SCHOOL SHOOTING

19 HRs agoLive Blog Updates on School Shooting Nancy Lanza, 52 Permalink Facebook Twitter Some neighbors and relatives remembered Nancy Lanza, the 52-year-old mother of the suspected gunman behind one of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, as a retiring person who largely kept to herself. But those who knew her well say she could be warm, open and gregarious—a favorite at a town bar who sometimes gave Red Sox tickets to friends there. Ms. Lanza ate at My Place, the local bar, as much as three days a week and enjoyed a craft beer or two with her meal, said bartender Michael Agius, 26. “She was just a part of the bar family over there,” he said. “She was such a friendly person.” Ms. Lanza grew up in Kingston, N.H., and lived there near her extended family until moving to Newtown in 1998. Her family is well-known in the small New Hampshire town, where Ms. Lanza’s mother was a school nurse and her brother, James Champion, works in law enforcement. Kingston Police Chief Donald Briggs Jr. called Ms. Lanza a “very, very kind, considerate, loving young lady.” He added: “She was very involved in the community, very well respected.” She became the first victim in the Friday morning massacre that would eventually claim the lives of 20 schoolchildren and six adults. The youngest of her two sons, suspected gunman Adam Lanza, 20, allegedly shot her in the head multiple times before heading to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he took his own life with a single bullet, according to Connecticut’s chief medical examiner. Ms. Lanza’s body was discovered in the aftermath of the attack on the school inside the yellow Colonial-style home she had shared with Adam. The comfortable, well-kept home in an upscale neighborhood called Bennett’s Farm was a few blocks from Paugussett State Forest. There had been strains within the Lanza family. Ms. Lanza divorced her husband, Peter Lanza, in 2009 after a long separation, a relative said. In recent months, Adam had seemed to pull away from his family, according to Dan Holmes, a landscaper who worked on Ms. Lanza’s property and who would occasionally see her at My Place. When Nancy took her older son, 24-year-old Ryan Lanza, to see a concert in New Orleans, Adam didn’t join them. “It got to the point where she did not have a close relationship with her son,” Mr. Holmes said. Ms. Lanza was a gun collector and avid shooter, friends said, and she lived in a heavily wooded area frequented by hunters. She showed one of “her beautiful rifles, an old collectible she was very proud of” to Mr. Holmes. He said she and her sons “would go target shooting as a family.” Ms. Lanza “seemed to really enjoy gardening and landscaping,” said Newtown resident Rhonda Cullens, who said she and Ms. Lanza were part of a group of neighborhood women who used to gather once a month to play bunco, a parlor game with dice. Gina McDade, who lives a few houses away from Ms. Lanza and saw her from time to time at the grocery store, remembers Ms. Lanza putting up Christmas lights outside the house and as a member of the ladies’ night club. “I feel so bad for Nancy and the tarnishing of her family,” Mrs. McDade said. “She was a stay-at-home mom who loved her kids.…She was like anybody else, she would decorate the house [on Christmas], the house was always pristine. She was like any other housewife.” – Tamara Audi, Ted Mann, Shayndi Raice, Rachel Cromidas, Josh Dawsey, Erica E. Phillips, Sharon Terlep Photo Credit: Michael Aqius 19 HRs ago Twitter Pervaiz Shallwani@Pervaizistan The rifle used in #newtown shootings was the same type used in Colorado movie theater shootings earlier this year. 19 HRs ago Twitter The News-Times@NewsTimes RT @Rachel__Nichols: WR Victor Cruz plans to drive to Newtown, CT, this week to give his cleats & gloves from today to the family of ... 