmed by police until now:

1:40 p.m.: The press conference has started. They're not giving us a death toll and not giving any specifics other than that the 911 call happened shortly after 9:30 a.m. EDT. They are still in the process of contacting families and it appears they will not release more information until all of the victims' families are notified. The police said that they have obtained search warrants.

1:32 p.m. The AP is reporting that the suspected gunman has ties to the school. This could be the same information CBS is working with and what we reported on earlier—that one shooter is the father of a student there.

1:26 p.m.: NPR's Andy Carvin has this chilling tidbit:

1:20 p.m.: ABC News is reporting that one shooter was a 24-year-old in a bulletproof vest and four guns.

1:18 p.m.: CBS is reporting that one gunman is the father of a student.

1:16 p.m. It's important to remember that the reports are still coming in and information right now is still being confirmed. That said, CBS is reiterating that they believe the shooter is dead and that authorities have a suspect/person of interest in custody—it's not known if the second person in custody is a second shooter.

1:12 p.m. You can tune into the press conference along with us here, via NBC News—it's slated to start any minute:

1:09 p.m: Ayanna Harry, a reporter for a New Haven Fox affiliate, is reporting that state police have arrived at the suspect's home.

1:06 p.m.: CBS News is doing a great job with their livestream and coverage. If a television isn't close by, you can tune in here:

1:04 p.m.: President Obama was notified of the school shooting this morning and has expressed sympathy for the victims. Spokesman Jay Carney addressed the shooting during his press briefing today:

12:50 p.m.: The Courant reports that "One entire classroom is unaccounted for outside the school" though isn't clear if that means they are missing, or gathered somewhere else.

12:39 p.m.: John Miller of CBS News says 27 people are dead, including 14 children. Miller also report the suspect was about 20 years old, possibly a parent of a student.

12:37 p.m.: Parents interviewed by ABC-TV say that under normal conditions, anyone enter the school during the day must be ring a bell and be let inside by school officials, suggesting that the gunman was known, possibly a parent.

12:32 p.m.: In a shocking development, ABC News is now reporting that more than a dozen peole were killed in the shooting.

12:28 p.m.: Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy has arrived on the scene and is being briefed on the situtation, according to NBC News.

12:19 p.m.: The Danbury News Times reports that the school's principal, Dawn Hochsprung, was also killed.

12:09 p.m.: CBS News is reporting that one child has died:

12:07 p.m.: 

11:51 a.m.: Parents with kids at the school are being allowed to pick up their children at a nearby staging area, but must provide ID to gather their children.

11:40: Here's a brief recap of links to updated local coverage.

11:13 a.m.: Another unconfirmed report says that the principal, one teacher, and two children were shot and that both the children were killed. That report from Spencer Brooks of WGGB.

Here's two photos from the scene, courtesy of ABC-7's helicopter. ABC is also reporting that two gunmen were indeed involved.

Original Post: WFSB is reporting that one teacher was shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School, while FOX-CT says there are "multiple injuries." According to its website, Sandy Hook is a school for kindergarten through fourth grade students. Parents are being told to stay by the phone, as the entire district is being placed on lockdown. The FBI has joined the first responders on the scene.

The Hartford Courant says that "shortly after 9:40 a.m., police reported that a shooter was in the main office of the school." Witnesses say at least one child was carried out of the school by a police officer and appeared to be wounded.

The Courant also says there are unconfirmed reports of two shooters—one dead and one at large. They published the photo on the right of firefighters and first responders on the scene.

As of 11:00 a.m., both ABC and Courant are reporting that the shooter is dead. No word yet on any of the victims, though there are reports that one teach was shot in the foot. The report of a second shooter remains unconfirmed.

Here is live news feed from local NBC Channel 2.

The Newtown Bee published this first photo of children being led away from the school by police officers.