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Subscribe to RSSNBC's Pete Williams has more information on a report that Connecticut school shooter Adam Lanza may have been involved in an altercation with staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary one day before the murders.
Undated photo confirmed by government officials to be Adam Lanza, who apparently killed himself after killing more than two dozen others, including 20 school children.
A day after the Newtown massacre, gunman Adam Lanza’s motive – and any personal demons – remained a mystery.
Lanza, 20, was identified by authorities as the black-clad killer who fatally shot his mother, gunned down 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and then committed suicide on Friday.
His older brother told authorities Lanza had a history of mental problems, but the nature of them was not clear. Former classmates remembered him as a brainy and quiet teen who sometimes wore a pocket protector.
Tim Arnone told Reuters that he first met Lanza at Sandy Hook and attended Newtown High School with him, where the two were members of a technology club. He said Lanza was "driven hard" to succeed academically by his parents, particularly his mother.
Nancy Lanza and her husband, Peter Lanza, divorced in 2008, according to public records. Peter Lanza could not immediately be reached for comment but has spoken to police.
Joshua Milas, who graduated from Newtown High School in 2009, told The Associated Press that Adam Lanza was generally a happy person but that he hadn't seen him in a few years.
"We would hang out, and he was a good kid. He was smart," Joshua Milas said. "He was probably one of the smartest kids I know."
Catherine Urso, of Newtown, told the Associated Press her college-age son knew Lanza. "He just said he was very thin, very remote and was one of the Goths," she said.
Law enforcement officials initially told NBC News that the gunman was Lanza's brother, Ryan, and they had sent out a bulletin to local and federal law enforcement agencies to that effect.
But when authorities went to Ryan's home in Hoboken, N.J., to search it, they unexpectedly found him there.
Ryan told police he was not involved and that his brother has a history of mental health issues and might have had his ID even though they had not seen each other in two years, officials said.
A senior official later said that Ryan was nowhere near the shooting, was not believed to be involved, and was cooperating with the investigation.
Lanza's aunt, Marsha Lanza, of Crystal Lake, Ill., told the AP she was close with Adam Lanza's mother and sent her a Facebook message Friday morning asking how she was doing. Nancy Lanza never responded.
Marsha Lanza described Nancy Lanza as a good mother and kind-hearted. She said her husband saw Adam Lanza as recently as June and recalled nothing out of the ordinary about him.
Nancy Lanza’s mother was too distraught to speak when reached by phone at her home in Brooksville, Fla., the AP reported.
"I just don't know, and I can't make a comment right now," Dorothy Hanson, 78, said in a shaky voice as she started to cry.
NBC News Justice Correspondent Pete Williams contributed to this report.
Authorities are investigating why the alleged gunman would have killed his mother at home and then killed so many children. NBC's Pei-Sze Cheng reports.
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Michelle Mcloughlin / Reuters
The second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history sent crying children spilling into the school parking lot as frightened parents waited for word on their loved ones.
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The NRA keeps saying "an armed citizenry will prevent these tragedies" but NOT ONCE has an armed citizen ever intervened in any of the many murderous rampages. In fact an armed citizenry has only given us Trayvon Martins - and much worse.
How many more massacres will it take before the NRA's stops spewing their foul lies?
After 20+ years of political correctness, timeouts, giving every kid a trophy, and spanking/paddling all but outlawed... this is the end result.
Pat yourselves on the back liberals. These are the youth you raised and these actions fall on your shoulders.
"but NOT ONCE has an armed citizen ever intervened in any of the many murderous rampages."
You are a filthy libtard propagandist media parrot LIAR.
Google it.
"armed citizen stopped rampage"
Polly want a cracker?
Control your anger - if you can, and put that gun down - before you really loose control Mrs. Zimmerman.
I googled "armed citizen stopped rampage". ONE time ONLY has an "armed citizen stopped rampage", and it was an off-duty policeman in the 2007 Trolley Square shootings.
So the news reported the wrong information, again. Why don't they wait for the facts? Because news reporters don't care about the truth.
who gives a crap? you knew what they knew and they qualified it. Get a grip on what's important.
If the shooter had mental issues why the hell did his family let him have access to guns? Wouldn't be surprised if the police have been to his house many times in the past to respond to domestic disturbance.
Yup - and the ditz that let him have access to the guns was his mother - and she's dead now. If he was mentally ill and a sociopath, why not put a tracker on him and remove any weapons from the house? Why not register him with the police as a potential threat? Why not lock the idiot up and medicate him? Is his freedom worth the lives of 26 people? I think not.
