Updated Dec 14, 2012, 4:37 pm
Authorities have identified the man suspected of killing 26 people at a Connecticut school as 20-year-old Adam Lanza. The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary left 20 children dead, reports said.
According to news reports, Lanza opened fire at the school in Newtown, Conn., on Friday morning.
The suspect died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Lanza's mother was killed at the family's home.
The death toll in the shooting rampage, including Lanza's suicide, was 28.
Earlier reports said that 24-year-old Ryan Lanza, Adam's brother, was the shooter. A report from a law enforcement official mixed up the brother's names, leading to widespread postings of the older brother's photograph by news organizations, including this one.
Photos of the older brother were posted on his Facebook page, which identified his connections with Hoboken, N.J. and Newton. That page was taken down early Friday afternoon.
“Our hearts are broken today," President Barack Obama said. "We have endured too many of these tragedies."
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The nation has been "through this too many times," with recent mass shootings, and must take action "regardless of the politics."
3 comments on this story
@eric
Eric, you ask “why is this only happening here?”.
It isn’t only here in the U.S.
Remember the story of the Norwegian man who went to an island near Oslo in July of 2011 ? That nightmare lasted for over 2 hours, while he hunted and killed 69 people (mostly teenagers) at a summer camp on the island.
Or the two incidents of school shootings in Finland (one in Nov 2007 and one in Sept 2008) that left 18 victims dead, along with the shooter in each case ? Or another shooting at a mall in Finland that happened in the last two weeks that left 3 people dead ?
This isn’t endemic only to the United States.
My wife and daughter was planning on attending the Gabby Giffords event when she got shot. Few weeks ago my daughter school was shut down here in Tucson over someone bringing guns to school. I hate to shelter my kids but you just dont know when one of these cowardly mentally deranged people are gonna go postal and take out innocents and then do the ultimate in cowardess by not facing thier actions and taking thier own life and leave a lifetime of “why”..and i have to ask myself, why is this only happening here? unless its not reported world wide. When was the last time you heard of a person doing this in Europe? or elswhere? i just dont get it. Sickens my heart that this has to happen..Are the people close to these deranged people not see anything? my kids mopey or mood changes for a second im asking questions..I cant belive this guy was a totally normal person and just all of a sudden snapped and snuffed out so many innocent lives
What is going on with these twisted, lone, 20 something, male gunmen? Two nut jobs in the same week. They should have just taken themselves out without taking innocent people along with them. The problem seems to be mental illness in the form of sociopath behavior coupled with too easy access to lethal weapons. There needs to be better ways to identify these messed up people and get them help and at the same time make it harder to get weapons to mow down lots of lives at once. Yes there are rights to bear arms to protect yourself and your home, or hunt. But beyond that there needs to be more restrictions. This carnage won’t stop. I avoid malls anymore especially around the holidays because of the latest B.S. there are too many untreated mental illnesses out there not being treated, and with the weapons so easily out here, it is just too easy for a repeat performance. Better a hermit life than getting plugged and no life!