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Subscribe to RSSInvestigators and former classmates of Connecticut school shooter Adam Lanza say he was bright, but extremely shy and remote. NBC's Pete Williams reports.
Updated at 8 p.m. ET: A picture of Adam Lanza slowly emerged Saturday, as acquaintances said his behavior included pressing up against walls to avoid others and clutching his briefcase. Investigators, meanwhile, said they hoped that "very good evidence" found at his home would shed light on what pushed him to kill 26 children and teachers as well as his mother.
Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance said Saturday that investigators had found "very good evidence ... that our investigators will be able to use in painting the complete picture, the 'how' and, more importantly, the 'why this occurred.'"
Adam Lanza
But he would not elaborate and the mystery deepened as education officials in Newtown, Conn., said they had found no link between Lanza's mother and the school, contrary to news reports that said she was a teacher there.
Investigators said they believe Lanza, 20, attended Sandy Hook Elementary many years ago, but they had no explanation for why he went there on Friday.
Lanza shot and killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, at the home they shared, then drove to the school in her car, forced his way inside and opened fire in two classrooms, authorities said. Within minutes, he killed 20 children, six adults and himself.
Authorities said Lanza had no criminal history; it was not clear whether he had a job.
His father, who learned about the shooting from a reporter at the Stamford Advocate, said in a statement that he was in a "state of disbelief and trying to find whatever answers we can." Lanza said he has cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to do so.
Meanwhile, acquaintances described the former honor student as smart but odd and remote.
"We would hang out, and he was a good kid," Joshua Milas told The Associated Press. He said he had not seen Lanza in a few years. "He was probably one of the smartest kids I know. He was probably a genius."
"(His mother) pushed him really hard to be smarter and work harder in school," Tim Arnone told Reuters. He first met Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
"He was very different and very shy and didn't make an effort to interact with anybody" in his 10th-grade English class at Newtown High School, Olivia DeVivo told the AP. DeVivo, now a student at the University of Connecticut, said Lanza always came to school toting a briefcase and wearing his shirt buttoned all the way up.
"Now looking back, it's kind of like 'OK, he had all these signs,' but you can't say every shy person would do something like this," she said.
Richard Novia — who until 2008 was the school district's head of security and adviser to the school's technology club, of which Lanza was a member — described Lanza to the AP as "a loner."
"You had yourself a very scared young boy, who was very nervous around people," he added.
Novia said Lanza had extreme difficulties relating to fellow students and teachers, as well as a strange bodily condition: "If that boy would've burned himself, he would not have known it or felt it physically."
Lanza would also go through crises that would require his mother to come to school to deal with them. Such episodes might involve "total withdrawal from whatever he was supposed to be doing, be it a class, be it sitting and reading a book," Novia told the AP.
When people approached Lanza in the hallways, he would press himself against the wall or walk in a different direction, clutching his black briefcase "like an 8-year-old who refuses to give up his teddy bear," said Novia, who now lives in Tennessee.
Even so, Novia said his primary concern about Lanza was that he might become a target for teasing or abuse by his fellow students, not that he might become a threat himself.
"Somewhere along in the last four years there were significant changes that led to what has happened Friday morning," Novia said. "I could never have foreseen him doing that."
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Authorities say the man behind one of the worst mass shootings in US history was a 20-year-old whose mother worked at the school and whose brother has told them he had a history of mental problems. NBC's Pete Williams reports.
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I am appalled and speechless I have five children ages 15 to 7 months i can't imagine what those parents are going through but you all have my deepest symphathy and are in my thoughts and prayers.
Enough with the religious rants. You people make me think I'm in the dark ages, where everything is the devils fault or evil. The same was said of people back then that had an epileptic seizure, schizophrenia or other psychosis. They were possessed or the devil made them do it, pfft. It is a terrible tragedy, yet so is blaming it on the devil. The man was definitely sick and had nothing to do with evil. In this day and age I would think everyone would have a better understanding of mental illness, but apparently not.
since when did anyone around here claim the devil was possessing him? i mean, this guy sounds a lot like a kid at my old school; always quiet, no effort to make friends, avoiding people, etc but he wasn't mentally ill since he was in a high academic program...but who knows, maybe he had a personality disorder. anyway, just because he did this doesn't mean he's mentally ill...most mentally ill people wouldn't be able to operate a plan of killing their mother, stealing her car/ her guns (i believe they were hers)/ drive to the elementary school, force his way inside and then kill those people...i mean, it just seems way too premeditated to me for it to be from someone who's mentally ill. to me, it's just like this guy snapped one day for whatever reason and then did this.