We need to go back to locking up people with mental illness.
Thank Ronald Reagan for that. He was the first to champion deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill. The result is mass shootings and homeless mentally ill living under bridges.
LOL.
How many mass shootings occurred in the 80's/90's ?
Those kids are all grown up now.
These "new" mass murderers are the results of the "liberal" agenda.
After 20+ years of political correctness, timeouts, giving every kid a trophy, and spanking/paddling all but outlawed... this is the end result.
Pat yourselves on the back liberals. These are the youth you raised.
This shooter was mentally ill. Take your dribble about spankings elsewhere. It doesn't apply in this case.
It's 'drivel,' not 'dribble,' you backward idiot.
Google is a wonderful tool. Try googleing "deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill". It started in 1955, and was mostly handled on a state by state basis, but was fairly well completed under Jimmy Carter. The institutionalized population had dropped from more than 550,000 to 100,000 prior to Reagans Administration.
Wanted to blame Bush, but had to go after a different Republican. Why not Romney?
Poor Ryan!!! Imagine every news outlet screaming your name and the town you live in as a mass murderer, all while, you are innocent and just finding out about your mom being murdered, and that it's your brother who did it.
WAY TO BRING THE NEWS TO THE MASSES QUICKLY!!!!! VERY RESPONSIBLE!!!!!
Actually - I would waltz Ryan in for some intense mental evaluations, along with his father. There's a lot wrong with this family that isn't yet told.
Yes just Ban the Guns that will do it ..I mean we banned Drugs and that worked didnt it .
my heart goes to all of everyone thats felling the pain as i am for all the family and all america sufering cause of this uncredible situation in wich we are living. may god bless america and put a stop for all this suffering.
uh...he found the weapons at wal mart. duh!
not at 20 years old
They were registered to his mother - neatly, he killed her too. THis family is totally messed up.
i'm just heartbroken-----thank you president obama for talking to the country with heartfelt words. millions of tears have been shed today. this is the ultimate atrocity. my condolences to the families of all the victims. i'm not up to the arguing today-----just too sad.
This madness will never stop, it started when someone stated, they can have my gun when they pry it from my cold dead hands.
They died with a gun clutched tightly in their hands, not the bible, not their children, not their spouse. not love but a gun!
Welcome to America people, when this saying was considered normal??? That's the moment we lost our country.
"it started when someone stated, they can have my gun when they pry it from my cold dead hands."
that started with King Leonidas at the battle of thermopylae 480 BC
Oh get a grip you bible hiding idiot. God does not want you to lead your children to slaughter at the hands of a maniac. He wants to you protect them anyway you can. If that means you take up arms to do that, then they are available to you. If you choose to use a shovel and he has a gun, good luck, but that's your choice. We lost our country when we deinstitutionalized the mentally ill, and the liberals started protecting the rights of the insane, over those of the not insane, and in this case - innocent 5 year olds and their teachers. How can you be such an ignorant soul to think this is an issue about love, spouses, bibles or guns? God help you - you're going to need it.
I notice that none of you anti-gun control people were ever victims of a gun-wielding mass murderer.
And before someone pops up and says "today is not the day to talk about blah blah blah gun control/politics" - it absolutely IS the day. If there ever was a day to seriously discuss gun control - this is the day.
Right now, law makers are fighting over taxes and the so called fiscal cliff.
One thing that we all can agree on, is that in a society where you can own guns, we need to have mental health clinics in every community where the doors are open to all regardless of the ability to pay.
I see that after every mass shooting, we find out that the perpetrator is a male, ages 16 - 26. The age range where serious mental health issues often set in, and the same age range where kids becoming adults are dropped from their parents health care plans. The articles written after we know more about these shooters is that they always have family who couldn't financially handle the stagering cost of mental health care or the medications needed. So, the child ends up kicked out the house where, they slide further down the social ladder. Those mentally ill then get guns to act out rage/hurt/abandonment. And innocent civilians are the ones hurt and killed.
If we want our guns, we must make the financial commitment to make sure the mentally ill can get their medications so that they can function in this society.
My Heart Breaks for these precious children and their families. Please let's not turn this into a political debate about gun control.
The problem is three-fold:
VIOLENCE IN AMERICA. It has permeated EVERYWHERE. TV, Movies, music, games. Kids are becoming totally desensitized to violence by a very early age.
