Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting | |
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Police arrive in front of the elementary school after the shooting. | |
Location | Sandy Hook, Connecticut, U.S. |
Coordinates | 41°25′12″N 73°16′43″W / 41.42000°N 73.27861°WCoordinates: 41°25′12″N 73°16′43″W / 41.42000°N 73.27861°W[1] |
Date |
December 14, 2012 9:35 am – 9:40 am[2][3][4] EST (UTC−05:00) |
Target | Students and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School |
Attack type | School shooting, murder–suicide, matricide, spree shooting |
Weapons |
Bushmaster XM15-E2S Glock 20SF |
Deaths | 28 total; 27 at the school (including perpetrator) and perpetrator's mother[5][6] |
Non-fatal injuries | 2[7] |
Perpetrator | Adam Peter Lanza[8][9] |
Defender | Victoria Leigh Soto, Dawn Hochsprung, Mary Sherlach, Lauren Rousseau, Rachel D'Avino, Anne Marie Murphy (all received Presidential Citizens Medal posthumously)[10] |
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children aged between 6 and 7 years old, as well as six adult staff members.[5][6] Prior to driving to the school, Lanza shot and killed his mother at their Newtown home.[8][11][12] As first responders arrived at the scene, Lanza committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.
The incident was the deadliest mass shooting at a high school or grade school in U.S. history and the second-deadliest mass shooting by a single person in U.S. history, after the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings.[13][14][15] The shooting prompted renewed debate about gun control in the United States, including proposals for making the background-check system universal, and for new federal and state gun legislation banning the sale and manufacture of certain types of semi-automatic firearms and magazines with more than ten rounds of ammunition.[16][17] A November 2013 report issued by the Connecticut State Attorney's office concluded that Lanza acted alone and planned his actions, but no evidence collected provided any indication as to why he did so, or why he targeted the school.[18]
Background
As of November 30, 2012, 456 children were enrolled in kindergarten through fourth grade at Sandy Hook Elementary School.[19] The school's security protocols had recently been upgraded, requiring visitors to be individually admitted after visual and identification review by video monitor. Doors to the school were locked at 9:30 am each day, after morning arrivals.[20]
Newtown is located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, about 60 miles (100 km) outside New York City.[21] Violent crime had been rare in the town of 28,000 residents; there was only one homicide in the town in the ten years prior to the school shooting.[22]
Shooting
List of casualties[23][24][25] |
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Some time before 9:30 a.m. EST on Friday December 14, 2012, Lanza shot and killed his mother Nancy Lanza, aged 52, at their Newtown home with a .22-caliber Savage MK II-F bolt action rifle.[12] Investigators later found her body clad in pajamas, in her bed, with four gunshot wounds to her head.[28] Lanza then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School.[11][12]
Shortly after 9:35 a.m., using his mother's Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle,[29][30][31] Lanza shot his way through a glass panel next to the locked front entrance doors of the school.[32][33][34] He was wearing black clothing, yellow earplugs, sunglasses,[35] an olive green utility vest, and was carrying magazines for the rifle.[36] Initial reports, which had stated that he had been wearing body armor, were incorrect.[37] Some of those present heard the initial shots on the school intercom system, which was being used for morning announcements.[20]
Principal Dawn Hochsprung and school psychologist Mary Sherlach were meeting with other faculty members when they heard, but did not recognize, gunshots. Hochsprung, Sherlach, and lead teacher Natalie Hammond went into the hall to determine the source of the sounds and encountered Lanza. A faculty member who was at the meeting said that the three women called out "Shooter! Stay put!" which alerted their colleagues to the danger and saved their lives.[38] A teacher hiding in the math lab heard school janitor Rick Thorne yell "Put the gun down!" An aide heard gunshots. Thorne survived.[39] Lanza killed both Hochsprung and Sherlach.[40] Hammond was hit first in the leg, and then sustained another gunshot wound. She lay still in the hallway and then, not hearing any more noise, crawled back to the conference room and pressed her body against the door to keep it closed.[41] She was later treated at Danbury Hospital.[40][42]
A nine-year-old boy stated that he heard the shooter say: "Put your hands up!" and someone else say "Don't shoot!" He also heard many people yelling and many gunshots over the intercom, while he, his classmates, and his teacher took refuge in a closet in the gymnasium.[43] Diane Day, a school therapist who had been at the faculty meeting with Hochsprung, heard screaming, followed by more gunshots. A second teacher, who was a substitute kindergarten teacher, was wounded in the attack. While she was closing a door further down the hallway, she was hit in the foot with a bullet that ricocheted. Lanza never entered her classroom.[7][44][45]
After killing Hochsprung and Sherlach, Lanza entered the main office, but apparently did not see the people hiding there, and returned to the hallway.[34] School nurse Sarah (Sally) Cox,[46][47] 60, hid under a desk in her office. She later described seeing the door opening and Lanza's boots and legs facing her desk from approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) away. He remained standing for a few seconds before turning around and leaving. She and the school secretary Barbara Halstead called 9-1-1 and hid in a first-aid supply closet for as long as four hours.[48] Custodian Rick Thorne ran through hallways, alerting classrooms.[49]
Lanza then entered a first-grade classroom where Lauren Rousseau, a substitute teacher, had herded her first grade students to the back of the room, and was trying to hide them in a bathroom, when Lanza forced his way into the classroom.[44] Rousseau, Rachel D'Avino (a behavioral therapist who had been employed for a week at the school to work with a special needs student), and fifteen students in Rousseau's class were all killed. Fourteen of the children were dead at the scene; one injured child was taken to a hospital for treatment, but was later declared dead.[41] Most of the teachers and students were found crowded together in the bathroom.[50] A six-year-old girl, the sole survivor, was found by police in the classroom following the shooting.[41] The surviving girl was hidden in one of the corners of the classroom's bathroom during the shooting.[51] The girl's family pastor said that she survived the mass shooting by remaining still, and playing dead. When she reached her mother, she said, "Mommy, I'm okay, but all my friends are dead." The child described the shooter as "a very angry man."[52][53] A girl hiding in a bathroom with two teachers told police that she heard a boy in the classroom screaming, "Help me! I don't want to be here!" to which Lanza responded, "Well, you're here," followed by more hammering sounds.[54]