20 HRs agoLive Blog Updates on School Shooting Grace Audrey McDonnell, 7 Grace Audrey McDonnell, 7 years old, was the love and light of her family’s lives. “We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from so many people,” her parents, Lynn and Chris McDonnell, and her brother, Jack, said in a statement. “Words cannot adequately express our sense of loss.” Neighbor Orlando Domingos said the image of Grace that would remain with him is the little girl with bright blue eyes and golden hair, standing at the bus stop with her mother. “She was very little, just coming into the world,” Mr. Domingos said. “She was a beautiful little girl, a beautiful, beautiful little girl.” –Jennifer Maloney (Photo: Grace Audrey McDonnell, Credit: Courtesy of the McDonnell Family) 20 HRs agoUpdate Breaking News *Connecticut State Police: Bushmaster AR-15 Assault Rifle Used to Kill Victims in Newtown School Shootings *Adam Lanza Carried ‘Multiple’ 30-Round Magazines and Two Handguns Into School *Lanza Killed Self with Handgun, Police Spokesman Says *Fourth Weapon, a Shotgun, Was Found in His Car Outside School 20 HRs ago Twitter Hartford Courant@hartfordcourant President Obama lands in CT, watch live: http://t.co/eMC3uUQc #Newtown 20 HRs ago Twitter Pervaiz Shallwani@Pervaizistan Lt. Vance: Investigation is "tedious" and will take hundreds of man-hours. The press will have it the minute state police do. #Newtown 20 HRs ago Twitter The News-Times@NewsTimes First funeral for #Newtownschoolshooting victim set for Monday. Services for Noah Pozner will be 1 p.m. in Fairfield: http://t.co/ALt5U0x0 20 HRs ago Twitter Danny Gold@DGisSERIOUS RT @Pervaizistan: Lt. Vance: Adam Lanza had several more magazines on him and hundreds of unused bullets. #Newtown 20 HRs ago Twitter Pervaiz Shallwani@Pervaizistan Lt. Vance: Adam Lanza had several more magazines on him and hundreds of unused bullets. #Newtown 20 HRs ago Twitter Pervaiz Shallwani@Pervaizistan Lt. Vance: Adam Lanza killed himself w/ a handgun. #Newtown 20 HRs ago Twitter Hartford Courant@hartfordcourant RT @AnthonyOnFOX: Breaking: Air Force One touches down in CT. #newtown http://t.co/8qQdscc5 20 HRs ago Twitter Pervaiz Shallwani@Pervaizistan Breaking: Lt. Vance: Rifle was used in to kill all #newtown school victims. Lanza had several magazines and fired "hundreds" of bullets. 20 HRs ago Twitter Danny Gold@DGisSERIOUS RT @lisafleisher: Lt. Vance: "Hundreds of bullets, yes." #Newtown 20 HRs ago Twitter The News-Times@NewsTimes RT @WTNH: Lt. Vance: Shooter Adam Lanza's death confirmed as suicide #Newtown 20 HRs ago Twitter Danny Gold@DGisSERIOUS RT @WSJ: Portraits of #Newtown victims, remembered by family and friends: http://t.co/IVgg5xfH 20 HRs agoLive Blog Updates on School Shooting Profiles of the Victims: Madeleine F. Hsu, 6 To neighbor Karen Dryer, Madeleine Hsu was Maddy, the little girl who always wore bright, flowery dresses and shared a ride to school with her 5-year-old son, Logan. Ms. Dryer said Madeleine was “very upbeat and kind.” “She was a sweet, beautiful little girl,” Ms. Dryer said. The Hsu family moved into the neighborhood within the last few years, Ms. Dryer said. Madeleine’s mother would schedule work so she could meet her daughter as soon as she got home from school, always waiting at the end of the driveway in a red minivan. –Will James and Pervaiz Shallwani 21 HRs agoVideo Community Remembers Newtown Victims with Memorials Community members and visitors in and around Newtown, Connecticut have been erecting makeshift memorials to honor the victims of the shooting spree on Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School. 21 HRs agoUS Newtown Residents Flock to Churches As residents begin to move through one of the nation's worst massacres, they will be guided by their faith that "evil doesn't have the last word" and that "love wins," religious leaders told worshippers who filled pews of Newtown churches Sunday morning. Open 21 HRs agoMetropolis Newtown Church Evacuated After Threat A parish that has become a haven for mourning in this stricken community received another shock Sunday when the packed noon service was evacuated because of threat. Open 21 HRs ago Twitter Tamer El-Ghobashy@TamerELG RT @Shayndi: A threat caused the church