13.35 (08.35) As the US continues to search for a motive, more
information on Lanza’s killing spree has come to light overnight.
Dr H Wayne Carver II, the medical examiner, said of the 4,000 autopsies he has
performed, and of the up to 50,000 autopsies he has overseen, he said: “This
is the worst I’ve seen.”
Dr Carver said Lanza was able to reload so quickly because he had “jungletaped”
his magazines – where you tape two magazines together.
13.15 (08.15) Robbie Parker has been speaking about his daughter
Emilie, one of the child victims. He disclosed that he was helping her study
Portuguese, adding:
reflecting on the incredible person that Emilie was and how many lives she
was able to touch in her short time here on Earth.
“This world is a better place because she has been in it.”
13.09 (08.09) Prayers were heard for the family of Dylan Hockley, the
six-year-old British victim, at St Nicholas’s Church in Eastleigh,
Hampshire, today. He and his parents and older brother moved from the town
to Newtown two years ago.
Prof Roger Thornton from the church called for President Obama to look again
at America’s gun laws, adding:
“The first reaction is just horror. It is devastating for all of the
families involved but particularly at this church we wanted to remember
Dylan today.”
13.00 (08.00) The Pope has spoken about the shootings to crowds of
pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City. He said:
Connecticut.
“I assure the families of the victims, especially those who lost a
child, of my closeness in prayer. May the God of consolation touch their
hearts and ease their pain.
“Upon those affected by this tragedy, and upon each of you, I invoke
God’s abundant blessings.”
12.50 (07.50) Marsha Lanza, the gunman’s aunt, has said he was “very,
very bright” but home schooled after his mother “battled”
with education authorities, we write in our
latest report.
got to give your kids roots” as she spoke out following the shootings
at Sandy Hook primary school on Friday.
In her first interview, she disclosed details of his mother Nancy’s “battles”
with education authorities over Adam’s education.
“She eventually wound up home schooling him because she battled with
the school district,” she said. “In what capacity I’m not 100 per
cent certain.
“If it was her behaviour, if it was learning disabilities, I really
don’t know but he was a very, very bright boy. He was smart.”
12.22 (07.22) Investigators trying to establish a motive for the
killing will today visit dozens of gun stores and shooting ranges across
Connecticut, AP has reported.
They are trying to establish why Adam Lanza’s mother kept a cache of
high-power weapons in her house and how much experience he had with guns.
12.05 (07.05) We have published a full
list of victims, including tributes from relatives. One of the
victims, seven-year-old Grace McDonnell, was described by Kim Torre-Tasso, a
neigbour, as a “bright, blond little girl with a cherubic face – if you
could describe an angel it would be her.”
She said the child and her mother were “symbiotic – she was like her
little best friend”.
11.56 (06.56) Richard Novia, the school district’s head of security
until 2008, has been speaking about a meeting with school guidance
counsellors, administrators and with Adam Lanza’s mother, Nancy, to
understand his problems and try to ensure his safety, AP reports:
felt it physically. It was my job to pay close attention to that.
“He would have an episode, and she’d have to return or come to the
high school and deal with it.”
11.42 (06.42) AP reports on more of the teachers’ “acts of heroism”:
psychologist Mary Sherlach and principal Dawn Hochsprung ran toward him,
District Superintendent Janet Robinson said. Hochsprung died while lunging
at the gunman, officials said.
The 56-year-old Sherlach, who would have been tasked with helping survivors
cope with the tragedy, died doing what she loved, her son-in-law, Eric
Schwartz, told the South Jersey Times.
“Mary felt like she was doing God’s work,” he said, “working
with the children.”
Victoria Soto, a 27-year-old teacher, reportedly hid some students in a
bathroom or closet and died trying to shield them from bullets, a cousin,
Jim Wiltsie, told ABC News. Those who knew Soto said they weren’t surprised.
“You have a teacher who cared more about her students than herself,”
said John Harkins, mayor of Stratford, Soto’s hometown. “That speaks
volumes to her character, and her commitment and dedication.”
11.30 (06.30) In our latest video, gunman Adam Lanza’s aunt describes
her nephew as a “very, very bright boy”.
11.22 (06.22) The shooting has reignited the American debate on gun
control, reports
Peter Foster with President Obama calling for “meaningful action”
to prevent similar tragedies.
Mr Obama did not provide details of how he would tackle one of America’s
most divisive and intractable political issues in the light of the
shootings, but gun control advocates called for the Sandy Hook shootings to
be a watershed moment on the issue.
Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York and a long-time prominent advocate
of gun control, led the way, saying that the warm words – however heartfelt
– that have always followed such tragedies were no longer sufficient.