Lanza next went to another first-grade classroom nearby; at this point, there are conflicting reports about the order of events. According to some reports, the classroom's teacher, Victoria Leigh Soto, had concealed some of the students in a closet or bathroom, and some of the other students were hiding under desks.[44] Soto was walking back to the classroom door to lock it when Lanza entered the classroom.[55] Lanza walked to the back of the classroom, saw the children under the desks, and shot them. First grader Jesse Lewis shouted at his classmates to run for safety, which several of them did. Lewis was looking at Lanza when Lanza fatally shot him.[56] Another account, given by a surviving child's father, said that Soto had moved the children to the back of the classroom, and that they were seated on the floor when Lanza entered. According to this account, neither Lanza nor any of the occupants of the classroom spoke. Lanza stared at the people on the floor, pointed the gun at a boy seated there, but did not fire at the boy, who ultimately survived.[57] The boy got up and ran out of the classroom and was among the survivors.[54] A Hartford Courant report said that six of the children who escaped did so when Lanza stopped shooting, either because his weapon jammed or he erred in reloading it.[44] Earlier reports said that, as Lanza entered her classroom, Soto told him that the children were in the auditorium. When several of the children came out of their hiding places and tried to run for safety, Lanza fatally shot them. Soto put herself between her students and the shooter, who then fatally shot her.[58] Anne Marie Murphy, the teacher's aide who worked with special-needs students in Soto's classroom, was found covering six-year-old Dylan Hockley, who also died.[59][60] Soto and four children were found dead in the classroom, Soto near the north wall of the room with a set of keys nearby.[41]:14 One child was taken to the hospital, but was pronounced dead.[41]:14 Six surviving children from the class and a school bus driver took refuge at a nearby home.[61] According to the official report released by the state's attorney, nine children ran from Soto's classroom and survived, while two children were found by police hiding in a class bathroom.[41]:14 In all, 11 children from Soto's class survived.[56] Five of Soto's students were killed.[62]
First grade teacher Kaitlin Roig, aged 29, hid 14 students in a bathroom and barricaded the door, telling them to be completely quiet to remain safe.[63][64] It is believed that Lanza bypassed her classroom, which was the first classroom on the left side of the hallway; possibly because, following a lockdown drill weeks earlier, Roig had failed to remove a piece of black construction paper that was covering the small window in her classroom door. Lanza may have assumed that Roig's classroom was empty because the door was closed and the window covered.[44]
School library staff Yvonne Cech and Maryann Jacob first hid 18 children in a part of the library the school used for lockdown in practice drills. Discovering that one door would not lock, they had the children crawl into a storage room, where Cech barricaded the door with a filing cabinet.[5][43][65]
Music teacher Maryrose Kristopik, 50, barricaded her fourth-graders in a tiny supply closet during the rampage.[66] Lanza arrived moments later, pounding the door and yelling, "Let me in," while the students in Kristopik's class quietly hid inside.[67]
Two third-grade students, chosen as classroom helpers, were walking down the hallway to the office to deliver the morning attendance sheet as the shooting began. Teacher Abbey Clements pulled both children into her classroom, where they hid.[68]
Laura Feinstein, a reading specialist at the school, gathered two students from outside her classroom and hid with them under desks after they heard gunshots.[69] Feinstein called the school office and tried to call 911, but could not connect, due to the lack of reception on her cell phone. She hid with the children for approximately 40 minutes, at which point law enforcement came to lead them out of the room.[70]
The police heard the final shot at 9:40:03 a.m; they believe that it was Lanza shooting himself in the lower rear portion of his head with the Glock 20SF in classroom 10.[71] Lanza was found wearing a pale green pocket vest over a black polo shirt, over a black T-shirt, black sneakers, black fingerless gloves, black socks, and a black canvas belt.[71][72] Other objects found in the vicinity of Lanza include a black boonie hat and thin frame glasses. The Glock was found, apparently jammed, near Lanza, and the rifle was found several feet away from him.[71] A 9 mm Sig Sauer P226, which was not fired during the incident, was found on the shooter's person.[73]
Authorities determined that Lanza reloaded frequently during the shootings, sometimes firing only fifteen rounds from a thirty-round magazine.[74] He shot all but two of his victims multiple times.[75] One victim, six-year-old Noah Pozner, was shot multiple times.[76] Most of the shooting took place in two first-grade classrooms near the entrance of the school.[77] The students among the victims totaled eight boys and twelve girls, all between six and seven years of age,[78] and the six adults were all women who worked at the school. Bullets were also found in at least three cars parked outside the school, leading police to believe that he was firing at a teacher who was standing near a window.[44][74] When police interviewed survivors, a teacher recalled hearing Lanza curse, saying such things as, "Look at me!" and "Come over here!" and "Look at them!"[54]
Police response
First Response Timeline [41] | |
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Time | Event |
9:35 am | Shooter is believed to first enter SHES. |
9:35:39 am | First 911 call to Newtown Police is received. |
9:36:06 am | 911 dispatcher broadcasts shooting at SHES. |
9:37:38 am | Connecticut State Police dispatched to SHES. |
9:39:00 am | First Newtown police arrives behind SHES. |
9:39:13 am | Two more Newtown officers arrive at SHES. |
9:40:03 am | Last shot heard. Believed to be shooter's suicide. |
9:42:39 am | Newtown police reports shooter's car license plate. |
9:44:47 am | Newtown police officers enter SHES. |
9:46:23 am | Connecticut State Police arrive at SHES. |
9:46:48 am | Connecticut State Police enter SHES. |
The first call to 911 was around 9:35 am. Newtown 911 police dispatch first broadcast that there was a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary (SHES) at 9:36 am, about thirty seconds after they received the first call.[79] Connecticut State Police (CSP) were dispatched at 9:37 am.[63] Newtown police arrived at the school street at 9:39 am, approximately four and a half minutes after the 911 call and Connecticut State Police arrived at the school street at 9:46 am. Newtown police first entered the school at 9:45 am, approximately ten minutes after the first 911 call and approximately fourteen minutes after the shooting had started. This was approximately five minutes after the last shot was heard.[41] No shots were fired by the police.[3][80]
The Newtown police and Connecticut State Police mobilized local police dog and police tactical units, a bomb squad, and a state police helicopter.[81] Police locked down the school and began evacuating the survivors room by room, escorting groups of students and adults away from the school. They swept the school for other shooters at least four times.
