Connecticut school district on lockdown after shooting report at a Newtown elemen-#4

[Quester]

Connecticut School Shooting Victim [CH]

sweet Catherine Violet

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/12/connecticut-school-shooting-victim-catherine-hubbard/

 

[ATasteOfHoney]

Let's not forget that some very serious conditions such as schizophrenia start to manifest themselves in males during young adulthood. AL was 20 so perhaps this was the case.

The news is inferring that the CT State Police have some solid leads as to what may have been a motivator.

Bet AL watched a lot of violent video games....

 

[Lois Lane]

I also just read the article where a bunch of Adam's past classmates have spoken out. According to the comments made, it appears that Adam was taken out of school sometime after middle school and home schooled, but was returned back to a regular classroom setting at least by his Senior year of High School. He could be less than two years removed from attending school if he has just turned 20. Do we have a birth date for Adam?

Obviously the High School was not the target of his anger/issues, but I find it interesting that he was removed and the returned to school.

Adam Lanza was born on April 22, 1992.

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20121214/NEWS03/121219461

 

[callyn]

IMO, all the pictures of AL shows that he had sanpaku eyes.

I do too. :what:

What does it mean?

ETA: Googled it, apparently its a myth, superstition. I just always thought I had droopy lower lids. Little did I know

 

[~n/t~]

Connecticut School Shooting Victim [CH]

sweet Catherine Violet

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/12/connecticut-school-shooting-victim-catherine-hubbard/

Awwww what a doll. So precious.

 

[laura08]

OMG!! OMG!! I just remembered!!! There was a link on the last thread! I believe teacher Victoria Soto's webpage (for the school??) announced the plans for the children to make Gingerbread houses that morning and Mr. Murphy was her aide in the classroom. I need to go find it, but could Adam have seen this and knew exactly where Mrs. Murphy would be??

I believe a few classes were probably doing the gingerbread houses and Victoria''s class was one. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/father_anguish_jdXaaYbN4MG2AqPjzE5pBM

 

[BloodshotEye]

Continuing my thoughts on motive...
AL murdered 20 children; one for each year of his life. A life he endured with profound fear and anxiety. A life that he felt would have been different, had he been diagnosed and given proper therapy, when he entered school at age 5.
We are told, that AL was a very bright person. Extraordinarily so. You think the number of children he killed, is a coincidence? I don't think so. The number of adults murdered = collateral damage in his head. Definitely made a statement. (speculating of course).

 

[Wise Old Owl]

Ok - I'm going to share a personal experience that I rarely talk about. It might get a little lengthy but that's because it is what it is.

First, some of you already know - I am a teacher. Have been for over 15 years. Elementary - mostly 5th grade.

Way back - IIRC it was 1998 - so well before 9/11 and Columbine and the "new world of security" that schools have become.

My school at the time was an "open-air" school. Meaning we had no enclosed hallways. It was one big main hallway with "wings" of classrooms branching off each side. All the walkways were covered but very much "open air". The end walkway ran alongside the road (chain-link fence in between of course).

It was about 12:30 - quarter to one in the afternoon. My class was on a wing closest to the road - second room in. I was lining them up to go to special. I usually stood in the doorway so I could monitor the room and the line at the same time. For whatever reason, I walked back into the room to pick up or help a student or whatever it was. In those few seconds (walking across the room) I heard the "TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP". It never dawned on me that it was gunfire. We had the Braille markers next to each door and my boys had taken a fancy to "tapping" them as they went by. Since they were mounted on a wall - it was "bounced" off the concrete and made this loud TAP. I had "yelled at them" several times about doing this and that was my immediate thought of what was going on. I quickly got back to the doorway to catch the culprits when I saw the other 5th grade teacher crouching down behind a small concrete wall (was actually a pumphouse for the sprinkler system). She yells at me to get them all back in.

I screamed "INSIDE NOW" and my class got in the room. The room next to mine was the computer lab - which was where her class had been heading - they all ran into there. I called the code to the office over the intercom.

My back wall was almost floor to ceiling windows with verticals - I immediately shut them and the kids all sat down. Of course they were talking. A lot of them knew what had happened - this wan't in the "most affluent" part of town KWIM?

It had been a drive-by shooting. Two cars out on the road and shooting back and forth between them. In hindsight - I did see the cars - to this day can't tell ya what color, kind, anything about either of them. And yes, I also saw the last two muzzle blasts - but it took a long time for me to realize it.

We waited. In those days money was good - we had a SRO - School Resouce Officer that was a Sheriff's deputy - full uniform, car, armed, etc. There all day - every day - even had his own little office. I had gotten to know him well because of the DARE program and my class.