Spheria. not sure where you get information, many insane people are highly intelligent, very organized & some are perfectionists. There many different type of so called mental illness or defects, however professionasl has a thing about throwing people into certain groups & leaving them there.
Drugs & therapy doesn't help everyone.
I am in no way a conspiracy theorist. I am the first one to say "Come on lets be real". But. Am I the only one who finds it a little bit odd that there are all the suddenly a rash of violent gun acts in the last couple years? We had a few a year where nut jobs for what ever reason decided that their lives sucked so bad they had to kill other people before they could kill themselves. But god damnit its getting a bit insane. Taking guns away from everyone is not the answer. I dont know if stricter gun laws is the answer. If this kid had seriously decided to murder people before taking his own life then a complete gun ban would have done nothing more than make the body count less. He still could have killed before killing himself. Could have drove a car through a crowded playground for god sake and probably killed or maimed a lot of kids.
I just dont understand why there are so many all the sudden. Not to mention all the people who have committed these acts lately seem to show a pattern of very anti social, very intelligent and highly stressed. All I know for sure is if you want something banned and banning it is not a popular idea. All you need to do is swing the public opinion against whatever it is and eventually it will get banned. What better way to swing public opinion than weekly and/or daily shootings.
If I had to bet anything on this, I'm guessing there are at least a dozen losers sitting at the homes saying to themselves that they used to bully and pick on this kid all throughout his school years.
Please tell me exactly what law you would pass to prevent this from happening.
Does the "Why" bring those children back? This guy looks like a psychopath and probably showed signs that no one was paying attention to. Why did that stupid woman keep guns available in her home? One look at her son should have been a warning to remove anything lethal.
You, Robin are exactly right. The mother should have kept those guns locked up where he could not find the key. Better yet she should have never owned a gun or took him shooting knowing the condition of his mind. What a tragedy for all the parents, grandparents and the other children.
The "why" won't bring those children back, but it can go a long way toward guiding us so that this doesn't happen again.
I am very nervous around people, have Asperger's and major anxiety issues, but would never, ever, ever, ever, no matter what these people did or said to me, shoot them, especially not the kids.
This dude had a major moral illness. And if he was taking Pharmacide's "medicines," that's probably what pushed him over the edge.
Regardless of your diagnosis; there is always an exception.
Police Hub Stations to be located to a deginated section of your School coming soon? Every time we ask how can this be stopped. The answer you will always get will be to take out right to bare arms. This is obviouslt the wrong answer.
Firearms should be banned, period. That's most of the problem, people with guns easily kill people, people without guns find it harder to kill people.
not really; do you know how easy it could be to take some gasoline, light it, and then have it hurled at a school bus? if a person wants to kill, they will find a way to kill.
If last night's article was any indicator, they weren't even his own guns. Are you saying we should loose our right to bear arms just so OTHER PEOPLE don't use them?
American society is odd and troubled. One of the big things that come to mind is their obsession with facial expressions and celebrity culture. This is also related to their love of classifying people as autistic...or Asbergers, etc.....seems very trendy these days.
The reality is....there are some people who are shy or nervous around people. We all shouldn't have to be ultra-social butterflies who have the war-like mentality of the ancient Spartans!
Just because you are big, tough, and social doesn't give you the right to victimize shy people. America is a predatory, animalistic culture that preys on these people. When I go overseas, the people are so much better and they aren't fixated on this ultra-social crap the US is.
Perhaps all these little kids were just going to grow up to be more American arseholes.
true, america's like that. i use to know a kid who was described as being much like this kid, but as far as i know he never did anything at all like this. i hate how obsessed america is with much shallow and superficial ideas all the time, and then they wonder why their kids end up to be such shallow @!$%#s themselves. garbage in, garbage out.
First and foremost my heart goes out to the parents and family members affected by this madman. My Prayer's will be with you in the months ahead during your difficult time. WE HAVE FAILED AS A SOCIETY TO PROTECT ONE OF THE PUREST THINGS THAT MAKE US HUMAN, "OUR CHILDREN". In the months ahead, there will be serious discussions, arguments, and even politicians will get involved for there own political gains, but in the end we all know what will happen, probably nothing that will be done to deal with this issue. Every level-headed adult has the right to own a non-semi automatic gun, but with ownership does come a great deal of responsibility because you the owner are ultimately at fault if something tragic happens, so keep it locked up!!!! I feel that we should have stricter gun laws throughout this country but even with stricter gun laws our children will not be completely safe in this country, because if a madman really wants to get his hands on a gun he will always find a way.