DEMORALIZATION OF AMERICA. Family and religious values are degraded and even condemned. Having a strong moral foundation is becoming passé.
LACK OF MEANINGFUL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. Try finding quality mental health services...even if you have good health insurance...you find 1) A therapist who claims to have experience in all areas of mental illness who can see you 1-hour per week or less, and 2) a phychiatrist who can see you very briefly once per month for medication management ONLY. What kind of help is that?
Let's start having the tough discussions about the real issues and resist falling into the gun control trap. Even a complete eradication of guns on this planet will not stop these such tragedies without bravely tackling the other very real problems.
PROZAC! Was this guy on it?! It makes you committ violent acts. It makes you unbalanced!!! If he was on this, ELI LILLY HAS BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS. They already have 50 million in lawsuits.
Way Bad, Some humans are "Infested with a sickness " . awfull children were involved ...
Forgive me, those of you sending your hearts out and your prayers up, but it's not going to do any good.
"Let's resist falling into the gun control trap." We have resisted it, and look what's it has gotten us.
Second amendment rights: what about if we confine its application as intended: to muzzle-loading flintlock muskets?
The life of one single child is not worth trading for the so-called rights of all the imbeciles who think they need automatic weapons. They are swine, swine, swine and accomplices.
Well, we can't do much about these savage acts, especially since the NRA thinks it better to be killed via assault weapon rather than a knife. The problem with guns is that cowards can use them. Many of these people would never commit these murders if they had to risk having their weapons turned on them. Plus, one cannot kill 28 people during a short period of time with a knife.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_School_disaster
Such nonsense. You just made the case for arming everyone. If a perp thinks the victim or guardians are armed and will legally shoot their heads off, they will think twice about firing on them. Secondly, pipe bombs are a drop and run, cowardly but effective way to do the same thing. Lastly - the NRA has nothing to do with this - except to protect my right to carry a firearm and to point a shotgun at anyone who dares try to enter my home with malintent. I for one want them to continue to do this. That's why it's in the constitution - to protect your property and family because NO institution can do that for you.
Starting tomorrow all flags should be flown at half-mast through Christmas and make Christmas Day a National Day of mourning.
Because of what happened today, the holidays will never be the same again.
May God have mercy on us all.
Peace.
This is exactly why you don't lend your ID to your little brother so he can go buy beer.
Look - My wife is a special educator in the Syracuse City School district. 3 days ago an 8th grader came in with a pocket full of undischarged bullets. What did the administration do you may ask? A one day suspension and the kid is back in class! great leadership in these inner city schools! I do know that the new generation of leaders are not concerned for safety or well run classrooms. They are more concerned to lower referrals from teachers to look good in the eyes of the weak superintendents that morons hire these days. Sorry - but the most concern is if you make $125k as a principal and $90k-100K as an assistant. Flowery language and non action is the basis for any meetings they may have. I am cynical and it cannot be fixed.
MSNBC. Please get your facts straight. The killer was Ryan Lanza...NOT Adam Lanza. Ryan Lanza is the younger brother of Adam Lanza. Adam Lanza's id was found on Ryan Lanza. Thusly the confusion.
PLEASE CORRECT THIS IMMEDIATELY
Dum dum- you got it exactly backwards.
Anyone who is arguing against Gun Control in this forum has to be the most insensitive A*H int he world. The 20 yr old should have targeted them instead of these children
Never -- I repeat, NEVER -- have I seen a news story reported by so many different outlets with so much conflicting information.
You have to blame the sources, I guess, but to not even get the shooter right before releasing it, and to not agree on where the shooter's mother was killed -- that is unforgiveable.
All news outlets should SHUT UP on this story until they have CONFIRMED FACTS!!!!
Just my own opinion but if teachers where allowed to carry arms to protect students this wouldn't have happen. I don't understand why there aren't more security measures at school to protect the world's largest asset.. The children.
"but NOT ONCE has an armed citizen ever intervened in any of the many murderous rampages."
You are a filthy libtard propagandist media parrot LIAR.
Google it.
"armed citizen stopped rampage"
Polly want a cracker?
Control your anger - if you can, and put that gun down - before you really loose control Mrs. Zimmerman.
I googled "armed citizen stopped rampage". ONE time ONLY has an "armed citizen stopped rampage", and it was an off-duty policeman in the 2007 Trolley Square shootings.