Dozens dead, including 20 children, in one of the worst massacres in US history

Published: 14 December, 2012, 19:33
Edited: 15 December, 2012, 04:10

More than two dozen people, including as many as 20 children, have been killed during a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut outside of New York City early Friday.

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According to preliminary reports, a gunman opened fire inside of an office at Sandy Hook Elementary at around 9:40 a.m. Friday. Police have verified that the suspected shooter has been found dead on the scene.

Three weapons have been recovered from the slain gunman, identified by law enforcement as 20-year-old, Adam Lanza. Police say the suspect was the son of Nancy Lanza, a kindergarten teacher at Sandy Hook, who was also among the dead. Her body was found in her son's residence in Newton, a law enforcement source told CNN. The suspect’s older brother, Ryan, is being questioned by the authorities.

There also have reports that guns used in the rampage were legally purchased and  registered to the suspected shooter's mother.

The Associated Press reports that Lanza's girlfriend and another friend are missing in New Jersey.

Multiple media outlets are reporting that the school’s principal and psychologist are also among the deceased. Police are currently searching for the suspect's girlfriend and another person who have been reported missing.

Both state and local police are still on the scene at Sandy Hook and the superintendent has ordered all schools in the district, both public and private, to be placed on lockdown. Lt. J. Paul Vance of the state police department said that both on-duty and off-duty officers responded to the emergency.

Shady Hook, around 12 miles from the town of Danbury, CT, normally has around 600 students in grades kindergarten through four.

Mark Boughton, mayor of Danbury, tells CNN three victims have been sent to a hospital in his city in “very serious” condition, though he declined to comment on their age or identity.

Upon being appointed as principal of Sandy Hook in 2010, Dawn Hochsprung told the Newtown Bee, "I don't think you could find a more positive place to bring students to every day.”

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