27 Dead, 20 Students, Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting An American Tragedy

(Updates Below) At least 18 students have been killed in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School located in Connecticut. The shooter is believed to be the father of one of the students. A second man was handcuffed at the scene. It is not known at this time if he had any involvement in the horrible incident.

Early reports put the death toll at a staggering 27 people, including 18 kids ranging from kindergarten through fourth grade. The shooter is said to be a 20-year-old male who was carrying at least two weapons.

UPDATES:

Fallen principal may have used school PA system to broadcast own shooting as warning to others in the building.

Cops told kids to “close eyes” and “form train” to exit past fallen classmates.

Student witness: Gunshots broadcast over classroom speakers.

Third weapon recovered.

Reported shooter’s name, “Ryan” Lanza now said to be incorrect.

Officials: Shooter killed entire classroom full of kindergarden students.

Shooter From New Jersey… Mother lived in Conn. Parents divorced.

The shooter killed his own brother in New Jersey and then drove and killed a woman at a Connecticut home, said to be connected to the school, before going to the school and shooting his own mother and her entire classroom full of kindergarten students.

One of the adult victims is Ryan Lanza’s mother, who was a teacher at the school, sources told CBS. Some of the child victims were her students, sources said.

DrudgeReport: “Shooter Son Of Teacher At School”

CNN: Officially America’s worst school shooting exceeding Columbine.

SHOOTER’S NAME: Ryan Lanza.

Witness: “Dying principal, crawled in classrooms to warn others of shooter”

“Hero Principal was ‘new‘ to school”

Witness: “kids told shooting noise was ‘hammering‘”

Gov. rep, Occhiogrosso: “Gov. meeting with families.” “Governor took call from President Obama.”

State Police: “Shooter is dead in building.” “The public is not in danger.”

CNN Producer on scene: “Scores of inconsolable parents.” “Cops still searching door to door.”

Dozens of parents have converged at a nearby firehouse serving as a temporary morgue.

The Connecticut Post reports that police are also questioning a handcuffed man in connection with the shooting. Witnesses told the newspaper he was led out of the woods by officers.

Shortly after 9:40 a.m., authorities reported that a shooter was in the main office of the school. A person in one room had “numerous gunshot wounds,” police told the Hartford Courant.

A dispatcher at the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps said a teacher was shot in the foot and taken to Danbury Hospital. Local news outlets also reported that the principal was among those shot.

Parent Lisa Procaccini told Fox News that her daughter was sitting in a classroom when she and others heard gun shots.

“She was in a small class — a reading group and they started hearing bangs,” Procaccini said. “Her teacher, and I’m grateful for this, rushed kids into the bathroom and locked the door. They told kids it was hammering and tried to keep them calm.”

“Children were crying,” Procaccini said. “She did tell me about a little boy that was in a police officer’s arms, bleeding. I don’t know if she gets it.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said two firearms were recovered from the scene.

FOXNEWS

Here is a list of some violent incidents at U.S. schools over the last 20 years:

February 27, 2012 — Chardon High School, Chardon, Ohio. Student Daniel Parmertor, 16, is killed and four others wounded when student T.J. Lane opens fire in the school, authorities say. On February 28, Demetrius Hewlin, 16, dies from his wounds, and Russell King Jr., 17, is declared brain-dead. On March1, T.J. Lane is charged with three counts of aggravated murder, two of attempted aggravated murder and one of felonious assault.

October 2, 2006 — West Nickel Mines School, Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. Charles Roberts IV, 32, goes to the small Amish school and takes at least 11 girls hostage. Five girls were killed and six others wounded. Roberts then killed himself.

November 8, 2005 — Campbell County Comprehensive High School, Jacksboro, Tennessee. A 15-year-old student opens fire on a principal and two assistant principals, killing one of them and critically wounding another, authorities said.

March 21, 2005 — Red Lake High School, Red Lake, Minnesota. Jeff Weise, 16, kills his grandfather and another adult, four fellow students, a teacher and a security officer. He then killed himself.

March 5, 2001 — Santana High School, Santee, California. Charles “Andy” Williams, 15, kills two classmates, a 14-year old and a 17-year old, and injures 13. Williams is sentenced in 2002 to at least 50 years in prison.

April 20, 1999 — Columbine High School, Littleton, Colorado. Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, kill 12 fellow students and one teacher before committing suicide in the school library.

May 21, 1998 — Thurston High School, Springfield, Oregon. After killing his parents the previous day, 15-year old Kip Kinkel returns to Thurston High armed with a rifle. He kills two students in the school cafeteria, a 16- and a 17-year old. He is sentenced to 112 years in prison.

March 24, 1998 — Westside Middle School, Jonesboro, Arkansas. Andrew Golden, 11, and Mitchell Johnson, 13, ambush fellow students and their teachers, killing five. Johnson is incarcerated in a youth facility and released on his 21st birthday in August 2005. Golden is released on his 21st birthday in May 2007.

December 1, 1997 — Heath High School, West Paducah, Kentucky. Michael Carneal, 14, opens fire on a school prayer group, killing three girls. He is serving life in prison.

February 2, 1996 — Frontier Junior High School, Moses Lake, Washington. Barry Loukaitis, 14, takes a rifle to school and kills two classmates and a teacher. He was sentenced to life in prison.

May 1, 1992 — Lindhurst High School, Olivehurst, California. Eric Houston, a 20-year old dropout, returns to his old high school and kills a former teacher and three students. Houston is sentenced to death.

February 26, 1992 — Thomas Jefferson High School, Brooklyn, New York. A 15-year old shoots and kills two other students. The shooter, Kahlil Sumpter, was sentenced in 1993 to between 6 2/3 and 20 years in prison. He was released in 1998.

WPTV