At approximately 10:00 am, Danbury Hospital sent extra medical personnel in expectation of having to treat numerous victims. Three wounded patients were evacuated to the hospital, where two children were later declared dead.[82] The other was an unidentified adult.[7]
The New York City medical examiner dispatched a portable morgue to assist the authorities.[20] The victims' bodies were removed from the school and formally identified during the night after the shooting.[83][84] A state trooper was assigned to each victim's family to protect their privacy and provide them with information.
On December 4, 2013, seven 911 calls relating to the shooting were made public.[85]
Investigation
On-site
Investigators did not find a suicide note or any messages referring to the planning of the attack.[72][86] Janet Robinson, superintendent of Newtown schools, said she had not found any connection between Lanza's mother and the school in contrast to initial media reports that stated Lanza's mother had worked there.[5][87] Police also investigated whether Lanza was the person who had been in an altercation with four staff members at Sandy Hook School the day before the massacre. It was presumed that he killed two of the four staff members involved in the altercation (the principal and the psychologist) and wounded the third (the lead teacher) in the attack; the fourth staff member was not at the school that day.[88] The state police stated that they did not know of any reports about any altercations at the school.[89]
Police sources initially reported Lanza's sibling, Ryan Lanza, as the perpetrator. This was likely because the perpetrator was carrying his brother's identification, Ryan told The Jersey Journal.[90] Lanza's brother voluntarily submitted to questioning by New Jersey State Police, Connecticut State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Police said he was not considered a suspect, and he was not taken into custody.[11][91] Ryan Lanza said he had not been in touch with his brother since 2010.[92][93] Connecticut State Police indicated their concern about misinformation being posted on social media sites and threatened prosecution of anyone involved with such activities.[94]
A large quantity of unused ammunition was recovered inside the school along with three semi-automatic firearms found with Lanza: a .223-caliber Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle, a 10mm Glock 20SF handgun, and a 9mm SIG Sauer P226 handgun.[28][29][30][31][95] Outside the school, an Izhmash Saiga-12 shotgun was found in the car Lanza had driven.[29][31]
Shortly after the shooting, police announced that Lanza used the rifle to kill the victims at the school.[96] At a press conference on December 15, Dr. H. Wayne Carver II, the Chief Medical Examiner of Connecticut, was asked about the wounds, and replied "All the ones that I know of at this point were caused by the long weapon."[5][97][98] When asked if the children suffered before dying, Carver replied by stating that "If so, not for very long".[99] Under Connecticut law at the time,[100] the 20-year-old Lanza was old enough to carry a long gun, such as a rifle or shotgun,[101] but too young to own or carry handguns.[102]
On March 28, 2013, court documents released from the investigation showed that the school shooting had occurred in the space of less than five minutes with 156 shots fired. This comprised 154 shots from the rifle and two shots from the 10mm pistol. Lanza fired one shot from the Glock in the hallway and killed himself with another shot from the pistol to the head.[103][104]
Off-site
Investigators evaluated Lanza's body, looking for evidence of drugs or medication through toxicology tests.[105] Unusual for an investigation of this type, DNA testing of Lanza was utilized.[106][107] The results of the toxicology report were published in October 2013, and stated that no alcohol or drugs were found in his system.[108] Lanza's autopsy showed no tumors or gross deformities in his brain.[109]
Lanza removed the hard drive from his computer and damaged it prior to the shooting, creating a challenge for investigators to recover data.[110] At the time of publication of the final report, it had not been possible to recover data from it.[72] Police believe that Lanza extensively researched earlier mass shootings, including the 2011 Norway attacks and the 2006 West Nickel Mines School shooting at a one-room school in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. Police found that Lanza had downloaded videos relating to the Columbine High School massacre, other shootings and two videos of suicide by gunshot.[111]
Details of the investigation were reported by law enforcement officials at a meeting of the International Association of Police Chiefs and Colonels held during the week of March 11, 2013. An article published in the New York Daily News on March 17, 2013, provided purported details of this report by an anonymous law enforcement veteran who had attended the meeting.[112] The source stated that the investigation had found that Lanza had created a 7-by-4-foot sized spreadsheet listing around 500 mass murderers and the weapons they used, which was considered to have taken years of work and to have been used by Lanza as a "score sheet".[112] On March 18, 2013, Lt. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police responded that the information from this meeting was "law enforcement sensitive information" and considered the release to be a leak.[113]
The March 28 documents also provided details on items found at Lanza's home, including three samurai swords, a newspaper article about the Northern Illinois University shooting, and a National Rifle Association certificate.[103] The NRA denied that Adam Lanza or Nancy Lanza were members and reporters noted that the NRA site provides training certificate completion templates for courses offered by NRA affiliated instructors.[114] A gun safe was found in a bedroom and investigators found more than 1,400 rounds of ammunition and other firearms.[115] At home, Lanza had access to three more firearms: a .45 Henry rifle, a .30 Enfield rifle, and a .22 Marlin rifle.[14][116][117][118] These were legally owned by Lanza's mother who was described as a gun enthusiast.[119][120] According to Time, authorities also found a photograph of Lanza holding a gun to his head at his home following his death.[121]
According to The New York Times, law enforcement officials commented that Lanza would spend most of his time in his basement doing solitary activities. According to the same officials, it also appeared that Lanza "may have taken target practice in the basement".[122]
Final report
The final report summarizing the investigation into the shooting was published on November 25, 2013. It concluded that Adam Lanza had acted alone, and that the case was closed. The report noted that "[Lanza] had a familiarity with and access to firearms and ammunition and an obsession with mass murders, in particular the April 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado." The report did not identify a specific motive for the shooting, stating, "The evidence clearly shows that the shooter planned his actions, including the taking of his own life, but there is no clear indication why he did so, or why he targeted Sandy Hook elementary school."[18][123]
