VOA
Sites by Language
Top Stories:
US, Afghanistan to Hold Talks with Taliban
Obama to Speak in Berlin
English Worldwide
English
voanews.com
Learning English
learningenglish.voanews.com
Eastern & Central Europe
Shqip
Zeriamerikes.com
Bosanski
vijestiglasaamerike.com
Ελληνικά
gr.voanews.com
Македонски
mk.voanews.com
Srpski
glasamerike.net
Українська
chastime.com
Eurasia
Հայերեն
amerikayidzayn.com
Azerbaijani
amerikaninsesi.org
ქართული
amerikiskhma.com
Русский
golos-ameriki.ru
Central Asia
O‘zbek
amerikaovozi.com
East & Southeast Asia
Burmese
burmese.voanews.com
粵語
voacantonese.com
中文
voachinese.com
Bahasa Indonesia
voaindonesia.com
ខ្មែរ
khmer.voanews.com
Khmer
voacambodia.com
한국어
voakorea.com
ລາວ
lao.voanews.com
ไทย
voathai.com
བོད་ཡིག
voatibetan.com
Tibetan
voatibetanenglish.com
Tiếng Việt
voatiengviet.com
South Asia
বাংলা
voabangla.com
دری
darivoa.com
پښتو
pashtovoa.com
وی او اې ډيوه ريډیو
voadeewaradio.com
اردو
urduvoa.com
Africa
Afaan Oromoo
voaafaanoromoo.com
አማርኛ
amharic.voanews.com
Français
lavoixdelamerique.com
Hausa
voahausa.com
Kinyarwanda
radiyoyacuvoa.com
Kirundi
radiyoyacuvoa.com
Ndebele
voandebele.com
Português
voaportugues.com
Shona
voashona.com
Soomaaliga
voasomali.com
Kiswahili
voaswahili.com
ትግርኛ
tigrigna.voanews.com
Zimbabwe
voazimbabwe.com
Middle East / North Africa
فارسی
ir.voanews.com
كوردی
dengiamerika.com
Kurdi
dengeamerika.com
Türkçe
amerikaninsesi.com
Latin America
Creole
voanouvel.com
Español
voanoticias.com
VOA
Log in
Sign up
Log out
Home
USA
Africa
Asia
Mideast
Europe
Science & Tech
Health
Entertainment
Economy
Programs
Audio menu
Live streams
Africa Live
Global Live
Music Mix
Latest Newscast
News
/
USA
Connecticut Mourns Mass Shooting Victims
Print
Comment (7)
Share:
A woman puts a photo of a child on a makeshift memorial in the Sandy Hook Village of Newtown, Conn., as the town mourns victims killed in a school shooting, Dec. 17, 2012.
Tweet
Related Articles
Obama Speaks at Interfaith Vigil in Newtown, Connecticut
Killing of US School Children Sparks Gun Control Discussion
TEXT SIZE
-
+
Carolyn Weaver
December 17, 2012
NEW YORK
— Newtown, Connecticut, residents laid wreaths and held prayer services Sunday as officials offered new details to the shooting. They said that 20-year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, shooting her four times in the head, and then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where investigators believe he was once enrolled.
Carrying an assault rifle and two automatic handguns that had belonged to his mother, he shot his way in, firing bullets at school staff in the hallway and then at children and teachers in two classrooms. In less than ten minutes, twenty children, six and seven years old, and six women were killed.
Officials said Lanza brought enough ammunition to kill everyone in the school, but was interrupted. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy told ABC that Lanza committed suicide as police and other first responders arrived on the scene.
"We surmise that it was during the second classroom episode that he heard responders coming and apparently at that, decided to take his own life,” said Malloy.
US President Barack Obama speaks at a memorial service for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut.
A pair of angel wings and balloons stand after being offered at a makeshift shrine to the victims of a elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, December 16, 2012.
Twenty-seven wooden angel figures are seen placed in a wooded area beside a road near the Sandy Hook Elementary School for the victims of a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, December 16, 2012.
Ava Staiti, 7, of New Milford, Conn., looks up at her mother Emily Staiti, not pictured, while visiting a sidewalk memorial with 26 teddy bears, each representing a victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, December 16, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut.
Mourners gather for a candlelight vigil at Ram's Pasture to remember shooting victims, December 15, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut.
