There are some more details coming in about the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Now more than 48 hours after the horrific massacre that left 20 children and eight adults dead, the names of the victims, along with their ages some of their photos, have been released. The police held a press conference this morning that illuminated a plan for the continuing investigation (including where Sandy Hook kids are being sent to school tomorrow) and President Obama's visiting Newtown tonight. There's new information regarding the timeline of events, the shooter's possible motive, and, thankfully, there are also new tales of heroism to somewhat balance the mostly disturbing news. Here's a Sunday update on the school shooting.
- As I mentioned, the names of the victims, as well as some of their photos and statements given from friends and family members, have been shared with the media.
- A video timeline of events explains what went down when.
- All victims were shot, some as many as 11 times, and their deaths have been ruled as homocide. The medical examiner says it's the worst he, or any of his colleagues, have ever seen.
- Police will not describe the assumingly horrific scene the first responders encountered.
- Principal Dawn Hochsprung died lunging at the shooter as her burst into the school and headed toward them.
- Teacher Vicki Soto, 27, died protecting her class from the shooter -- she shielded them from a spray of bullets.
- The shooter reportedly shot and killed himself as soon as he heard the first responders inside the school, leading many to believe his rampage could have been worse had it not been for the speed of the police.
- Police say they've found "good evidence" at the home of Nancy Lanza that might help explain suspected shooter Adam Lanza's motives. But, as of now, there's speculation that Nancy was a gun-loving, overwrought mother who took Adam to the shooting range, and that Adam was an unusual, withdrawn individual. Why, exactly, he decided to shoot up a kindergarten class is still unknown.
- Adam's father is just as surprised by all of this as we are.
- Vigils have been held in Newtown, as well as all over the state of Connecticut, and the nation. Hundreds packed into Newtown's St. Rose Church Saturday night in memory of the friends, family, and neighbors they lost.
- Obama will head to Newtown tonight to attend a vigil and to meet with the families of the victims.
- Students of Sandy Hook elementary will reportedly be sent to a nearby elementary school starting tomorrow. No one's sure when they'll return to Sandy Hook.
- Most recently, a church in Newtown has been evacuated due to unspecific threats.
- There are ways to help: here are 5 online fundraisers to which we can contribute.
But even with all this information, the biggest question, the why, remains unanswered.
Do you have any updates to add to the list?
Photo via Mario Tama/Getty
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Comments 10
Horrific to say the least . I can not imagine what is going on in this community and I am just wishing and hoping that peace be with these families during this difficult time.
This means that you MUST have your GUNS (sidearm AND rifle) ready for action 24/7/365 for 30+ YEARS. Yet you don’t see news about the Swiss killing each other all the time, despite all the firepower available to them BY LAW. Could it be that our societal and moral decay is responsible for our gun tragedies, instead of the weapons themselves?"
As horrific as this crime is, banning guns will NOT solve or eleviate the problem. The man broke 42 laws in his rampage, more laws would stop him? not hardly. If 'banning' things helped, banning meth and cocaine would have eleviated that problem.
Instead of encouraging readers to write our reps about guns, why not encourage everyone to write to our reps about mental health care in America? It's time we talk about that dirty little secret we're hiding in the closet. We need to stop stigmatizing mental illness, we need to make mental health care available to everyone all the time. We need to stop looking for something or someone else to blame (So far guns, video games, autism, and parenting among other things have been blamed for the Sandy Hook shooting) and cast the blame where it belongs: our atrocious treatment of mental illness.
My prays go out to the families through this difficult time. i hope they will ban these type of guns for these kids to use. what was going through his head when he walk in the doors of the school?
It was not the guns, the types of guns, or the gun makers fault that Adam Lanza decided to do this. He was a sick, mentally ill individual. Meth is illegal, people still sell and use it, right? You really think taking guns away from people is gonna make a difference? No. He broke 42 laws that day. You really believe he'd sit back and say, "Wow, this gun is illegal. I can't use it." Yeah, probably not.
Guns do not kill people PEOPLE kill people.
It is always, "We didn't see this coming!" Troubled kid with a troubled mother, plus guns, does not have a good outcome written on it. Father should have been very involved and wasn't.
This will be stopped when people focus on their own problems and the problems of their children. Mom needed extended therapy and so did the son. No one knew of her fascination with guns and introducing a mentally unstable child to guns? Wow, just wow! We all need to be totally involved with our families and their needs instead of ignoring or "hoping" all will turn out fine. We cannot ignore troubled people within our families. We must do something to care for troubled people within. We cannot hope someone else will handle these difficutl situations.