This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25097127
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Newtown gunman Adam Lanza had 'obsession' with Columbine | Newtown gunman Adam Lanza had 'obsession' with Columbine |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The gunman who killed 26 people at a Connecticut school last December had "an obsession" with the 1999 Columbine massacre, an official report has found. | The gunman who killed 26 people at a Connecticut school last December had "an obsession" with the 1999 Columbine massacre, an official report has found. |
| Police said there was evidence Adam Lanza, 20, had planned the shooting, which took fewer than 11 minutes. | Police said there was evidence Adam Lanza, 20, had planned the shooting, which took fewer than 11 minutes. |
| But they could not find a definitive motive for why he opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, before turning the gun on himself. | But they could not find a definitive motive for why he opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, before turning the gun on himself. |
| The case is now closed, and no charges will be brought, state police said. | The case is now closed, and no charges will be brought, state police said. |
| 'Fascination with shootings' | 'Fascination with shootings' |
| While investigators noted Lanza's obsession with mass shootings, they said there was not enough evidence to understand what specifically drove him to carry out the attack. | |
| The report also noted Lanza's "significant mental health issues" - he was diagnosed in 2005 with Asperger syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder not linked to violence - but said "what contribution this made to the shootings, if any, is unknown". | |
| Stephen Sedensky, the prosecutor who drafted the report, also noted of Lanza: "Despite a fascination with mass shootings and firearms, he displayed no aggressive or threatening tendencies." | |
| Before gunning down 20 children and six adults with a semi-automatic rifle at Sandy Hook, Lanza shot dead his own mother at the family home. | Before gunning down 20 children and six adults with a semi-automatic rifle at Sandy Hook, Lanza shot dead his own mother at the family home. |
| "The obvious question that remains is: 'Why did the shooter murder twenty-seven people, including twenty children?' Unfortunately, that question may never be answered conclusively," Monday's report said. | "The obvious question that remains is: 'Why did the shooter murder twenty-seven people, including twenty children?' Unfortunately, that question may never be answered conclusively," Monday's report said. |
| It represents just a part of the evidence collected by Connecticut State Police. | It represents just a part of the evidence collected by Connecticut State Police. |
| A state law passed earlier in the year said some evidence, including certain images or video of the victims, would never be made available to the public. | A state law passed earlier in the year said some evidence, including certain images or video of the victims, would never be made available to the public. |
| Police said "a review of electronic evidence or digital media" belonging to Lanza "revealed that the shooter had a preoccupation with mass shootings, in particular the Columbine shootings and a strong interest in firearms". | |
| Twelve students and a teacher were killed in April 1999 when two teenagers opened fire in a planned attack at Columbine High School in Colorado. | Twelve students and a teacher were killed in April 1999 when two teenagers opened fire in a planned attack at Columbine High School in Colorado. |
| Other documents at Lanza's home included a spreadsheet with mass murders listing information about each shooting, two videos showing suicide by gunshot and photocopied newspaper articles from 1891 relating to the shooting of schoolchildren. | Other documents at Lanza's home included a spreadsheet with mass murders listing information about each shooting, two videos showing suicide by gunshot and photocopied newspaper articles from 1891 relating to the shooting of schoolchildren. |
| The report also outlined the timeline of events as state police understands them. | |
| The shooting began shortly after 09:30 when Lanza forced his way into the locked school by shooting through a glass window near the front doors. | |
| The first call to emergency services came at 09:35 and the last shot, believed to be Lanza firing a handgun at himself, came at 09:40. Most of the deceased were killed in two classrooms. | |
| "In fewer than 11 minutes twenty first-grade pupils and six adults had lost their lives," the report said. | |
| Donna Soto, the mother of Victoria Soto, one of the teachers killed by Lanza, said in a statement that it was still not clear why her daughter and the others died. | Donna Soto, the mother of Victoria Soto, one of the teachers killed by Lanza, said in a statement that it was still not clear why her daughter and the others died. |
| "Yes, we have read the report, no, we cannot make sense of why it happened," she said. "We don't know if anyone ever will. | "Yes, we have read the report, no, we cannot make sense of why it happened," she said. "We don't know if anyone ever will. |
| "We don't know if we will ever be whole again, we don't know if we will go a day without pain, we don't know if anything will ever make sense again." | "We don't know if we will ever be whole again, we don't know if we will go a day without pain, we don't know if anything will ever make sense again." |