A woman reacts while paying respects for shooting victims at a makeshift memorial at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, December 16, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut.
A young child points at candles as people pay their respects at a makeshift shrine to the victims of a elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, December 16, 2012.
People gather at a memorial for victims near the school on the first Sunday following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 16, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut.
Residents hold a candlelight vigil outside Newtown High School after President Barack Obama delivered remarks at an interfaith vigil for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, December 16, 2012.
Varinder Singh, of the Queens borough of New York, joins a group of Sikhs from around the Northeastern U.S., in a moment of prayer as a memorial service is broadcast over a loudspeaker outside Newtown High School, December 16, 2012.
A young child points at candles as people pay their respects at a makeshift shrine to the victims of a elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, December 16, 2012.
Kate Suba, left, Jaden Albrecht, center, and Simran Chand pay their respects at one of the makeshift memorials in honor of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Sunday, December 16, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut.
◀
▶
⏪
▶
||
⏩
1/12
...
⇱
Disable Captions
Enable Captions
The massacre of children, one of 10 mass shootings in the U.S. in just the last two years, has stunned the country. Patty Boswell drove to Newtown from New York to share in the mourning.
"I can’t -- they are babies, they are just babies,” she said.
Recent Mass Shootings in the United States
July 2012: A gunman kills 12 people during a showing of Batman in Colorado.
January 2011: A gunman kills six people and wounds U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona.
November 2009: A U.S. Army psychiatrist kills 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas.
April 2007: A Virginia Tech student kills 32 people before committing suicide.
April 1999: Two Columbine High School students kill 12 students, one teacher and themselves in Colorado.
"I think something has to be done," said Connecticut resident Yvonne Diallo who echoed the thoughts of many. "Something definitely has to be done. We can't live like this. This is worse than a third-world country. We can't ... they don't do this to their kids anywhere."
Her words were mirrored by President Obama, who came to Newtown Sunday night to participate in an interfaith service for the victims.
“We cannot tolerate this anymore," he said. "These tragedies must end, and to end them, we must change.”
The first funerals for the victims will take place Monday, with others scheduled for later in the week.
You May Like
NASA Introduces New Astronaut Candidates
NASA says half appointees are women, making this highest percentage of female astronauts in one class
More
Singapore, Malaysia Choke as Illegal Indonesia Forest Fires Rage
Illegal clearing of forests by burning is a recurrent problem, particularly during annual dry season that stretches from June to September
More
Scandals Hit Obama's Standing With US Voters
Obama's approval rating fell eight percentage points over past month to 45 percent
More
This forum has been closed.
Comment Sorting
Latest First
Chronological
Comments
by:
Canadian
from:
Canada
December 17, 2012 2:43 PM
Report Comment
It baffles me why Americans don't push for tighter gun restrictions... The shooter used an AR15 rifle, the civilian version of the M16. Why you continue to allow military spec rifles among the general population is beyond any sense of right. It almost sounds like the nuclear missile debate during the Cold War, they have a 10 kt warhead, we need bigger! They now have an 100 kt warhead, we need bigger! The solution is not to add more guns to the mix, remove them. Limit access only for sport shooting or hunting, and make it extremely difficult to have handguns. Times like these I'm glad I don't live in the USA.
Report Comment
Reason
*
Please enter the code shown on the image
by:
Phillip Martin, PhD.
from:
Calgary
December 17, 2012 10:29 AM
Report Comment
Europe, Canada and other civilised nations would never permit any individual to own multiple weapons of this type that have nothing to do with hunting. All weapons at home must have a trigger guard, be locked up and ammunition stored separately.
Loaded assault rifles used to kill these innocent kids laying around a home is completely beyond all rational thinking.
Blaming mental illness is a sidebar issue. Other shooters in other rampages never had that label. Will anything change in USA? Not a hope. USA has more killings in two years than the NTIRE VIETNAM WAR, but nobody cares. NRA has blood on its hands, like the 31 Republicans who refused to go on TV Sunday and talk about GUN CONTROL. Cowards all. Kids are dead for nothing. When is the next one? Jan/Feb/March???