The ONLY LONG TERM SOLUTION to this problem is having NATIONAL STANDARDIZED SECURITY AT ALL PUBLIC AN PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS, K – 12. YES!!!!! THIS IS THE WORLD WE LIVE IN NOW!!!! WAKE UP AMERICA!!!! Two Officers with a metal detection walk-through units are all that is needed and more Officers for larger schools. If your children are in public schools then work the fee into our property taxes, and if there in parochial schools you work the fee into tuition costs. THERE WASHINGTON I JUST GAVE YOU THE SOLUTION ON A SLIVER PLATER, TRY NOT TO @#@& IT UP TO BADLY!! I’VE EVEN STIMULATED THE ECONOMY AS WELL AND IM JUST A FATHER SITTING ON MY COUCH!!!
If you think this idea is a little extreme consider this one fact, Newtown CT IS SMALL TOWN USA!!! It is a middle/upper class town with a low crime rate, nestled away in northern Fairfield County. I live only 20 minutes away from Newtown, and trust me when I say it’s a beautiful town. If it can happen there it can happen anywhere, so unless something is done now on a federal and or state level to deal with this issue this tragedy will inevitability happen again in the future. WASHINGTON ACT NOW, OUR CHILDREN DESEVRE BETTER THAN THIS!!!
That's like putting a bandaid on a festering wound.
First of all, my condolences to the families. This is a tragedy that cannot be expressed in words. All beautiful lives taken away. They will always stay in my thoughts.
Now to the problem and actions needed: It is obvious that this young man suffered from mental illness, and has done so most of his life. It is sad that our mental health care is so poor that we cannot diagnose and treat such illnesses. Not only is there a stigma to face, but also a clear limit set by health care insurance companies. There must be some easily found and consistent help for early diagnose and treatment.
Add to this a society that is in love with violence; it's everywhere, in movies, video-games etc. Now, add to this our lax gun laws.
So there we have this "odd" person that people kind of look down on (instead of diagnose and treat), who has seen more violence than s/he could make sense of, and the guns are easily is at her/his hands. Well, we can call this killers anything we wish, but if we are going to solve these problems, we have to DO something about it: EARLY INTERVENTION regarding mental illness (diagnose, help, treatment), STOP GLORIFICATION OF VIOLENCE, and STRICTER GUN LAWS.
One problem is classifying all people with "shyness" as being "mentally ill." That is assuming that all people are naturally meant to be aggressive socialites. This goes back to the US's animalistic social theory.
I don't see shyness as a mental illness, but when it gets in the way of daily life maybe it is part of something more and maybe that person would need some help. IMO, mental illness works on a gradual scale, just like illnesses on any part of our body. We see nothing wrong in seeing a doctor if we have problems breathing, so why should we hesitate to see a doctor if we are overly shy? The problem is the stigma - just look how many people call this person a nut. I have never seen a problem solved by name-calling. BTW, an aggressive bully might also need mental help.
As long as the media keeps advertising these trajedies, they will get worse.
It is the WAY they present the tragedies. When they don't have the information they "speculate" and give out incorrect information. You can also see that they have more interest in the WOW factor and sensational value than respecting the grieving people. Yes, we need stricter journalist laws.
I suggest that everyone turn off your televisions and skip reading about this terrible tragedy for weeks. The media will have a sick spin on this for weeks to advance their ratings. This sort replay of the terrible activity should be ignored. Everyone knows what happened some sick @$$hole Murdered a lot of innocent children story over.
Coming up with solutions to prevent these tragedies should be the focus.
If someone told you that they collected grenades, you'd think they were a crazy person and you'd probably report them. When people collect guns, however, as did the mother of yesterday's assailant, this is, for some bizarre reason, socially acceptable in our society. Gun collecting is an insane hobby and we, as a society, need to start to view it as such. Unless you can guarantee that no one could ever get to your gun collection and use it for harm - which is impossible to guarantee - there is no need to have a gun collection. Furthermore, if you have guns in your home, and you also live with individuals who are mentally ill, your guns should be removed from your home by law enforcement. They're saying Nancy Lanza had 6 guns in her house for "protection"?? SIX GUNS??? FOR "PROTECTION"??? She was a gun collector plain and simple and she gave no thought to the fact that she had deadly. semi-automatic weapons in a home where her mentally ill son lived. This could have been prevented. "Gun collection" is an insane hobby. To even call it a hobby is absurd.