On the question of Lanza's state of mind, the report noted "significant mental health issues that affected his ability to live a normal life and to interact with others, even those to whom he should have been close... What contribution this made to the shootings, if any, is unknown as those mental health professionals who saw him did not see anything that would have predicted his future behavior." The report found no evidence that Lanza had taken drugs or medication that would have affected his behavior, and observed, "'Why did the shooter murder twenty-seven people, including twenty children?' Unfortunately, that question may never be answered conclusively, despite the collection of extensive background information on the shooter through a multitude of interviews and other sources."[72][124]
On December 27, 2013, police released thousands of pages of documents pertaining to the investigation. In accordance with law, the names of victims and witnesses were redacted or withheld. The summary report included information about items found on Lanza's computer equipment, including writings and material about previous mass shootings.[125][126] A former teacher of Lanza noted that he exhibited antisocial behavior, rarely interacted with other students, and was obsessed with writing "about battles, destruction and war."[127]
Perpetrator
Adam Lanza | |
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Born |
Adam Peter Lanza April 22, 1992 Kingston, New Hampshire, U.S. |
Died |
December 14, 2012 20) Newtown, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged
Cause of death | Self-inflicted gunshot |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | None |
Parent(s) |
Peter Lanza (father) Nancy Lanza (mother) |
Motive | Inconclusive |
Killings | |
Date |
December 14, 2012 c. 9:35 am – c. 9:40 am |
Location(s) | Newtown, Connecticut, U.S. |
Target(s) | Students and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School |
Killed | 27 |
Injured | 2 |
Adam Peter Lanza (April 22, 1992 – December 14, 2012) and his mother lived in Sandy Hook, 5 miles (8 km) from the elementary school.[128] He did not have a criminal record at the time of the shooting.[8][129][130]
Education
Lanza attended Sandy Hook Elementary School for a brief time.[131] Afterward, he attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Newtown,[132] and then Newtown High School, where he was an honors student.[133] He was taken out of high school at the age of sixteen, and began attending Western Connecticut State University shortly thereafter.[134] Subsequent to his removal from high school, Lanza was home-schooled by his mother and father, and earned a GED.[135] Lanza's aunt said his mother removed him from the Newtown public school system because she was unhappy with the school district's plans for her son.[136] He attended Western Connecticut State University in 2008 and 2009.[135] Students and teachers who knew him in high school described Lanza as "intelligent, but nervous and fidgety". He avoided attracting attention and was uncomfortable socializing. He is not known to have had any close friends in school.[128]
Behavioral problems
Lanza was diagnosed with a sensory-integration disorder at the start of elementary school. When he was thirteen he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome by a psychiatrist, according to his father, Peter Lanza. Adam also had obsessive-compulsive disorder, being referred in October 2006 for treatment for his conditions, when behavioral-based therapy and the antidepressant Celexa were prescribed. Following objections from Nancy Lanza, the treatment was discontinued after four visits, and Lanza stopped taking the medication.[137] In a 2013 interview, Peter Lanza said he suspected his son might have also suffered from undiagnosed schizophrenia in addition to his other conditions. Lanza said that family members might have missed signs of the onset of schizophrenia and psychotic behavior during his son's adolescence because they mistakenly attributed his odd behavior and increasing isolation to Asperger syndrome.[134][138][139][140][141] Because of concerns that published accounts of Lanza's autism could result in a backlash against others with the condition, autism advocates campaigned to clarify that autism is a brain-related developmental disorder and not a mental illness.[142] The predatory aggression demonstrated by Lanza in the shooting is generally not seen in the autistic population.[143]
Sensory-processing disorder does not have official status by the medical community as a formal diagnosis but is frequently one of the characteristics of autism.[144] Kathleen A. Koenig, a nurse at the Yale Child Studies Center, said Lanza had symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder because he frequently washed his hands and changed his socks 20 times a day, to the point where his mother did three loads of laundry a day.[145] In addition, he would sometimes go through a box of tissues in one day because he could not touch a doorknob with his bare hand.[146]
Lanza was fascinated with mass shootings, most notably the Columbine High School massacre and the Northern Illinois University 2008 shooting. He did not allow anybody in his bedroom (the windows of which he had taped over with black plastic garbage bags to block out sunlight), refused to have a Christmas tree in the house, and would not eat his food unless it was arranged in a particular way on his plate.[147] He had also chosen to cut off contact with both his father and brother in the two years before the shooting and at one point communicated with his mother, who lived in the same house, only by email. A document entitled "Selfish," about the inherent selfishness of women, was found on Lanza's computer after his death.[138][148]
Physical condition
According to a report issued by the Office of the Child Advocate in Connecticut in November 2014, Lanza may have suffered from anorexia as a teenager. A February 2008 medical note stated that he was around five foot ten inches tall and weighed 112 pounds.[149] At the time of his death, he was found to be anorexic to the point of malnutrition and resultant brain damage, with a height of six feet and weight of 112 pounds.[150]
Reported 2011 phone call
In January 2014, the New York Daily News reported that Lanza had made a phone call to a college radio station in Oregon in December 2011, in which he used the name "Greg" and compared a teenage mall shooter to Travis the chimpanzee. An audio recording of the call obtained by the newspaper was said to contain Lanza's voice by two of his former high school classmates. Lanza is also said to have discussed the possibility of going on to the radio show in an instant messaging conversation, in which he had the username "Smiggles". Danbury State Attorney Stephen Sedensky said "Adam Lanza may have called a radio station, but I do not specifically know whether or not that is Adam Lanza on the audiotape".[151]
Nancy Lanza
Following her divorce from Adam's father (a corporate executive), Nancy Lanza was supported by alimony payments.[152][153][154] A relative commented that she did not have to work because the divorce settlement had left her "very well off".[155] Initial reports that Nancy Lanza had worked as a volunteer at the Sandy Hook Elementary School were denied by the school superintendent on December 15, 2012.[156] In December 2013, the release of documents related to the case included a card found at Nancy Lanza's home dating from 1999, which read "Dear Mrs. Lanza, Thank you for being such a special volunteer. The children achieved a most successful year with the dedication from your active involvement."[111]
