The nation was shocked last week after the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. The tragic event left a total of 26 people dead, 20 of them children. Among the six adults killed were Dawn Hochsprung, the school’s beloved principal, and school psychologist Mary Sherlach.
The shooter, identified by three law enforcement officials as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, also was killed, apparently by his own hand. Separately, his mother’s body was found at a Newtown residence.
With the death toll at 26, the Newtown shooting is the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, behind only the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech that left 32 people dead.Young students described being ushered into bathrooms and closets by teachers as the first shots rang out.
One parent who was in the school at the time of the shooting said she heard a “pop, pop, pop,” sound around 9:30 a.m. In the room with her were Hochsprung, the vice principal and Sherlach. All three left the room and went into the hall to see what was happening. The parent ducked under the table and called 911.
Responding police officers helped evacuate the children, telling them to hold hands and keep their eyes closed to the carnage as they exited the building.
Police declined to speculate on a motive Friday evening, citing the ongoing investigation. Lanza had no known criminal record, a law enforcement official said.
Three weapons were recovered from the school: a semi-automatic .223 Bushmaster found in a car in the school parking lot, and a Glock and a Sig Sauer found with Lanza’s body, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said. The weapons were legally purchased by Lanza’s mother, the official said.
Despite earlier reports that said she was a teacher, Nancy Lanza was not a teacher at the school where the killings took place.
The bodies of the young victims remained where they fell Friday night, as authorities worked to positively identify them.
The staff uGospel.com sends our condolences to those who lost loved ones as a result of this gruesome, tragic event. Let us all pray that they make it through this tough, devastating time.
