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Subscribe to RSSThe shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School left the quiet community of Newtown, Conn., desperately trying to understand what happened. NBC's Kate Snow reports.
Updated at 7:17 p.m. ET: The first that some pupils heard of the mass shootings Friday at their Connecticut elementary school was when gunshots and screams started coming over the intercom system, according to accounts from the scene.
Twenty children, all ages 5 to 10, and six adults were killed when a masked gunman opened fire inside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., authorities said. The gunman was later found dead, a federal law enforcement official told NBC News.
26 dead after gunman assaults Connecticut elementary school
Connecticut school shooting is second worst in US history
The brother of a little girl who made it out of the school safely told NBC 30 of Connecticut that his sister told him that her class knew something was wrong "when she heard screams — screams were coming over the intercom and the school went on lockdown."
NBCConnecticut: Newtown massacre: 28 dead
As the children were being led out of the school, state troopers and FBI agents told them to "hold hands and close their eyes until they got outside," said the unidentified young man, "so obviously what was in there must have been very gruesome."
"It truly is disgusting. It's sickening," he said. "Unfortunately, it's a growing trend in the United States."
The Rev. Al Sharpton talks with Kathy Sweeney, whose 8-year-old grandson was at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday.
"It was just horrific, and I just found out that a neighbor ... lost a child," said Kathy Sweeney, whose 8-year-old grandson attends the school.
The boy is doing OK, she told MSNBC, but "I don't think it has set in yet."
Sweeney said her grandson told her that he and his classmates were in a computer room when they were told to duck under their computers.
"The PA system was on, and he said that he heard the gunshots," she said. "And then he said that they were supposed to close their eyes and they made their way up to the firehouse up the street."
See more video on the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary on NBCNews.com
Another pupil said everyone "went into a total panic" when they started hearing the gunshots.
"I was going back to my classroom," the boy said. "Then I heard something like a person was kicking on a door. Then I turned around and I saw smoke. ... Then a teacher pulled me into her room."
Asked what his reaction was amid the chaos, the boy said simply, "Whoa."
"You can never be prepared for this kind of incident," an emotional Gov. Dan Malloy said, his voice shaking as he recounted the assault on "a number of our citizens, beautiful children, as well as the adults whose responsibility is to educate those children."
Newtown police Lt. George Sinko called the shootings "definitely the worst thing we have experienced in this town," telling reporters it took officers just minutes after they arrived to recognize "what a horrific scene we had there."
The father of a pupil at Sandy Hook Elementary School describes his feelings upon hearing about the shootings. Then, Colin Goddard, a survivor of the Virginia Tech shootings, reacts to the interview, saying, "We are better than this."
'A powerless and terrifying experience'
The father of a Sandy Hook pupil said he had "no words that I could come up with that could come close to describing the sheer terror of hearing that your son is in a place, or your child is in a place, where there's been violence."
"You don't know the details of that violence. You don't know the condition of your child, and you can't do anything immediately to help them or protect them," he said.
"That is a powerless and terrifying experience."
Sarah W. Caron found a scene of chaos when she arrived to look for her young son. Teachers, police and parents, some of them crying, handed out water and tried to restore some order, she wrote on iVillage.
"The moment I spotted Will's little brown haired head was one of such great relief. I hugged him. I hugged his teacher," Caron wrote. "But this isn't over. My family is safe — thank God — but our school community was shattered today by a horrific tragedy."
A staging area for parents to reunite with their children was set up at the neighboring firehouse.
An elementary school pupil recalls the terrifying moments following sounds of shots at her Connecticut school, saying, "Teachers told us to go in the corner, so we all huddled."
"I was in the gym, and I heard, like, seven loud booms, and the gym teachers told us to go in a corner, and we all huddled, and I kept hearing these booming noises," a young girl said.
"We all started — well, we didn't scream — we all started crying, so all the gym teachers told us to go into the office where no one could find us," the girl said.
"So then a police officer came in and told us to run outside, so we did, and we came in the firehouse and waited for our parents."
"The children who witnessed this are terribly traumatized," said Msgr. Robert Weiss of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, who went to the firehouse to offer support and comfort. Weiss' church organized a memorial Mass for 7 p.m. ET.
"They're crying, they're trying to hold on to their parents, they want to go home, but they don't want to leave their friends," Weiss told MSNBC.
"Right now, I'm in a room full of parents who are waiting to hear what happened to their kids," he said. "The anxiety in this room is just overwhelming."
Andrew Mach and Vignesh Ramachandran of NBC News contributed to this report.
For up-to-the-minute coverage of the shootings at Sandy Creek Elementary School, stay with NBCNews.com and tune in to your local NBC station to watch tonight's special report on Dateline NBC.