Her sister-in-law described Nancy Lanza as a "gun enthusiast who owned at least a dozen firearms".[157][158][159][160] She often took her two sons to a local shooting range and had them learn to shoot.[152][161] Peter Lanza said he does not believe Nancy Lanza feared her son Adam. She did not confide any fear of Adam to her sister or to her best friend; she slept with her bedroom door unlocked and she kept guns in the house where she lived with Adam.[138]
Responses
President Barack Obama gave a televised address on the day of the shootings, saying, "We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics."[162] Obama expressed "enormous sympathy for families that are affected",[163][164][165] He also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and other U.S. federal government facilities worldwide in respect of the victims.[166] On December 16, Obama traveled to Newtown where he met with victims' families and spoke at an interfaith vigil.[167] President Obama honored the six slain adults posthumously with the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal on February 15, 2013.[168]
Dannel Malloy, the Governor of Connecticut, addressed the media the evening of the shootings near a local church holding a vigil for the victims, urging the people of Connecticut to come together and help each other. Malloy said, "Evil visited this community today, and it is too early to speak of recovery, but each parent, each sibling, each member of the family has to understand that Connecticut, we are all in this together, we will do whatever we can to overcome this event, we will get through it."[22][169] Hundreds of mourners, including Malloy, attended vigils in various churches in Newtown.[170][171] On December 17, Malloy called for a statewide moment of silence and church bells to be tolled 26 times at 9:30 am on December 21, exactly one week after the school shooting.[172]
Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education, said: "...our thanks go out to every teacher, staff member, and first responder who cared for, comforted, and protected children from harm, often at risk to themselves. We will do everything in our power to assist and support the healing and recovery of Newtown."[173]
The day after the shootings, Lanza's father released a statement:
Our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones and to all those who were injured. Our family is grieving along with all those who have been affected by this enormous tragedy. No words can truly express how heartbroken we are. We are in a state of disbelief and trying to find whatever answers we can. We too are asking why. We have cooperated fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so. Like so many of you, we are saddened, but struggling to make sense of what has transpired.[154]
Leaders from many countries and organizations throughout the world also offered their condolences through the weekend after the shooting.[174]
Sandy Hook conspiracy theories have become social phenomena, despite overwhelming contemporary coverage of the incident.[175]
Gun control
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting prompted renewed debate about gun control in the United States, including proposals for making the background-check system universal, and for new federal and state legislation banning the sale and manufacture of certain types of semi-automatic firearms and magazines with more than ten rounds of ammunition.
Within hours of the shooting, a We the People petition was started asking the White House to "immediately address the issue of gun control through the introduction of legislation in Congress,"[176][177] and the gun control advocacy group the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence reported that an avalanche of donations in the hours after the shooting caused its website to crash.[178] Five days later, President Obama announced that he would make gun control a "central issue" of his second term,[179] and he created a gun violence task force, to be headed by Vice President Joe Biden.[180] On January 16, 2013, Obama signed 23 executive orders and proposed 12 congressional actions regarding gun control.[181] His proposals included universal background checks on firearms purchases, an assault weapons ban, and limiting magazine capacity to 10 cartridges.[182][183]
On December 21, 2012, the National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre said gun-free school zones attract killers and that another gun ban would not protect Americans. He called on Congress to appropriate funds to hire armed police officers for every American school and announced that the NRA would create the National School Shield Emergency Response Program to help.[184] After LaPierre's press conference, the Brady Campaign asked for donations to support its gun control advocacy and asked NRA members "who believe like we do, that we are better than this" to join its campaign.[185] On January 8, 2013, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot and injured in a 2011 shooting in Tucson, launched the gun control group Americans for Responsible Solutions, with a specific aim of matching or exceeding the fundraising capabilities of the NRA and similar groups.[186]
On January 16, 2013, New York became the first U.S. state to act after the shooting when it enacted the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act.[187] On April 4, 2013, Connecticut and Maryland both enacted new restrictions to their existing gun laws.[188][189] Ten other states had passed laws that relaxed gun restrictions.[190]
Legislation introduced in the first session of 113th Congress included the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013[191][192] and the Manchin-Toomey Amendment to expand background checks on gun purchases.[193][194] Both were defeated in the Senate on April 17, 2013.[195]
Video games
A renewed debate about the effects of violent video games on young people began soon after the shooting due to news reports suggesting Lanza frequently played violent video games.[196][197][198] Connecticut Senator Christopher Murphy stated in January 2013 that, as well as guns, video games played a role in the shootings. He said, "I think there's a question as to whether he would have driven in his mother's car in the first place if he didn't have access to a weapon that he saw in video games that gave him a false sense of courage about what he could do that day."[199] Wayne LaPierre, CEO and Executive Vice President of the National Rifle Association, publicly blamed video games for the shooting, specifically targeting the free online game Kindergarten Killers created by Gary Short.[200]
Police found numerous[201] video games in the basement of Adam Lanza's home, which was used as a gaming area. The final report into the shooting, published in November 2013, noted that "[Lanza] played video games often, both solo at home and online. They could be described as both violent and non-violent. One person described the shooter as spending the majority of his time playing non-violent video games all day, with his favorite at one point being Super Mario Bros.". The report described his liking for Dance Dance Revolution, which he played frequently for hours with an acquaintance at a theater which had a commercial version of the game, and also played the game at home.[72] The final report did not make a link between video games and the motive for the shooting.[72][202]
