S. Samuel
Nearly 30 people have been killed after a man entered a Connecticut school Friday (December 14) morning shooting his mother, children and more before turning the weapon on himself.
According to reports, the fatal shooting is already getting described as one of the worst in United States’ history.
Twenty-nine people, including 22 children, have been killed in a shooting at a US school, one of the worst gun massacres in the country’s history. A law enforcement official said the suspect in the attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, is a 20-year-old man with links to the school. Another official said the gunman was killed and apparently had two guns, one of which was a .223-calibre rifle. (Belfast Telegraph)
One nine-year-old student gave an account of Friday morning’s massacre.
“We were in the gym, and I heard really loud bangs,” said the boy, as he stood shivering and weeping outside the school with his father’s arms draped around him. “We thought that someone was knocking something over. And we heard yelling, and we heard gunshots. We heard lots of gunshots. We heard someone say, ‘Put your hands up.’ I heard, ‘Don’t shoot.’ We had to go into the closet in the gym. Then someone came and told us to run down the hallway. There were police at every door. There were lots of people crying and screaming.” (New York Times)
The shooter’s mother reportedly taught at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
UPDATE: According to NBC News, the shooter has been identified as 24-year-old Ryan Lanza. Lanza’s mother was reportedly a teacher at the elementary school. UPDATE 11:56 AM: An official with knowledge of a shooting at a Connecticut elementary school says 27 people are dead, including 18 children. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still under way. (Hays Post)
See below for coverage on the massive shooting:
