Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting

Lone Crusader

The Savage Ninja!
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Nov 24, 2011
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Another senseless shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut today. It saddens me to hear about this kind of travesty. 28 people are reported dead because of this. It's horrible. I think of my kids and their safety in there school and wonder if there is any place that is truly safe from this kind of horror for them. I can't even imagine what the parents of these kids are even going through right now. Here's a news report from Newtown about this horrific incident.

A man opened fire Friday inside two classrooms at the Connecticut elementary school where his mother was a teacher, killing 26 people, including 20 children, as youngsters cowered in corners and closets and trembled helplessly to gunshots reverberating through the building.

The 20-year-old killer, carrying two handguns, committed suicide at the school, and another person was found dead at a second scene, bringing the toll to 28, authorities said.

Police shed no light on the motive for the attack. The gunman was believed to suffer from a personality disorder and lived with his mother in Connecticut, said a law enforcement official who was briefed on the investigation but was not authorized to publicly discuss it.

The rampage, coming less than two weeks before Christmas, was the nation's second-deadliest school shooting, exceeded only by the Virginia Tech massacre that left 33 people dead in 2007.

Panicked parents looking for their children raced to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, a prosperous community of about 27,000 people 60 miles northeast of New York City. Youngsters at the kindergarten-through-fourth-grade school were told to close their eyes by police as they were led from the building.

Schoolchildren — some crying, others looking frightened — were escorted through a parking lot in a line, hands on each other's shoulders.

"Our hearts are broken today," a tearful President Barack Obama, struggling to maintain composure, said at the White House. He called for "meaningful action" to prevent such shootings.

Youngsters and their parents described teachers locking doors and ordering the children to huddle in the corner or hide in closets when shots echoed through the building. Authorities didn't say exactly how the shootings unfolded.

They also gave no details on the victim discovered at another scene, except to say that the person was an adult found dead by police while they were investigating the gunman.

A law enforcement official identified the gunman as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, the son of a teacher. A second law enforcement official said his mother, Nancy Lanza, was presumed dead.

Adam Lanza's older brother, 24-year-old Ryan, of Hoboken, N.J., was being questioned.

The law enforcement official who said Adam Lanza had a possible personality disorder said Ryan Lanza had been extremely cooperative, was not believed to have any involvement in the rampage and was not under arrest or in custody, but investigators were still searching his computers and phone records. Ryan Lanza told law enforcement he had not been in touch with his brother since about 2010.

All three law enforcement officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record about the unfolding investigation.

The gunman drove to the school in his mother's car, the second official said. Three guns were found — a Glock and a Sig Sauer, both pistols, inside the school, and a .223-caliber rifle in the back of a car.

State police Lt. Paul Vance said 28 people in all were killed, including the gunman, and one person was injured.

Robert Licata said his 6-year-old son was in class when the gunman burst in and shot the teacher.

"That's when my son grabbed a bunch of his friends and ran out the door," he said. "He was very brave. He waited for his friends."

He said the shooter didn't utter a word.

Stephen Delgiadice said his 8-year-old daughter was in the school and heard two big bangs. Teachers told her to get in a corner, he said.

"It's alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America," he said. His daughter was fine.

Mergim Bajraliu, 17, heard the gunshots echo from his home and ran to check on his 9-year-old sister at the school. He said his sister, who was fine, heard a scream come over the intercom at one point. He said teachers were shaking and crying as they came out of the building.

"Everyone was just traumatized," he said.

Mary Pendergast, who lives close to the school, said her 9-year-old nephew was in the school at the time of the shooting, but wasn't hurt after his music teacher helped him take cover in a closet.

Richard Wilford's 7-year-old son, Richie, is in the second grade at the school. His son told him that he heard a noise that "sounded like what he described as cans falling."

The boy told him a teacher went out to check on the noise, came back in, locked the door and had the kids huddle up in the corner until police arrived.

"There's no words," Wilford said. "It's sheer terror, a sense of imminent danger, to get to your child and be there to protect him."

On Friday afternoon, family members were led away from a firehouse that was being used as a staging area, some of them weeping. One man, wearing only a T-shirt without a jacket, put his arms around a woman as they walked down the middle of the street, oblivious to everything around them.