Neil Culligan and Msgr. Robert Weiss dewcribe the scene outside Sandy Hook elementary School. NBC News' Richard Lui reports.
Related content from NBCNews.com:
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- Video: 'Our hearts are broken,' Obama says
- Gunman's mother owned weapons used in massacre
- 'Screams were coming over the intercom'
- Video: School shooting reignites gun control debate
- Massacre leaves America shocked and grieving ... again
- Connecticut school shooting is second worst in US history
- Authorities ID gunman who killed 27 in elementary school massacre
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I pray the families will find some consolation over their lost children and relatives.
To those who insist on anti-gun rants: Give it a rest! We do not suffer from a lack of laws, we suffer from a permissive society that thinks more regulation will bring safety and sanity. No proposed or existing law will ever keep a determined maniac from committing a crime against society. Laws that criminalize the majority only serve to place the law abiding and innocents at greater peril. Someone decided to buzz in to the "gun free zone" that animal dressed in black, wearing a bullet proof vest, and armed with a rifle. I suspect we missed many opportunities to have stopped that crime over the past 24 years.
we as people are getting lazy every day we need to stop and start better protecting are kids cause they are out futer this all sadden me we need to stick these crazy people in jail for ever and never be alond prole for killing litte kids
My God! What is this world coming to? Why do people act like they do? Why aren't we safe? Maybe it is the end of the world as we know it and barbarism is taking over. God help us! Or at least somebody help us!
'
Sigh. In response to several uneducated posts:
This massacre involved a kitchen knife. Keep saying it's the gun's fault. Clearly that's the problem.
Today's tragedy made me think of this one. This took place in 1996 by a 42 year old man, also an elementary school, a kindergarten class. Still think it's video games?
Sadly mass murders are not a new thing. Look throughout history and you will see things like this on a much bigger scale since the dawn of man pretty much. I understand to cope with such a horrific thing as this, people feel the need to blame something. I suppose my outlet is the lack of mental healthcare. Obviously something was wrong with this man to even contemplate taking the lives of so many. I dread historical days such as these.
My links didn't show up. The first one a school janitor killed 8 people including kids with a kitchen knife and the 2nd was the massacre in Ireland.
What has been increasing along with these random murders is the use of prescription psych drugs. Almost all these cases after the dust settles it is admitted the murderer was using them. Somehow that never makes it into the medias stories. In fact some of these drugs now must have a warning they create suicidal and murderous thoughts! How about these criminal psychiatrists stop pocketing millions by giving these drugs to people!
everybody just needs to shut up about your right to bear arms and gun control. i have my guns and i also have a concealed carry and also served nine years in the army. for once as a society we need to come together and pray for the victims families. i believe in my second amendment but i also believe in not arguing over @!$%# when tragedy strikes. you screaming, crying, and arguing over this isn't going to bring those innocent little kids back from the dead. JUST SHUT THE HELL UP AND GIVE YOUR CONDOLENCES.
In my prayers!
Christopher, I agree, though a lot of people that want take our right to self defense away are using this as an opportunity --- what to do?
In the show at the school how long did it take to respond to have so much mayhem. way to long it would seem why is that. we need people trained to respond in a minute why can't we do that what we do now is not working. i don't want to hear we can't put it in the budget that is just a bunch of @!$%#..
It seems people aren't taught that you don't ever point a weapon at another person....I remember in the 60s my dad would have taken my .22 away from me if he even thought I was being lax on the safety part of handling a weapon. You just don't put a person in harms' way with a weapon and these young people are not getting that connection.
27 Years in the military, grew up with gun-in-hand since 10 (for hunting). It's time to stop being ladies and admit that people kill people yes, with guns. Root cause isnt the gun but it certainly makes it easier plus it doesnt make sense for the easy access to guns. Now I'm pro hunting and believe in rifles/shotguns for hunting to eat (not just trophies) but I dont see rationale for pistols and military style weapons. (this kid had two pistols and a .223 cal rifle) probably a mini-14 or m-16 (both military weapons). No the Bill of Rights wasn't meant to support this -I believe that the statement implies that it is the right of the free state to arm its citizens to prevent its freedoms from being taken away by tyrannical governments. When the Bill of Rights was written we must consider the climate our new country was in. Great Britain wanted us to remain under its rule and the only thing preventing it was the fact that nearly every colonist owned a gun. We had no army so the existing government relied solely on militias formed by private citizens for protection. If it were illegal for citizens to bear arms, we would have no militias or our Army would be too small to carry out any type of defense against opposing governments. Also, our government would have to provide guns to people being drafted and back then our government was broke. It just made sense to allow our citizens to purchase and own their own weapons for hunting and then draft them when needed to the militia. FACT -US gun production is a global epidemic killing more people each day than natural causes. People kill people, with guns - I would certainly give up my guns to save just one child's life.
