Police: 26 dead in Conn. school shooting

Posted by: stiphbami in News Dec 14, 2012

By Susan Candiotti and Michael Pearson, CNN

Newtown, Connecticut (CNN) – In one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, a gunman opened fire Friday in a Connecticut elementary school, killing 26 people, 20 of them children, police said.

The suspected gunman, who was not identified by police, also was killed, apparently by his own hand.

One person was wounded.

The mass shootings occurred in one section of Sandy Hook Elementary School and spanned two rooms, said Lt. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police.

Among the dead were the school’s principal and psychologist, according to a parent who was at the school when the incident happened.

Separately, another adult was found dead in a second location in Newtown, Vance said.

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Vance described “a very tragic, tragic scene,” noting the carnage first responders witnessed when they arrived.

“I have difficulty putting it into words,” Vance told CNN, adding that he has “seen some horrific things, and this is right up there with them.”

Police recovered three weapons from the scene: a semi-automatic .223 Bushmaster, a Glock and a Sig Sauer, a source with knowledge of the investigation said. Vance said that the medical examiner will determine the cause of death for the gunman, though he noted that police never discharged their weapons.