Impact on the community
- 2013
The school was closed indefinitely following the shooting, partially because it remained a crime scene.[203] Sandy Hook students returned to classes on January 3, 2013, at Chalk Hill Middle School in nearby Monroe at the town's invitation. Chalk Hill at the time was an unused facility, refurbished after the shooting, with desks and equipment brought in from Sandy Hook Elementary. The Chalk Hill school was temporarily renamed "Sandy Hook".[204][205][206] The University of Connecticut created a scholarship for the surviving children of the shootings.[207]
On January 31, the Newtown school board voted unanimously to ask for police officer presence in all of its elementary schools; previously other schools in the district had such protection, but Sandy Hook had not been one of those.[208]
On May 10, a task force of twenty-eight appointed members voted to demolish the existing Sandy Hook Elementary school and have a new school built in its place. The $57 million proposed project was sent to the Newtown Board of Education for approval, to be followed by a public ballot.[209][210] In October 2013, Newtown residents voted 4,504–558 in favor of the proposed demolition and reconstruction, to be funded by $50 million in state money.[211] Demolition began on October 25[212] and was completed in December 2013 at a cost of nearly US$1.4 million.[213]
After the town clerk's office was inundated with requests from the media,[214] Connecticut House of Representatives Republican Dan Carter introduced legislation that would restrict access to public information available under the Freedom of Information Act.[214] On June 5, both houses (Senate and House of Representatives) of the Connecticut state legislature passed a bill modifying the state's Freedom of Information Act in order to "prevent the release of crime-scene photos and video evidence from the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre and other Connecticut homicides, concerned such records would be spread on the Internet." The bill then went on to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's desk for his signature. The bill creates a new exemption to the state's Freedom of Information Act. The release of photographs, film, video, digital or other visual images depicting a homicide victim is prevented if such records "could reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy of the victim or the victim's surviving family members."[215]
- 2014
In March 2014, the Newtown city officials announced the design for the new Sandy Hook Elementary School.[216][217] The only remnant of the original school will be its flagpole.[216]
A few days later, the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation released results of a survey with over 1,600 respondents. Among other inquiries, the survey asked residents what should be done with balance of the US$11 million in donations that had been received since the incident in 2012.[217] The majority of responses said that money for mental health counseling and other family expenses should be the top priorities. A few responses suggested that some of the money should be used to purchase and tear down the shooter's family home in order to replace it with a park or wildlife sanctuary.[217] Jennifer Barahona, the foundation's executive director, was quoted as saying, "That's not something we're considering at this time. It's really outside of our scope."[217]
On October 21, building site preparation work began on the new Sandy Hook Elementary School;[218] project updates and progress are posted on a dedicated website, SandyHook2016.[219] Citing security and privacy reasons and out of respect for the families of victims, no ground breaking ceremony was held.[218] Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2015 with the school expected to open by December 2016.[220]
In December, it was announced that the town of Newtown will acquire the property and home of Nancy Lanza at no cost.[221] The property at 36 Yogananda St. was part of the Lanza estate, to which surviving son Ryan Lanza is the sole heir. Lanza's attorney, Kenneth Gruder, arranged for the transfer through a series of transactions so that probate records would not show the city acquiring the property from the Lanza family. Gruder said the notoriety of the home had made it essentially unsaleable.[221]
On December 15, 2014, nine of the families affected by the shooting filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of the Bushmaster AR-15 rifle used in the school attack.[222] Also named in the suit is Camfour, a distributor of firearms, and the now-closed East Windsor store, Riverview Sales, where the gunman's rifle was purchased. In January 2015, attorneys for the Bushmaster company petitioned to have the lawsuit moved to Federal court because, although the shooting took place in Connecticut, they are located in North Carolina.[223] Then in February, attorneys representing the victim's families made a motion to move the lawsuit against the manufacturer of the Bushmaster rifle back to state court.[224]
- 2015
On January 21, 2015, Newtown Legislative Council voted unanimously to demolish the house where Nancy and Adam Lanza lived, and to keep the land as open space.[225] The demolition was completed on March 24, 2015.[226] Also in January, the families of two of the first-graders who died in the shooting filed a lawsuit against the city of Newtown and the Newtown Board of Education alleging inadequate security at the school.[223]
In February 2015, the family of one of the victims, Victoria Soto, applied for trademark protection for her name. The reason for this was to help prevent others from misusing Soto's name on social media and for the benefit of the memorial fund set up in her name. The victim's sister, Jillian, stated that fake social media accounts existed using her sister's name to promote conspiracy theories about the shooting.[227]
In March, it was announced that parents of children and teachers killed in the shooting had filed lawsuits against the estate of Nancy Lanza. The suits are based on a claim that she did not properly secure her firearms which allowed her son, a person with mental health issues, to gain access to them. The attorneys representing the families said Lanza is believed to have had homeowners insurance on her home worth more than $1 million and they are seeking compensation based on that.[228]
See also
- List of attacks related to primary schools
- List of school-related attacks
- List of school shootings in the United States
- Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting conspiracy theories
References
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- 1 2 "Police release full Newtown massacre report, with photos and video – Investigations". NBC News. December 27, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
- 1 2 Lupica, Mike (March 17, 2013). "Lupica: Morbid find suggests murder-obsessed gunman Adam Lanza plotted Newtown, Conn.'s Sandy Hook massacre for years". Daily News. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
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Carver, who performed autopsies on seven of the victims, said the wounds he knew about were caused by a "long weapon" and that the rifle was the primary weapon used.