The right to keep and bear arms was put there to provide the populace with the right to counter the power of the military and police. In order to do that the public must have access to very potent weapons, much more powerful than a Mac-10. It is time to recognize that our government wants to own us. I will not give up my autonomy. Will you be willing to come kill me in order to take my arms?
The right to keep and bear arms was not put there in order to protect the right to kill Bambi!
When the Bill of Rights was written for British colonists, it was to help us break away from British rule. Read a history book. One only has to ask the 5-whys to understand. Stop trying to bend the BoR to fit your personal desires. Expat, why did you leave the US...I think you lost your vote! You're the first person I'd go after!!
You are targeting me -- for what? Because I will not conform? Because I would oppose the will of the majority? Ok, come get me -- murder me if you will for the sin of being a dissenter. I will fight for my right to live as a free man.
The shooter's body should either be dumped in a landfill or dropped way out to sea.
And others like him will learn from your actions that violence and disrespect are the ways to counter violence and disrespect. And then this will happen again.
Morning..Tears from across the Pacific and so shocked once again. Deepest sympathy to the families and friends of those lost. From all in Australia.
I think those geniuses back in Washington DC should start protecting US citizens from our homegrown terrorists instead of $ucking around in the Mid-East!!! ENOUGH ALREADY!
If people had guns this may not have happen bad guys have them good people don't what kind of out come would you expect. We need people to have guns not take them away if we ever get invaded you will wish we had them but just like now to late. We need to wake up before it is to late. Bad guys love our gun control it's time we make them hate it....................
We can put armed guards and metal detectors in every courthouse and government building where these kind of senseless mass killings do not ever occur yet we are unable to protect our children in their schools where we are suppose to depend on them for the safety of our children. We need to demand a change in priorities at every level of our government, locally and nationally. This is so sad to have happened again, if we do nothing to keep someone from walking into our schools....it will happen again. Time to protect our kids by reinforcing the defenses of our schools.
It's a human condition, period. The means and methods are different for each country, each society, each religion. Humans do the deeds. We behead, we use woman and children as human shields, we stone, we rendition, we mutilate genitals, we waterboard, we vanish people to frigid cold and horrible condition's, we burn people at the stake, we gas them and burn them in ovens. The list of what we inflict on each other is endless, as are the tools we invent and employ to carry out our deeds.
How about a discussion about how to improve the human condition?
burn in hell shooter
Enough is enough! Stop wasting our resources overseas with endless wars, and use that money for better school security, we could put armed security with metal detectors in every school with what we spend in other countries. Stop be the World's policemen and take care of our problems first! We need better mental health care to try to curb this insane violence we've seen lately. Better laws against assault weapons, curbing the violent video games that kids play, and violent rap music. Bring back respect and civility in our society, our Government needs to act and fast.... Complacency leads to tragic outcomes. My Prayers and condolences to all the Families.
it has nothing to do with video games or guns it's has to do with the physco people that don't get the help they need so please quit blamming games and guns they are games people make there own decisons to do what they do !!!!!!!
this has nothing to do with guns or games this is all about a @!$%#ing crazy person that has no respect for life in general why is it that when ever @!$%# like this happens it's all about guns and video games this is all bull @!$%# blame the crazy kid or person that thinks of this crap!!!!! don;t blame guns and for gun control legal sain people own guns physco's can get guns go to any town and see i live in colorado and we have had our share of this crap i say arm everybody and shoot the crazy people to get rid of them most of society blame guns games and not who should be blamed!!!
Was the murderer a PTSD ex-military? Is he a drug abuser? What traumas have recently happened in his life? Was he mentally ill or ??? My heart is breaking for the families that have lost loved ones today, and for the community that has now realized there is no place 'safe' in the world anymore. They are now forever scarred, and shattered. My heart fizzes in burning anger at POTUS for politicizing it, saying he "will make sure nothing like this ever happens again" (horsecrap!) and my bile rises when I read idiotic comments from the disarmament-lovers when they say that guns cause this horror, and my heart saddens when I read the comments from the folks who have to defend their Constitutional Rights on a day like this because idiots are THREATENING their rights that have been purposefully laid for ALL of us, in order to protect ourselves and families and to keep us free from oppression by others. Rights should NEVER be attacked. People should NEVER be lied to, and beautiful, innocent kids should NEVER be murdered in order for someone to whine "I am not happy". How freaking stupid is that???!
what we should have is real police officer in our school system thats why we pay alot of taxes not security guards ,
if we can be in war for so many years why not have police officers taking care of our kids ,
this are the new generations, so sad with these little ones gone so sorry to all the family god bless you all
As a young boy my father took my brother and me hunting many times. We hunted deer and quail with bird dogs. Before going hunting each time, my brother and I had to recite to our father what the Game & Fresh Water rules were regarding the animals we hunted.
