The tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary school shootings and Adam Lanza

School violence

In the weeks before Christmas, when everyone is frantically preparing for the holidays with joy, the unthinkable has happened that brought grief to our hearts with twenty children and six adults dead in a Connecticut school on December 14, 2012. Twenty-six innocent lives were taken today by Adam Lanza, the twenty-year-old shooter.

What should have been a normal day of school at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut became the scene of a horrific tragedy that took the lives of innocent victims. Many children were stripped of their innocence today as they witnessed their friends killed. Many have lost their faith in the good of people. Many will forever be haunted by the tragedy of a man who entered the school with the intention of taking the lives of many.

Adam Lanza, a twenty-year old, moved to Newton, Connecticut and lived with his parents and older brother. He enjoyed sports and video games. At the age of seventeen, his parents divorced and he lived with his Mother in Connecticut. His Mother was a kindergarten teacher at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newton, Connecticut. His Father remained nearby and eventually remarried.

Friends of the family reported Adam Lanza as having a personality disorder and possibly suffering from autism. Individuals who knew the family did not have any negative feedback, claiming the family was a nice group and always polite. Friends of the family reported Adam as a quiet individual who kept to himself.

However, Law enforcement reported Adam Lanza as an individual that had a “checkered past” and a troubled youth. There is reason to believe that there were signs of a disturbed individual with mental illness. His own brother, Ryan Lanza, who lived in his own apartment, admitted he has not had contact with his own brother for over a year.

In the hours before the deadly shooting, Adam Lanza’s Mother, Nancy Lanza, was shot in the face and killed at Her home. Sources claim a dispute occurred between Adam Lanza and His mother which led to her killing. Somehow, the killing of Nancy Lanza began the day of terror for the Sandy Hook elementary.

Shortly after the school day began, around 9:30 am, Adam Lanza arrived at the Sandy Hook elementary. He was recognized by officials as the son of a teacher and was permitted to enter the premises. Unknown to the official who permitted his entry, was the tragedy that was soon to unfold. Adam Lanza was armed with two handguns and an assault rifle. He was dressed all in black, wearing body armor. He was prepared for combat and ready to kill.

He opened fire on students and school officials, killing twenty-eight, including his own life. He opened fire in two rooms of the school building, shooting hundreds of bullets across the room. The tragedy ended moments later, with the tragedy ending with the shooter taking His own life.

Law enforcement is still piecing together the events of the day, trying to frantically find the reason for the shooter’s motive to take twenty-eight lives today. This tragedy is one of the nation's worst school shootings in history to occur.