in #newtown to be evacuated. Check our live stream for the latest updates at http://t.co/vqHXnJYK 21 HRs ago Twitter The News-Times@NewsTimes #Newtownschoolshooting suspect Adam Lanza took classes at Western Conn. State University: http://t.co/KGCBF3Ax #SandyHook 21 HRs agoUS Federal Agents Group Blasts Senator An organization of federal agents blasted an anonymous senator who is blocking a bill that would clarify how agents are allowed to assist in responding to major incidents such as the shooting in Connecticut. Open 21 HRs agoMetropolis Shooting Suspect Attended Local College Details emerged Sunday about suspected Newtown school shooter Adam Lanza's time at a local university in Danbury, Conn. Open 21 HRs ago Twitter Hartford Courant@hartfordcourant RT @MatthewKauffman: Heart-wrenching: From slain principal’s tweets, tiny charges line up during October evacuation drill at #Newtown sc ... 21 HRs ago Twitter Danny Gold@DGisSERIOUS RT @WSJ: Latest updates on the investigation and aftermath of the mass shooting in #Newtown: http://t.co/I4Ej0bWY 22 HRs ago Twitter Hartford Courant@hartfordcourant RT @JohnCharltonFox: Parishioners @ St. Rose of Lima in #Newtown say Monseigneur interrupted middle of mass, during Homily, to evacuate ... 22 HRs ago Twitter The Newtown Bee@TheNewtownBee The #Newtown Board of Education's planned Tuesday, December18, meeting has been cancelled. 22 HRs agoUpdate Autopsy Results on Lanza, Mother Connecticut’s chief medical examiner determined the mother of the suspected shooter was killed by multiple gunshot wounds to her head, a spokeswoman said on Sunday. Nancy Lanza, the first victim in the Friday shooting spree, was found dead inside the home she shared with the suspect in Newtown. Authorities discovered her body after Mr. Lanza forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he fatally shot 20 children and six adults. Mr. Lanza’s rampage ended when he killed himself inside the school as the first emergency responders arrived, according to Gov. Dannel Malloy. The spokeswoman for the medical examiner said an autopsy revealed Mr. Lanza fired a single bullet into his head. 22 HRs ago Twitter The News-Times@NewsTimes BREAKING: Coroner says #Newtownschoolshooting gunman shot mother multiples in head, killed self with shot to head, per @AP 22 HRs ago Twitter The Newtown Bee@TheNewtownBee Counseling For Community Members Available http://t.co/FSXLfWXM 22 HRs agoLive Blog Updates on School Shooting Profiles of the Victims: Josephine Gay, 7 Josephine Gay had an innocent childhood like so many others, riding her bike in the street and setting up a lemonade stand in the summer. She had just celebrated her seventh birthday Tuesday. Josephine loved the color purple. In memory, homes in the new subdivision of large houses, about 20 minutes from Sandy Hook Elementary School, hung purple balloons on mailboxes and gates. A neighbor recalled the family as “very kind. The girls were anxious for our kids to move in. They were very welcoming.” -Danny Gold and Pervaiz Shallwani (Photo: Josephine Gay, Credit: Reuters) 22 HRs agoUpdate Newtown Church Evacuated The Associated Press NEWTOWN, Connecticut — Worshippers hurriedly left a church Sunday, saying they were told there was a bomb threat not far from the elementary school where 20 children and six adults were massacred. At least a dozen police in camouflage gear and carrying guns arrived at the St. Rose of Lima Church. An Associated Press photographer saw police leave carrying something in a red tarp. Guns drawn, they surrounded the rectory across the parking lot from the main church building. A large crowd of parishioners gathered outside. There was no official report from police about the threat or evacuation. 