- ↑ Altimari, Dave; Mahony, Edmund; Lender, Jon (December 19, 2012). "Sandy Hook Shooter Lanza Left Little For Investigators To Trace". Hartford Courant (Courant.Com). Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ↑ Williams, Pete; Llanos, Miguel; Connor, Tracy (December 14, 2012). "Elementary school massacre: 27 dead, including 20 kids, in Connecticut". NBC News. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ↑ Lysiak, Matthew; Slattery, Denis; Schapiro, Rich (December 14, 2012). "Sandy Hook mass murderer Adam Lanza, 20, 'deeply disturbed kid'". Daily News (New York). Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ↑ Park, Alice (March 11, 2014). "Don't Blame Adam Lanza's Violence on Asperger's". Time. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
- ↑ Kleinfield, N. R.; Rivera, Ray; Kovaleski, Serge F. (March 28, 2013). "Newtown Killer's Obsessions, in Chilling Detail". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
- ↑ "Newtown gunman Adam Lanza had 'obsession' with Columbine". BBC News. November 26, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
- ↑ "Sandy Hook massacre: Adam Lanza acted alone and had an obsession with mass killings". The Independent (London). November 26, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
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- 1 2 "Raising Adam Lanza". Frontline (PBS). February 19, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
- 1 2 "Adam Lanza Took Western Connecticut State University Courses When He Was 16". Huffington Post. December 17, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
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- 1 2 3 "The Reckoning". The New Yorker (New Yorker). March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
- ↑ Falco, Miriam (December 17, 2012). "Groups: Autism not to blame for violence". CNN. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
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- ↑ "Adam Lanza Diagnosed With Sensory Integration Disorder | Video". ABC News. February 18, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
- ↑ Rochman, Bonnie (December 19, 2012). "Troubling legacy of Sandy Hook may be backlash against kids with autism". Time. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
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- ↑ "Newtown Shooter Lanza Had Sensory Processing Disorder". ABC News. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
- ↑ "Police release documents on Newtown massacre". Politico.com. December 27, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Adam Lanza, Newtown school shooter, remains enigma despite files". Newsday. Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- ↑ "Sandy Hook killer Adam Lanza took motive to his grave". CNN. November 26, 2013. Archived from the original on December 18, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- ↑ "Sandy Hook Report: Inside Gunman Adam Lanza's Bedroom". ABC News. November 25, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- ↑ Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School (PDF) (Report). 21 November 2014. p. 71. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
The record notes that he was 112 pounds and almost 5 feet, 10 inches tall, suggesting possible anorexia at this time.
- ↑ Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School (PDF) (Report). 21 November 2014. p. 8. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
AL was anorexic at the time of death, measuring 6 feet tall and weighing only 112 pounds.
- ↑ "Adam Lanza calls in radio station a year before Sandy Hook shooting and gives bizarre interview". Daily News (New York). January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
- 1 2 Alexander, Harriet; Barrett, David; Donnelly, Laura; Swaine, Jon (December 15, 2012). "Connecticut school shooting: Troubled life of Adam Lanza, a fiercely intelligent killer". The Daily Telegraph (London).
- ↑ "Father of Newtown shooter lives in Stamford". Stamford Advocate. December 14, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- 1 2 "Peter Lanza Statement: Father Of Adam Lanza Says, 'We Too Are Asking Why'". Huffington Post. December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ↑ Martinez, Michael; Ariosto, David (December 16, 2012). "Adam Lanza's family: Mom liked parlor games, guns; dad, a tax exec, remarried". CNN. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
- ↑ Flegenheimer, Matt; Somaiya, Ravi (December 15, 2012). "Nancy Lanza, mother of Conn. school gunman, was "big, big gun fan"". The Denver Post. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Friends: Newtown gunman's mother home-schooled son, kept arsenal of guns". CBS News. December 16, 2012.
- ↑ Bankoff, Caroline (December 2012). "Newtown Shooter Adam Lanza's Mother Was an Avid Gun Collector". New York. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ↑ "Investigators look for insight into Newtown gunman's mind". CBS News. Associated Press. December 14, 2012.
- ↑ Goodwin, Liz (December 19, 2012). "Survivalists worry 'preppers' will be scapegoated for Newtown shooting". Yahoo! News. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ↑ Lysiak, Matthew; Slattery, Dennis; Siemaszko, Corky (December 15, 2012). "Newtown, Conn. shooting: Sandy Hook elementary school gunman Adam Lanza learned to shoot from his gun-collecting mom". Daily News (New York). Retrieved December 15, 2012.
- ↑ "Statement by the President on the School Shooting in Newtown, CT" (Press release). White House Press Office. December 14, 2012.
- ↑ "Official with knowledge of Conn. school shooting: 27 dead, including 18 children". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ↑ Siddiqui, Sabrina; Foley, Elise (December 14, 2012). "Obama on Connecticut Shooting: We Need 'Meaningful Action'". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ↑ O'Brien, Michael (December 14, 2012). "An emotional Obama: 'They had their entire lives ahead of them'". NBC News. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ↑ "Presidential Proclamation – Honoring the Victims of the Shooting in Newtown, Connecticut" (Press release). White House Press Office. December 14, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ↑ "President Obama To Visit Newtown Sunday". Hartford Courant. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ↑ "Obama to honor 6 dead Sandy Hook teachers, administrators with Presidential Citizens Medal". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Conn. Governor: 'evil visited this community'". AOL. Associated Press. December 14, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
- ↑ "Hundreds pack Conn. church for vigil after rampage". CBS News. Associated Press. December 14, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ↑ Moore, Martha (December 14, 2012). "Hundreds pack Conn. churches after rampage". USA Today. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
- ↑ McCarthy, Tom (December 17, 2012). "Newtown shooting: funerals to be held for victims". The Guardian (London). Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ↑ "Children and adults gunned down in Connecticut school massacre". CNN. December 14, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ↑ "World leaders express shock over Connecticut shooting". Google News. Agence France-Presse. December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
- ↑ Bennett, Dashiell (December 18, 2012). "Newtown Conspiracy Theories, Debunked". The Atlantic (The Atlantic).
- ↑ Bruce, Mary (December 14, 2012). "Petition Calls on White House to Address Gun Control" (blog). ABC News.
- ↑ Wing, Nick (December 17, 2012). "White House Gun Control Petition Becomes Site's Most Popular Ever". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
- ↑ New, Catherine (December 14, 2012). "Anti-Gun Donations Surge After Connecticut Shooting". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ↑ Shear, Michael D. (December 20, 2012). "Obama Vows Fast Action in New Push for Gun Control". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ↑ Caldwell, Leigh Ann (December 19, 2012). "Obama sets up gun violence task force". CBS News. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Obama announces 23 executive actions, asks Congress to pass gun laws". CNN. January 16, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ↑ "President Obama's remarks on new gun control actions, Jan. 16, 2013 (Transcript)". The Washington Post (transcript). January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ↑ Knox, Olivier (January 16, 2013). "Obama unveils sweeping plan to battle gun violence" (blog). Yahoo News.
