Crime & Safety

Officials To Identify All Victims and the Shooter in Elementary School Killings

Victims of yesterday's shooting and the man responsible for the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown will be identified at a press conference this morning.

 

A press conference is scheduled for 8 a.m. today, at which Lt. J. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police said officials will identify all victims in the mass killings at a Newtown elementary school — including the shooter, who took his own life.

No parents have been given access to the inside of Sandy Hook Elementary School, where the bodies of 18 children, six adults and suspected gunman Adam Lanza remain, Vance said Friday night at a press conference. Two other children died after they were transported to a nearby hospital.

Find out what's happening in The Lymeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

All family members of the deceased have been notified, Vance said.

Vance, who described the day's events as "heart-wrenching," spoke in general terms of the investigation into the shooter, whom multiple media outlets have identified as Lanza, citing police sources.

Find out what's happening in The Lymeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“At this point we are confident that we have the shooter,” Vance said.

All of the shooter’s relatives have been identified and contacted, Vance said. Lanza’s brother had been detained earlier in the day Friday, within hours of the shooting, which started at approximately 9:40 a.m. Their mother has been confirmed among those killed, as has the school’s principal, Dawn Hochsprung.

“I think what we have got to do is … look at all the history,” Vance said of the police investigation. “We will go backwards and hopefully stumble on answers.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.