22 HRs ago Twitter Pervaiz Shallwani@Pervaizistan RT @TamerELG: CONN coroner: Adam Lanza Died From Single Gunshot to Head, Self Inflicted #newtown via @jdawsey1 22 HRs ago Twitter Pervaiz Shallwani@Pervaizistan RT @TamerELG: Conn. coroner: Autopsy shows mother of #Newtown school shooter died from “Multiple Gunshot Wounds of the Head." 22 HRs ago Twitter Tamer El-Ghobashy@TamerELG CONN coroner: Adam Lanza Died From Single Gunshot to Head, Self Inflicted #newtown via @jdawsey1 22 HRs ago Twitter Hartford Courant@hartfordcourant We have @johncharltonfox on the way to #newtown St. Rose of Lima Church and @JulieStagis is at the scene 23 HRs agoLive Blog Live: Updates on School Shooting Profiles of the Victims: Charlotte Bacon, 6 At six years old, Charlotte Bacon had already developed a knack for the power of persuasion, said her uncle, John Hagen. Charlotte had recently been shopping for a new outfit – a pink dress and white boots — that were set aside for the holidays. After weeks of Charlotte asking, her mother, JoAnn Bacon, finally relented on Friday, letting her daughter wear the clothes to school. Charlotte had even done her hair for the school day. “She had been working on my sister for weeks to wear this outfit,” Mr. Hagen said. “If she wanted to get something, she was going to get it. She had a strong personality.” Having lived across the country, the Bacons settled several years ago in Sandy Hook, where Joel Bacon worked as a scientist and his wife was a stay-at-home mother, said Hagen, 52, of Minneapolis. Mr. Hagen recalled one of the last times he saw Charlotte. The families had gathered for a reunion at a summer home in upstate Minnesota for the fourth of in July in 2011. The uncle was on a pontoon with Charlotte. “She was about 4 to 5 years old at the time,” he said. “I watched her go and run off the pontoon and into the water with total confidence. She lived life with gusto. This little girl knew how to live life.” Upon learning of the shooting Friday, Joel and JoAnn Bacon went to firehouse staging area near the school, where they soon met their 9-year-old son, Guy. “At the fire station, Guy came and no Charlotte,” he said. “They were there until 4 o’clock that afternoon waiting, probably knowing the end result already.” “She knew something bad had happened because all the families in the fire station were from Charlotte’s class,” Mr. Hagen said. JoAnn told him that she’d served as the Girl Scout troop leader for Charlotte. “She said there was 10 of the girls in the group,” he said, “and five of them are gone.” – Pervaiz Shallwani (Photo: Reuters) 23 HRs ago Twitter The News-Times@NewsTimes SWAT team has left the St. Rose of Lima Church in #Newtown, apparently finding nothing. 23 HRs ago Twitter Hartford Courant@hartfordcourant #newtown RT @JulieStagis: Church bells hAve been ringing the whole time 23 HRs ago Twitter Liz Heron@lheron RT @NewsTimes: Here's what we know about the evacuation of St. Rose of Lima Church in #Newtown: http://t.co/Ofe2EkK4 #SandyHook 23 HRs ago Twitter The News-Times@NewsTimes Here's what we know about the evacuation of St. Rose of Lima Church in #Newtown: http://t.co/Ofe2EkK4 #SandyHook 23 HRs ago Twitter The News-Times@NewsTimes Armed team of police now searching the parish religious education center, which is in a Colonial-style home next to the church. #Newtown 23 HRs ago Twitter The Newtown Bee@TheNewtownBee H. Lasher invites anyone who would like to pay respects, find solace to American flag memorial, 68 Dodgingtown Rd. http://t.co/oSD75VKL 23 HRs ago Twitter Pervaiz Shallwani@Pervaizistan RT @NewsTimes: BREAKING: St. Rose of Lima Church in #Newtown evacuated during Noon mass because of unspecified threat. #Newtownshooting ... 23 HRs ago Twitter Liz Heron@lheron RT @NewsTimes: BREAKING: St. Rose of Lima Church in #Newtown evacuated during Noon mass because of unspecified threat. #Newtownshooting ... 23 HRs ago Twitter Hartford Courant@hartfordcourant RT @StephenBus: #Newtown Police have no info to release about report of evacuation at St. Rose of Lima Church. We're on the way. 23 HRs ago Twitter The Newtown Bee@TheNewtownBee St Rose Church has been evacuated. Developing story. 23 HRs ago Twitter Hartford Courant@hartfordcourant MT @StephenBus: #Newtown Police have no info to release about evacuation at St. Rose of Lima. Courant and FOXCT reporters on the way Loading more posts…