He came to my door after about 15 - 20 minutes and told me there had been a drive-by shooting and that we would stay in lockdown until the neighborhood was cleared.

I never felt afraid, kept the kids calm, just stayed being "the teacher" and took care of everything. We were finally dismissed around 5-ish. I had called my DH and told him to pick our kids up and that everything was ok.

I lived about 3 or so miles from the school and when I left was just fine. Glad to be getting home. About halfway home - it hit. By the time I got home - of course DH was out the door the second I pulled in and he literally had to get me out of the car and carry me in. I was sobbing, crying, shaking, heaving - it was horrible. By later on that evening I was back to my old self although the memory of that has never left me.

I found out the next day that spent cartridges were found on the next wing over further in than my classroom and that's when I realized how lucky my kids and I had been. Much less the other class that was there too.

Now, that doesn't even compare to what we are seeing here. Not even close!! What this does for me is bring that day back ten-fold.

Ever since that day - every time I move into a new classroom - I will take the time to just sit down and "scope out" the how's, where's and when's of getting my kids outta that room - or secured in that room safely if there is ever a horrible situation. Its sad that as a teacher I have to do this - but I do.

I have witnessed a lot of events over the years. I've taken bullets from 3rd graders; had kids bring me guns they found on their way to school; fires lit inside bathrooms, desks and various other places. Our schools are not safe.

One of problems of correcting this is the people WAY UP the ladder. But that's another story for another time.

I just wanted to share this because what I've learned about these events is you can never predict what you will do until you're there. I learned that day that I can handle it - stay composed - keep it together but once its over and I'm home - look out. I think that is what all those teachers did yesterday - they did what needed to be done. They are all heros!!!

I don't see how anyone will ever be able to go back into that school. Not even with remodeling - nope. I know I wouldn't and I can't begin to imagine any child that was in there yesterday ever being able to walk back into that building.

What I really want to know is his connection to this school. At first we thought there was a big one and now it looks like we have no clue. Why did he do this?

 

[Mrs G Norris]

Let's not forget that some very serious conditions such as schizophrenia start to manifest themselves in males during young adulthood. AL was 20 so perhaps this was the case.

The news is inferring that the CT State Police have some solid leads as to what may have been a motivator.

Bet AL watched a lot of violent video games....

You are right .. read the end of paragraph 6 in the article below:

http://www.courant.com/news/connect...shooting-1216-20121215,0,2311968.story?page=1

I have a feeling this was a well planned attack.

 

[FootballMom]

I've been reading the Twitter account and personal blog of one of the men who is being widely quoted by media about his encounter/acquaintance with NL. He's rightfully upset that the media is pillaging his site and pulling quotes mish-mash. Of course, he did choose to share in public forums about her.

However, he notes that he has friends who evidently knew her well and that there's evidently a lot that went on at home between NL and AL that isn't publicly known yet.

Pretty interesting. And, a good reminder that we haven't even begun to get a glimpse of what led up to this horror.

I'm very interested in reading those. Is it ok to link those accounts or provide us with just enough information to find it on our own via a search engine?

 

[Grasshopper]

I am not sure he ever even attended that school. His mother was not a teacher there.

So much misinformation and conflicting information on this story.

Here is a link to an interview with a woman who says she knew NL for 12 years. She says that AL never went to Sandy Hook. She also gives insight into the estrangement with RL.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ut-school-shooting-gunman-adam-lanza/1771063/

A Newtown High School yearbook from 2008 lists Adam Lanza as a member of the sophomore class, but his school portrait doesn't appear. He didn't attend Sandy Hook Elementary, Tambascio said.

"It's just so horrific. I never thought he would do anything like that," she said. "I don't know why he (targeted Sandy Hook.) He never even went there. "

Ryan Lanza worked at the restaurant for two years busing tables, she said. "Ryan was the complete opposite of his brother," she said. The brothers haven't spoken in two years. "It got to be too much for Ryan," Tambascio said.

Nancy Lanza had trouble with her younger son for years, Tambascio said. He was diagnosed with a type of autism known as Asperger syndrome, she said.

"He always had his face down. He would never look you In the eye," she said. "She's always had problems with him, since he was young."

However, there are quotes in other articles of former classmates of AL who say that they did attend the school with him.

Ugh...

 

[Abby Normal Again]

Having worked in the mental health field, the main concern was that patients would hurt themselves,not others.I'm alittle surprised based on Adam's profile that she wasn't worried about him being suicidal. It is very rare that someone is homicidal,and usually there is violent indicators before that. I would guess Nancy was responsable with her guns,and like most of us parents,would never dream that our children would be capable of hurting someone.
Was it wise,as you said NO,looking back,but if he had no violent tendancies before it may not have occured to her that just because he had mental issues that he was dangerous.

