Adam Lanza has been identified as the infamous suspect behind the Newtown, Connecticut Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting which ended with his own mother dead. The 20-year-old Hoboken, N.J. resident had ties to the Newtown area, where he massacred at least 27 people, 22 of the children as young as five.
Adam Lanza appeared at the Sandy Hook elementary school "just after 9:30 a.m. this morning," according to Lt. Paul Vance of the state police. He opened fire over 100 times on the schoolchildren and administrators, specifically choosing the class his mother Nancy taught as a teacher at Sandy Hook, CNBC reported. The 52-year-old was killed at the scene, while Lanza's father was found dead in New Jersey.
Currently, Lanza's older brother Ryan is being questioned in connection with the shootings. The 24-year-old and was mistakenly reported as the shooter by the Associated Press. Lanza's girlfriend and another friend have been reported missing in N.J., according to reports.
Among the dead were many schoolchildren, principal Dawn Hochsprung, and the school psychologist, a parent who witnessed the attack told CNN.
The suspect had no qualms about his mission- not only did he assault Sandy Hook Elementary while wearing dark clothing, a mask, and a bulletproof vest, but he was carrying three weapons including a .223-caliber rifle, the Huffington Post reported.
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A press conference with the state police and a representative of Governor Dan Malloy didn't reveal much in terms of the shooter's motives, just that he died at the scene. Other reports claimed his death was a self-inflicted gunshot. "Several fatalities" were reported at the school, although Lt. Vance did not give an exact number. The rest of the school's 626 children were evacuated.
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Although various media outlets have attempted to identify the suspect via social media websites like Facebook and Twitter, users of those profiles have spoken out, claiming to unaffiliated with the suspect or his brother. It is unknown if the shooting was taped by Sandy Hook Elementary's surveillance system.
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