Another woman with tears rolling down her face walked by carrying a car seat with a young infant inside and a bag that appeared to have toys and stuffed animals.

"Evil visited this community today and it's too early to speak of recovery, but each parent, each sibling, each member of the family has to understand that Connecticut — we're all in this together. We'll do whatever we can to overcome this event," Gov. Dannel Malloy said.

Adam Lanza and his mother lived in a well-to-do part of Newtown where neighbors are doctors or hold white-collar positions at companies such as General Electric, Pepsi and IBM.

The shootings instantly brought to mind episodes such as the Columbine High School massacre that killed 15 in 1999 and the July shootings at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., that left 12 dead.

"You go to a movie theater in Aurora and all of a sudden your life is taken," Columbine principal Frank DeAngelis said. "You're at a shopping mall in Portland, Ore., and your life is taken. This morning, when parents kissed their kids goodbye knowing that they are going to be home to celebrate the holiday season coming up, you don't expect this to happen. I think as a society, we need to come together. It has to stop, these senseless deaths."

Obama's comments on the tragedy amounted to one of the most outwardly emotional moments of his presidency.

"The majority of those who died were children — beautiful, little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old," Obama said.

He paused for several seconds to keep his composure as he teared up and wiped an eye. Nearby, two aides cried and held hands as they listened to Obama.

"They had their entire lives ahead of them — birthdays, graduations, wedding, kids of their own," Obama continued about the victims. "Among the fallen were also teachers, men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children."

God rest there souls. :(
 
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This is just Tragic and terrible:( when I first heard the news, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I have a 5 year old beautiful daughter and this news just Hit me hard. Thinking of all those kids and Adults that were going on with their life's like every other day and then all of a sudden Tragedy strikes. I'm going to be honest, It brought Tears to my eyes. Innocent kids that had their life's cut short due to some Idiot with a problem. May all those Innocent people RIP.
 
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As I said for all the other senseless shootings. Ban the Damn guns. PERIOD. There is absoloutly no reason for anyone in this day and age to own a gun. Buy your damn meat.
 
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As I said for all the other senseless shootings. Ban the Damn guns. PERIOD. There is absoloutly no reason for anyone in this day and age to own a gun. Buy your damn meat.

**** that.People kill people not guns.Trying to take people's guns is dumb and unnecessary.There is no way in hell the government is going to get all the guns off the street.it's impossible.The guy who committed this crime was obviously disturb.if he hadn't used a gun he would have took a knife and just gutted them,are we going to take all the knifes in America?No.Leave our guns alone.

on the other hand,this shooting is horrible and saddening for the people who lost there husbands,wives and children in this tragic shooting.When i heard someone killed 18 innocent children i didn't think it was real.Who kills Children?Innocent little children who have done nothing to anyone in their entire life...Why do this?This was really a senseless crime.

"Changing the 2nd Amendment wont stop people from going off the deep end and murder wont stop. The only thing that will happen is the Law Abiding Citizen will become an easy target. Guns don't kill people.... Crazy sick minded people kill.... I feel broken that this happen.. But to turn it around on the guns and not the person is WRONG.. And the media needs to stop making these people famous"

-Cory Erika

I couldn't agree more
 
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It angers me when people do this, and it's saddening too because my kids are in that age bracket that these kids were in. You just want to hug your kids and never let go. I did get teary eyed when I heard of this tragic event. What is wrong with these people that go off shooting kids. :angry: If they want to kill themselves let them be done with it but leave the innocent people alone.

Sorry, but I had to edit my post as it was a little undignified and insensitive to the situation. :emb:
 
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Surely it the apparent ease of access to guns that's the issue. With so many around the deranged have much more chance to get access.

I'm from the UK where gun ownership is negligible and I wouldn't even have the faintest clue how to go about getting one.

In the UK, we've had deranged people slaughter the innocent too so the point concerning their intent is very valid. But in the UK there is so little gun crime. Is that because we don't have criminals? Of course not, we've got loads of them and some of the most serious have guns too. That fact doesn't make me want a gun to protect myself or my family.

It seems to me that the US has itself caught in a self fulfilling prophecy where people want easy access to guns to protect themselves from people with guns who themselves find it easy to get hold of them because of desire for everyone wanting to have guns to protect themselves etc etc etc.

Something has to break in that vicious circle.
 