This is what I'm thinking unless I hear differently.

I've heard a lot of people feeling bad that dad had to hear his son had gone violent from a reporter on his driveway, but to me it's pretty bad to hear your son had gone violent with a gun to your face as well. I think these parents maybe suspected that he may have been capable of harming himself, but I am wondering if they just really never imagined he would be homicidal. Especially if we find out he has not history of violence.

It seems pretty valid that he had a sensory disorder extreme enough to limit his ability to feel pain, and I think once you couple that with being extremely disturbed and add in environmental factors... it all comes together. I don't think any one bad decision or factor "did it" to him.

No excuses for his actions, at all. But with the information we currently have I consider mom a victim too.

 

[Abby Normal Again]

I get tired of just hearing him referred to as the "shooter". He is a flat out killer. A baby killer, at that.

Edited to add: This post is not directed at anyone in particular. It landed at random. I have a friend who is nicknamed "Shooter" and has been called that since birth. So I hate that his name is being used to describe such an evil person. Sorry if anyone thought I was criticizing their terminology.

I think most of us just don't want to say his name. I've been calling him the unnamed coward. I'm good with killer too.

I have very little sympathy, and I'm usally very understanding and patient. But this is beyond hope or reason, IMO.

 

[laura08]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...nlike-serial-killers-are-hard-to-profile.html

Interesting article.

Dr. Michael Stone has examined the minds of more than 200 mass murderers. He talks to Lizzie Crocker about the difficulties of diagnosing these killers

Stone said, adding that 96.5 percent of mass murderers are male, and a majority aren’t clinically psychotic. Rather, they suffer from paranoia and often have acute behavioral or personality disorders

 

[LolaMoon08]

I think it was Mrs Monohans class. i had posted that snippet earlier

http://myschooldesk.net/newtown/teachersite.aspx#site.7399_pid.31545_mid.166389

""Construction is set for Friday morning December 14th at 9:45 in our classroom and should last for about an hour and a half. The more helping hands we have, the smoother the project goes. So if any of you moms or dads can spare the time, we could really use you! The gingerbread houses are going to be fragile until the icing sets, so I will keep them over the weekend to let everything harden. ""

Yes, thank you. Trying to remember all the information is so hard. Thank you for correcting this information.

 

[FootballMom]

Regarding Mental Illness vs. Autism:

(Sanjay) Gupta said. "And second of all, if you look at the studies pretty closely, what you'll find is that while there is a possibility of more outbursts, this sort of reactive violence, the idea of planned violence, where someone actually plans out something, that just doesn't correlate."

http://www.hlntv.com/video/2012/12/15/sandy-hook-shooting-gupta-mental-illness

 

[Xavier]

Can anyone imagine losing your 3 children in this shooting?

I don't have children, I have no idea of the combination of sheer terror, relief and nerves this Dad went through

" Anthony Bloss, whose three daughters survived the shootings, said they are doing better than he is. "I'm numb. I'm completely numb," he said at Friday night's vigil in Newtown.

"President Barack Obama will attend an interfaith memorial service Sunday in Newtown. It will be the fourth time he has traveled to a city after a mass shooting.
The president had planned to travel to Maine Wednesday for an event promoting his positions in "fiscal cliff" negotiations, but the White House canceled that trip because of the shooting."

 

[~n/t~]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...nlike-serial-killers-are-hard-to-profile.html

Interesting article.

Dr. Michael Stone has examined the minds of more than 200 mass murderers. He talks to Lizzie Crocker about the difficulties of diagnosing these killers

Stone said, adding that 96.5 percent of mass murderers are male, and a majority aren’t clinically psychotic. Rather, they suffer from paranoia and often have acute behavioral or personality disorders

That is exactly what this sad case will turn out to be. People want to know why (myself included) but we'll find out that there is no rhyme or reason for this massacre. Just like the Norway shooter/killer whose apparent motive was political but yet he went to a summer camp and shot hundreds of teenagers.

The Movie Theater shooter.....again, we'll find out there was no motive that would make any sense to any of us because we just don't understand what is going on in their heads. It may make sense to them but it never will to us.

IMO

 

[palaminodee]

very interesting blog article
http://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/

 

[Grasshopper]

I'm very interested in reading those. Is it ok to link those accounts or provide us with just enough information to find it on our own via a search engine?

I had to go back and check the rules. :blushing:

Link to the man who says he talked to NL: https://twitter.com/jimleff