I'm a gun collector and your comments piss me off. I served my country for 5 years in the United States Marines and if I want to spend my hard earned money to do something that I enjoy and do it peacefully, that is my right. Who are you to call someone else's peaceful hobbies absurd?
These guns were not used in pursuit of a peaceful hobby. They were used for mass slaughter of children and adults.
Is a hobby more important that saving lives?
So basically you are call for a Communist regime where the police can go into anyone & remove their weapon because some psycho killer may have access? If people what to kill one or many they will fine away, besides once your create a dictator or Police State it will cost many more lives to regain freedom.
Welcome to the United Police States of Amercia where only the government & criminals have the right to bear arm & take your family & neighbors lives. Gee this practice isn't saving lives south of borders or in the middle east.
The guns were not used, they were misused. And who decided on this misuse, the guns?
Is the plan to deprive people of their pursuit to happiness now? I didn't kill anyone. Only one person is to blame here. I'm not saying that we couldn't do things differently so that this may avoided in the future. If your going to come in to my house and take the things that I find pride and happiness in, then all of you need to open your door and let the police in to take your hobbies as well. Whatever it may be.
People need to look past the end of their own nose.
You can tell just by looking at this guy that he's a nutball! Who on earth would let him roam around free when it is well know he IS a nutball with a multitude of mental problems? He's a walking shooting just looking for a place to happen and he finally found it. I also put this at the mothers feet. She did not practice gun safety and allowed her nutball son to have access to her weapons! He should never have known where they were much less together with the ammo. The guns he had he only needed about 6 clips and he was in business to take out a lot more than the ones he did. He knew what he was doing alright and personally I'm ;not one bit sorry he is deceased now. It's too bad his mother paid the ultimate price for her folly, too.
You nailed it brother!
The mother should have practiced BIRTH CONTROL before she had the idiot. Better still, she should have aborted it.
IT'S NOT A GUN PROBLEM, IT'S A NUT PROBLEM.
Keep reasoning like that and you will never solve the problem. What is your solution? We need solutions before the next tragedy.
the solution is to make our nation more loving and compassionate to one another. this kid snapping like he did probably has something to do with bullying; someone like him, by his description, seems to make him stand out a little more than most "outcasts"; people have to begin paying more attention to EVERYONE, and not carelessly leaving out someone like this to isolation/harassment.
Thats correct its not about the guns its about media stardom.
when anyone plot and carry out a killing......there is nothing crazy or mentally ill about that person just a young "it's all about me" spoiled, disrespectful "nerdo" that the aclu would have protected if he lived.
Buncha "me first" egocentric A-holes.
fun, Based on your extensive research I assume...or were you in this persons head? So what is your solution?
That post is pretty indicative of a spoiled brat, self centered attitude, though. Just saying.
At least the worthless woman who (shi)t this monster out is gone too.
I understand this kid got into the school then went nutso what is bothering me is the officers captured his brother in the woods next to the school and was Ided as such and later was relieced from custody. Why was he in the area of the school at that exact time? It appeares to me that he came along with his brother and either backed out or shot his brother to stop him and left the wepon to make it look like a suiside then ran to hide himself. Why did the police let him go? Just being in the area and a brother makes him an accessory or another suspect in my thoughts.
tch, seriously? stupid cops.
Stricter gun laws? How about no guns at all? People with guns can easily kill people, people without guns is a completely different situation and the ability to kill large groups of any age is greatly inhibited. Mass gun amnesty followed by zero tolerance for possession would remove huge numbers of 'domestic' firearms from our homes.
Who cares what he was like. What are you going to do. Out of 300 million people take all the shy or nerd kids and lock them away? Just burn the creature and flush him.
What a homely looking guy!!!! He looks like I picture the devil looking like.
These mentally ill murderers need to be kept anonymous by the media. The only deterrent that these nutjobs will understand is if they are not remembered or known by the public after they commit these horrific crimes. The time is past for these sociopaths to be given 15 min of fame.