My father taught us how to shoot and about gun safety. I had to learn how to take guns apart, clean them, and put them back together. Before a hunting trip once, my father told me I had to stay home because he did not like my attitude and emotional state (I was smart mouthed and quick to get angry.)
He said when I could demonstrate a more mature attitude, I could go hunting again. My father had a keen sense of what state of mind a gun owner had to have. He imparted these values to my brother and me.
My family and relatives are responsible gun owners. None of us have ever been involved in gun violence or even questioned by any authorities regarding guns.
The article says this in an increasing trend! Well perhaps they should investigate a related factor that is also an increasing trend. Almost all these cases involve prescription psych drugs! There is a psychiatrist at the root of this incident. He'll get off free because the media shields these types, meanwhile 27 innocent people dead.
Everyone is screaming gun control? What about the media coverage these POS humans get???? That is why they do it...going down in a ball of glory so to speak. I don't need to know the name of this douchebag nor do I need to know his history or whether is Mother breast fed him or not...I just need to know the scumbag is dead. I blame the media....guns have been around for ever...the media is our enemy!!!
AMEN!!!!
This is the real problem. The POS had a beef with four school officials. He killed 3 of the 4 (4th was not in the building) and then he decided that since he was not leaving the building alive he would go out in a blaze of "glory". The media should shut up - not publish his picture, and not recite his name every 5 minutes.
All schools need metal detectors. We do not live in a world where there is a safe community or safe school district. Good schools need metal detectors for all individuals entering that school. How many more students, teachers, parents, are going to have their lives taken. We need safety.
The real problem is a nation that doesn't care about it's people. We will spend trillions to bomb other countries and cut back on security in schools and on our streets. Our government wil fight to get money out of schools but god forbid we not buy 28 million dollars drones by the hundreds. Billions spent to make planes safe and money taken from schools that would do the same.
We have no jobs we have no future for many and we don't care if they are on the streets starving. It's what the nation is doing to the peole that drives them to do these crimes, that is the problem !!!
Forget about attacking Gun Control and Video Games. This is what happens when you take God, Country, and Discipline out of school. Psychos like this have an issue that stems from early on in their life. Bring back the paddles for misconduct, pray and PRAY hard everyday in school for loved ones, military and country, and for GODS SAKE stand up salute the flag of the United States of America and pledge allegiance. I'm 30 years old and my parents and grandparents didn't have these issues growing up simply because they were afraid of the wrath of someone short of God coming down on them. PARENTS who were PARENTS. We HAVE allowed ourselves to turn this way. This country is now being run unfortunately by a small minority of half-wit American and Non-Americans who say they are offended by such actions. Well I say get the Hell Out. THis is how our country was founded and what ar country was founded upon. Discipline, Hard Work, Respect, and Love.
Bryan is an idiot and a mass murderer in training. The NRA can rot in hell.
Is this Bob Costas? Dont worry when all hell breaks loose, I'll let you through my front door. Thats just the kind of person I am.
The mother who was killed, owned these guns. She died by her own guns. Who needs a semiautomatic gun? You gun rights people should talk to the parents of the children that died. Explain to them why you need to own semis. You are wrong, all of you gun crazies...guns do kill people, talk to the parents of these children. Ask them if they will ever celebrate another christmas...another day with their children. Ask them if they would allow guns in the hands of people that could kill their children.Ask the children that survived this will they ever feel safe again? No matter what you say, 20 BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN had no control or protection from these guns. I say unacceptable. I say fight fair.If you need a gun get one that will protect you, not kill an army.
tn; jesus would not own a gun. Read your bible. When all hell breaks loose, and you shoot someone....you will not be seeing jesus....or anyone else up in heaven. Eternal life is with jesus, he died to save your gun crazy soul.
MSNBCMFE and Peaceonearth22, I refuse to call you idiots, imbeciles, or morons (all of which have IQ requirements). However, you are either very naive are just stupid. An animal attacked at his home and at that school and is now dead by his own hand. I pray for the families and give thanks he is no longer among us. I wish someone with a gun had confronted him sooner, I don't believe anything else would have stopped him in time.
A semi-automatic will protect you - it would not stop an army. It might have stopped this fool - too bad no one had one to protect these children. The problem was a lopsided situation (and more importantly a failed mental health system), not semi-auto weapons.
"Peace" - If you wanted a fair fight, one of the administrators should have had a semi-automatic weapon at school on Friday. "MSNBC" - I don't believe the NRA can rot in hell. I don't think organizations have a soul. I am not sure you do either, but I digress. The NRA is not supporting these sort of people or their actions. They are supporting the fair fight and they also support sensible gun laws that address these issues.