LATEST: 27 people dead, 20 victims are children after ADAM LANZA, 20, opened fire at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Ct. The shooter is dead. 2nd deadliest kill spree in US history after Va. Tech.
12:15 pm PT 3:15 pm ET Lanza reportedly first murdered his mother Nancy at their Conn. home AND then blasted, students and staff inside the school where she taught. Adam WAS initially reported by media as Ryan Lanza, 24 – Adam had his brother's ID on him.
11:17pm PT 2:17 pm ET The gunman's body was found inside a classroom along with his firearms, reported CBS local affiliate WTIC. He was reportedly 20-years-old, from New Jersey and the father of one of the students. There are reports the gunman was dressed in all-black and was wearing a bullet proof vest.
The killer apparently fired over 100 rounds from two 9mm handguns, beginning the wave of bullets in the kindergarten classroom. A dark colored car that is suspected to belong to the killer has been taped off in the parking lot.
10:50 pm PT1:50 pm ET A law enforcement official says the attacker is a 20-year-old man with ties to the school. The official said that a gun used in the attacks is a .223-caliber rifle. The official also said that New Jersey state police are searching a location in that state in connection with the shootings, Fox Detroit reported.
CBS News reports 27 people are dead in the school shooting and that at least 14 of the victims are children. There’s also a report that the school’s principal is among the dead. The gunman’s body was found in a classroom and there are unconfirmed reports the shooter was the father of one of the students at the school. It is not known if police killed him or if he took his own life.
9:30 am PT/ 12:30 pm ET UPDATE: ABC News is now reporting that more than a dozen people have been shot and killed, including children.
In yet another reminder of Columbine, the FBI, SWAT teams, and state police are assisting local police at the scene of a shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut Friday. There are reports of multiple victims, including teachers and children, although specific details about their conditions is not known, but ABC News reports the gunman has been killed.
The shooting happened around 9:40 a.m. ET. Friday at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, which is in northern Fairfield County, about 45 miles southwest of Hartford and 80 miles northeast of New York City. The school has 600 students – from kindergarten to fourth grade.
The Newtown Bee newspaper posted a photo of a group of young students — some crying, others looking visibly frightened — being escorted by adults through a parking lot in a line, hands on each other's shoulders.
Newtown Public School District secretary of superintendent Kathy June said in a statement that all of the district's schools were on lock down as a precaution.
"The district is taking preventive measures by putting all schools in lockdown until we ensure the safety of all students and staff," she said.
