Michelle McLoughlin/REUTERSYoung children wait outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Twenty-seven people were killed, including 18 children, when a masked
gunman unleashed a bloody Friday morning rampage through a Connecticut
elementary school.
The mass murderer was a 20-year-old man who used a .223-caliber
rifle. He was among the dead at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, Conn. — a small suburban town of about 27,000 people.
The gunfire erupted around 9:40 a.m. inside the main office, sending
terrified parents flocking to the school for word about their kids.
President Obama was briefed on the mass killing in Fairfield County, according to the White House.
Terrified children described hearing the gunshots as their teachers quickly hustled them to safety.
“I was in the gym and heard several loud booms … we all just huddled …
and our teachers told us to go into the office where no one could find
us. Then a police officer came in and told us to run outside,” one
little girl told WVIT-TV.
See video after the cut
See video after the cut
Shannon Hicks/The Newton BeeChildren were evacuated from the Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooter opened fire Friday.
GoogleSandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn. is in Fairfield County in the southwest corner of the state.
Brenda Lebinski was among the anxious parents outside the school, looking for her 8-year-old daughter.
“I saw her and it was the happiest moment of my life,” she said.
Dad Stephen Delgiadice said his 8-year-old daughter, who escaped
unharmed, reported hearing two big bangs before teachers told her to get
in a corner.
“It’s alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America,” he said.
Jessica Hill/APA woman waits to hear about her sister, a teacher, following a shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., about 60 miles northeast of New York City
Jessica Hill/APParents leave a staging area after being reunited with their children the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Lines of children picked their way through shattered glass as they
were led by teachers from the school. Video captured a long line of
ambulances and law enforcement vehicles parked outside the school.
At least three people were treated at Danbury Hospital, including a
teacher who was shot in the foot, police sources said. A witness spotted
two wounded children — one had a bloody face, the other with a hand
injury, WTNH-TV reported.
Two guns were found near the shooter, who died at the scene,
according to law enforcement officials. Witnesses said the shooter was
wearing a mask but his or her identity was still unknown.
A “platoon” of state troopers were combing the scene, said Lt. Paul Vance. of the state police. The FBI is also assisting.
Michelle McLoughlin/REUTERSA woman spoke with a Connecticut State Trooper outside Sandy Hook Elementary School after a shooting in Newtown, Conn.
WVITPolice respond to a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
The entire school district has been placed on lockdown “to ensure the
safety of all students and staff,” Newton Public School District said
is a statement.
A triage area has been set up outside the school and ambulances and stretchers set up, waiting for potential victims.
Gov. Dannel Malloy’s office said via Twitter: “State Police are
coordinating w/ federal & local authorities in Newtown. Will provide
add’l updates as they become available.”
That School had been closed since 2009. No birth records found for the 20 Sandy Hook Children.
ReplyDeleteEvacuation photos date to 10/17/2012.