- ↑ Sullivan, Sean (December 21, 2012). "Put armed guards in every school, NRA leader Wayne LaPierre says". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ↑ Connor, Tracy; Isikoff, Michael (December 21, 2012). "Disbelief in some quarters after NRA calls for armed guards at every school, blames movies". NBCNews.com. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Gabrielle Giffords launches gun control campaign". BBC. January 8, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ↑ Seiler, Casey (January 16, 2013). "New gun law offers reply to mass killings: State becomes the first in the nation to act after horror of Newtown, Conn.". Times Union (Albany, New York: Hearst Corporation). Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ↑ "Connecticut Governor Signs Gun Measures". New York Times. Associated Press. April 4, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ↑ Jackson, Alex (April 5, 2013). "Maryland lawmakers send landmark gun control bill to O'Malley's desk". Annapolis, Maryland: CapitalGazette.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-07. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ↑ Hartmann, Margaret (April 4, 2013). "Post-Newtown, States Passed More Gun-Rights Laws, Not Restrictions". New York Magazine (New York Media). Retrieved April 15, 2014.
- ↑ Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rev. Gary Hall, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy et al. (January 24, 2013). Assault Weapons Ban Bill (video). Washington, D.C.: National Cable Satellite Corporation. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
- ↑ Freedman, Dan (January 24, 2013). "Feinstein offers new assault weapons ban". Houston Chronicle (Hearst Newspapers). Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ↑ O'Keefe, Ed; Hamburger, Tom (April 10, 2013). "Key senators reach deal on background checks for gun buyers". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ↑ Peterson, Kristina (April 10, 2013). "Senate in Deal on Gun Checks". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ↑ Weisman, Jonathan (April 17, 2013). "Senate Blocks Drive for Gun Control". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ↑ Ferguson, Christopher J. (February 20, 2013). "Video games didn't cause Newtown rampage". CNN. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
- ↑ Lohr, David (December 17, 2012). "Sandy Hook Blame Game: Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
- ↑ Ferguson, Christopher J. (December 20, 2012). "Sandy Hook Shooting: Video Games Blamed, Again". Time. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
- ↑ "Conn. Senator Blames Video Games for Influencing Sandy Hook Shooter". Gamepolitics.com. January 25, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
- ↑ Beekman, Daniel (December 21, 2012). "NRA blames video games like 'Kindergarten Killer' for Sandy Hook slaughter". Daily News (New York). Retrieved November 11, 2013.
- ↑ The November 2013 final report names the following twelve video games as being part of Lanza's larger overall collection: Left 4 Dead, Metal Gear Solid, Dead Rising, Half Life, Battlefield, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Shin Megami Tensei, Dynasty Warriors, Vice City, Team Fortress, and Doom.
- ↑ "Adam Lanza's motive a mystery in Sandy Hook killings". CNN. November 27, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
- ↑ James, Will (December 17, 2012). "Sandy Hook Elementary School Closed Indefinitely". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ↑ "Connecticut survivors to attend school in neighboring town". Reuters. December 16, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ↑ "Sandy Hook students to move to Monroe school". The News-Times. December 16, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ↑ "Newtown shooting: Sandy Hook students back to school". BBC News. January 3, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- ↑ DeSantis, Nick (December 18, 2012). "UConn Creates a Scholarship in Honor of School-Shooting Victims". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ↑ Zaretsky, Mark (January 31, 2013). "Newtown board wants more cops in schools". New Haven Register (New Haven, Connecticut). Retrieved February 7, 2013.
- ↑ Kelly, Devin (May 11, 2013). "Task force: Sandy Hook Elementary should be torn down, rebuilt". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
- ↑ Brumfield, Ben (May 11, 2013). "Sandy Hook task force recommends demolition and rebuilding". CNN. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
- ↑ Chappell, Bill (October 6, 2013). "The Votes Are In: Sandy Hook Elementary Will Be Torn Down". WBUR. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
- ↑ Ford, Bev; Siemaszko, Corky (October 25, 2013). "Sandy Hook Elementary School razing begins in Newtown, Conn.". Daily News (New York). Retrieved November 25, 2013.
- ↑ Richinick, Michele (January 2, 2014). "Construction crews completely demolish former Sandy Hook Elementary School". MSNBC. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- 1 2 "Connecticut mulls death certificate limits after Newtown massacre". Fox News Channel. Associated Press. February 24, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Haigh, Susan. "Conn. lawmakers OK compromise Newtown privacy bill". Associated Press. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- 1 2 Nicks, Denver. "Sandy Hook Heals With New School Design After Shooting: More than a year after a gunman killed 26 people and months after the old campus was razed, town officials have selected an architectural plan to rebuild the elementary school further into the woods and away from street traffic". Time. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 COLLINS, DAVE. "Newtown residents want gunman's house torn down". Associated Press via Yahoo News. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
- 1 2 "Site Work Begins For Construction Of New Sandy Hook School". CBS New York. October 22, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ↑ "T h e N e w S a n d y H o o k S c h o o l". www.sandyhook2016.com. Svigals + Partners. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ↑ "Demolition Of Old Sandy Hook Elementary Will Be Kept Private Contractors Ordered To Sign Confidentiality Agreements During Process". CBS New York. Associated Press. October 15, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- 1 2 Altimari, Dave (December 4, 2014). "Newtown Acquires Lanza House". Hartford Courant. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ↑ "Sandy Hook victims' families file lawsuit against gun maker". BBC News. December 15, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- 1 2 Richinick, Michele (January 22, 2015). "Gun manufacturer moves Sandy Hook lawsuit to federal court". MSNBC. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ↑ Stewart, Doug (February 17, 2015). "Sandy Hook families push to move Bushmaster lawsuit back to state court". FOXCT.com. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ↑ Bever, Lindsey (January 22, 2015). "Newtown votes to raze home of mass murderer Adam Lanza". Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- ↑ Katersky, Aaron (March 24, 2015). "School Shooter Adam Lanza's Newtown House is Demolished". ABC News. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ↑ "Sandy Hook victim Victoria Soto to have name trademarked to prevent abuse". The Guardian. Associated Press. February 11, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ↑ Polansky, Rob (March 13, 2015). "Nine Sandy Hook families sue Lanza estate". Eyewitness News 3. WFSB. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- Yost, Pete; Keyser, Jason (December 15, 2012). "Correction: Conn school shooting-suspect story". NPR. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012.
- "World leaders express shock over Connecticut shooting". Google News. Agence France-Presse. December 15, 2012. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
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External links
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