“Calling for ‘meaningful action’ is not enough,” he said after Mr
Obama had made his at-times tearful address to the nation in the immediate
wake of the shootings on Friday, “We need immediate action.”
11.14 (06.14) President Obama is expected to travel to Newtown, which
has a population of 27,000, tonight to meet with victims’ families and speak
at the vigil at 7pm local time (midnight GMT).
11.08 (06.08) In the Sunday Telegraph this morning, our
reporters profile Adam Lanza, the “fiercely intelligent”
but troubled young killer.
In 2009, Nancy and Peter Lanza had divorced after 28 years of marriage. The
break up was traumatic, leaving the couple’s sons devastated. Ryan Lanza was
living away at university, meaning that his brother Adam, four years
younger, was left at home alone with their mother at their £350,000 house.
He was not well known to neighbours, who describe him as being reclusive
and troubled.
And when the news broke on Friday of the murder of 26 people at a primary
school in the town, and Ryan Lanza was hastily identified as the killer,
people who knew the family knew they had named the wrong brother.
“Adam Lanza has been a weird kid since we were five years old,”
said Tim Dalton, a neighbour and former classmate, on Twitter. “As
horrible as this was, I can’t say I am surprised.”
10.50 (05.50) School teachers who acted swiftly to prevent more
children being killed have been praised for their “incredible acts of
heroism” by District Superintendent Janet Robinson. The
Sunday Times highlights one teacher’s actions this morning:
six and seven, into the lavatories adjoining her classroom. The space was so
tight she had to help some of them climb on to a cistern.
She wheeled a bookshelf in front of the door and locked it. Roig said she
had told the children she loved them because she thought these would be the
last words they heard.
One of the boys tried to reassure her. “I know karate, so it’s OK,”
he said.
Meanwhile, pictures have emerged of some of the child victims.
(Top row from left) Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Olivia Engel, Josephine
Gay, Ana Marquez-Green. (Middle row from left) Dylan Hockley, Catherine
Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, James Mattioli. (Bottom row from left)
Grace McDonnel, Emilie Parker, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos
10.34 (05.34) In our latest video, Newtown Police Department audio
reveals the emergency services’ dialogue during the shooting:
10.25 (05.25) As our main story notes this morning, gunman Adam Lanza’s
mother, Nancy, who was among the victims, was said to have been a “big,
big gun fan” and taught her son how to shoot.
Holmes, owner of the landscaping firm Holmes Fine Gardens, told Reuters.
He recalled that she once showed him a ‘high-end rifle’ that she had
purchased.
“She was very proud of it,” he told the New York Daily News. “She
loved her guns."
Lanza was armed with a Sig Sauer and a Glock handguns, typically capable of
firing 15 rounds and 17 rounds each. He also had a Bushmaster assault rifle,
capable of firing 30 rounds before needing reloading. A fourth gun was said
to have been found in his mother's car. In all, more than 100 shell casings
were found.
Meanwhile, the New York Times has given over the top of its website to
recording the toll.
10.17 (05.17) John Bingham reports
that a six-year-old British boy, Dylan Hockley, is among the victims.
Dylan Hockley, from Hampshire, moved with his parents and older brother to
Newtown, Connecticut, two years ago.
His mother, Nicole, a former marketing consultant, recently described the
area as "a wonderful place to live" with "incredible" neighbours and
"amazing" schools".
10.02 (05.02) Father of 6-year-old Connecticut shooting victim speaks
out:
10.01 (05.01) On Saturday night, police released the names of all the
victims. They are:
Adults
Rachel Davino, 29, school staff
Dawn Hochsprung, 46, teacher
Anne Marie Murphy, 52, school staff
Mary Sherlach, 56, psychologist
Victoria Soto, 27, teacher
Lauren Russeau, 30, teacher
Nancy Lanza, 52, gunman’s mother
Children
Charlotte Bacon, six
Daniel Barden, seven
Olivia Engel, six
Josephine Gay, seven
Ana Marquez-Green, six
Dylan Hockley, six
Madeleine Hsu, six
Catherine Hubbard, six
Chase Kowalski, seven
Jesse Lewis, six
James Mattiolo, six
Grace McDonnel, seven
Emilie Parker, six
Jack Pinto, six
Noah Pozner, six
Caroline Previdi, six
Jessica Rekos, six
Avielle Richman, six
Benjamin Wheeler, six
Allison Wyatt, six
10.00 GMT (05.00 ET) Hello and welcome to our rolling coverage of the
aftermath of the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut.
Source:
http://www.ezonearticle.com/2012/12/16/connecticut-school-shooting-latest/
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