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Firstly, what a tragic event and my thoughts are with the families who lost someone yesterday. I am a father of 2 and can't begin to know how I would deal with such heartache.

My thoughts are also with those who witnessed and survived such a harrowing event, especially the children. I hope they are able to come to terms with what they have experienced and that they can still live a good life without too much impact psychologically.

I will reserve my judgement on gun ownership for another forum, but it's a sad but true fact that if someone wants a gun to do harm then they will be able to get one, one way or another, regardless of any legalities or laws. The real problem lies with the individual rather than the weapon.

Here's hoping for less of these awful events
 
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As I said for all the other senseless shootings. Ban the Damn guns. PERIOD. There is absoloutly no reason for anyone in this day and age to own a gun. Buy your damn meat.

unfortunately that won't stop it. Guns are banned in the UK but there are still shootings almost everyweek.
Its a sick, sick world.
 
I have one opinion of people who own firearms, but I won't go in to that.

My thoughts go out to all those who were affected by yesterday's events.
 
It's horrific to hear such sad news

my heart goes out to all the familys affected. Can't imagine the pain and suffering they are going through at the moment. I can't think any words can comfort them at the moment.

R.I.P

such tradgey
 
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Why would a kindergarten teacher mom own 4 guns in Connecticut? That's what doesnt make sense.

I think those weapons belonged to her father who passed away and left them to her??

Also....its possible she owned them because she was an avid shooter and loved the hobby.... why do people on the forum buy the same steelbook in 10 different versions?

The only issue I have is the fact that she did not understand how sick her son was and she didnt have the firearms secured properly..

Otherwise the mother didn't do anything wrong. This is just another human tragedy.. The Terminator put it best.... "It's in your nature to destroy yourselves."
 
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Also....its possible she owned them because she was an avid shooter and loved the hobby.... why do people on the forum buy the same steelbook in 10 different versions?

As a parent of two kids in elementary and pre-k school, I wouldn't like the idea of my kid's teacher having a shooting hobby. There's nothing wrong with having that hobby, but it seems a bit nerve-wracking for a teacher to have that particular hobby. If I was talking with the teacher about what she likes to do for fun in her spare time and she says, "I have 3 guns, including a machine gun, and I like to go shooting during the weekends," I honestly wouldn't want my kids in her/his class no matter how nice and wonderful that teacher may be.
 
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As a parent of two kids in elementary and pre-k school, I wouldn't like the idea of my kid's teacher having a shooting hobby. There's nothing wrong with having that hobby, but it seems a bit nerve-wracking for a teacher to have that particular hobby. If I was talking with the teacher about what she likes to do for fun in her spare time and she says, "I have 3 guns, including a machine gun, and I like to go shooting during the weekends," I honestly wouldn't want my kids in her/his class no matter how nice and wonderful that teacher may be.

Why not?What if the teacher was the best teacher in the state, but loved to have her range time like anyone else?Would you send you kids to a lesser teacher who's hobby is knitting?I know for a fact i wouldn't and i wouldn't judge her either.

Lots of women are getting into weapons for protection and i don't blame them. The way people are abducting,raping and killing women now a days, i would be surprised to see a woman not carrying.
 
Why not?What if the teacher was the best teacher in the state, but loved to have her range time like anyone else?Would you send you kids to a lesser teacher who's hobby is knitting?I know for a fact i wouldn't and i wouldn't judge her either.

Lots of women are getting into weapons for protection and i don't blame them. The way people are abducting,raping and killing women now a days, i would be surprised to see a woman not carrying.

Do you have kids? If I didn't have kids, I could understand what you are saying, but like I said, if I found out that my kid's teacher played with guns, it would make me feel uncomfortable.

I wouldn't care if the kindergarten teacher was a smoker or into some kinky S&M sex play where she liked to be crapped on during the weekends, but the shooting hobby just makes me feel uncomfortable! :)

And anyway, I'm in a situation where changing teachers is possible. If she was the best teacher in the world and all the other teachers sucked, then yeah, maybe I would take a chance and let the kids stay with the teacher that likes shooting. I'm just not crazy about the idea of elementary school teachers being into shooting in the spare time. That's why. Sure, elementary school teachers are regular people too that have secretive/personal hobbies, but I just don't like teachers having guns. I like cops having guns.
 
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