Report Comment
Reason
*
Please enter the code shown on the image
by:
Jason He
December 17, 2012 7:53 AM
Report Comment
I feel very regret for the shooting in Newton especially most of them are children. Meanwhile the right in America who have the ability to posses guns is a double-edged sword. It depends on the owner if they can control themselves. I appreciate the authorities who can do their best to comfort their parents who lost their children. maybe it is no appropriate to to compare Chinese and American authorities. There is an accident in china lately cause many children were wound by knife. The official of the education
sector do not care the wounded. The suspect is a little metal incomplete and believing that the world will be ended in 2012. what a pity.
Report Comment
Reason
*
Please enter the code shown on the image
by:
Ken Thomas
from:
Ohio
December 17, 2012 6:28 AM
Report Comment
I am moved by everyone's solidarity of grief over this is tragic event. Why do we not have the same grief for the more than ten times of unborn aborted children killed every day?
Report Comment
Reason
*
Please enter the code shown on the image
In Response
by:
Jessica
from:
Texas
December 17, 2012 1:35 PM
Report Comment
this is just really not the time for you to bring up this in the matter. The people that decide to do that should feel ashamed but this is not a way to express the grief your just putting more problems from a different matter to this... actual kids who were loved by their families and the people protecting them who also their families loved them are in grief
Report Comment
Reason
*
Please enter the code shown on the image
In Response
by:
Armstrong Allison
from:
Bonny, Rivers, Nigeria
December 17, 2012 11:22 AM
Report Comment
pls dnt say dat at least they did not see the world
Report Comment
Reason
*
Please enter the code shown on the image
In Response
by:
anonymous
December 17, 2012 10:07 AM
Report Comment
maybe because we are not humans anymore.....we are turning devils and that too insane ones.....maybe because we dont care until it happens to us.....this is unfortunate...this is tragic.....we are destroying our own world ourselves....dreaming of a good world and making it hell ourselves!!!...lets all change for the good guys....for ourselves guys....RIP...
Report Comment
Reason
*
Please enter the code shown on the image
Featured Videos
Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.
Get the latest Flash player
.
Your JavaScript is turned off or you have an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.
Get the latest Flash player
.
Video
Egyptian Support for Syrian Opposition is Words Over Action
Egypt has further aligned itself with those trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. But as VOA's Elizabeth Arrott reports from Cairo, it remains unclear how far Egypt will back its words with action.
More USA News
Obama to Speak at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate
New Head For US Central Bank?
Pentagon to Allow Women in Key Combat Roles by 2016
WikiLeaks Trial Focuses on Whether Tweets Meet Evidence Standards
US Postal Service Unveils Music Icon Stamp Series
Gaps Widen Between US House, Senate on Immigration
US Agriculture Industry Opposes Changes to Food Aid Program
US Names New Envoy to Africa's Great Lakes
Senior US General Encouraged by News of Taliban Talks
Taliban Opens Office for Talks with US, Afghan Government
Most Viewed
Syria Conflict Exposes Old Rivalries at G8 Summit
Obama, Putin Agree to Disagree on Syria
Turks Embrace Silent Protests
Obama, Putin Agree to Disagree on Syria
NASA Introduces New Astronaut Candidates
Most Emailed
Singapore, Malaysia Choke as Illegal Indonesia Forest Fires Rage
Does Egypt Face a New Revolution?
Gulf States to Launch Sanctions Against Hezbollah
Report: NSA Leaker Denies Contact with Chinese Government
Hope for Change in Iran Tempered With Caution
Most Discussed
Turkey Warns It May Use Army to Quell Protests (10)
Obama, Putin Agree to Disagree on Syria (7)
Iran's President-Elect Rowhani Promises 'New Era' (5)
Assad Warns Europe Will 'Pay the Price' for Arming Rebels (4)
Obama Defends NSA Spying Programs (3)
Blogs
State of Affairs
Chinese-Built Headquarters Towers Over African Union Summit
15 days ago
Joseph Kony and LRA in Sudan
Washington, Seoul Seek To Extend Nuclear Partnership
The Student Union
How to Get Summer Experience as a Pre-med (Without Making Yourself Miserable)
14 hours ago
Over 300 Colleges Still Accepting Applications for the Fall
1 day ago
5 Free Online Events for International Students: June 16-22
4 days ago
USA Politics
High Stakes Immigration Debate
12 hours ago
Security versus Liberty
8 days ago
Obama’s Summer of Discontent
28 days ago