Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was one of the worst mass shootings in United States history. On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman killed 20 students—all 6 or 7 years old—and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The shooter then killed himself. The incident shocked people throughout the world because of the youth and innocence of the student victims. The shooting brought renewed attention to issues of school safety, mental health care, and gun control.
The shooting.
On the morning of December 14, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, at their home in Newtown. He then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School. According to police officials, he took two pistols, a shotgun, and a semiautomatic assault rifle from his house. He was wearing black clothing and a bulletproof vest.
At 9:34 a.m., Lanza shot into a locked glass door to gain entry to the school. He shot three school officials after entering. He then shot teachers and students in two classrooms. Lanza died by suicide at 9:40 a.m., around the time police arrived at the school. Among the dead were 20 students, 2 classroom teachers, the school principal, the school psychologist, a behavioral therapist, and a special-education teacher. During the shooting, a number of school employees took heroic actions to protect students, hide them, and guide them to safety.
Aftermath.
In the days after the shootings, investigators struggled to explain the motive behind the massacre. Reports alleged that Lanza suffered from mental illness. Officials noted that Lanza’s mother had been an avid gun collector and that Lanza had used her weapons to commit his crimes. Political leaders debated whether certain kinds of assault weapons should remain legal to buy and own. They also discussed proposals that might prevent future school shootings.
President Barack Obama addressed the nation after the killings. He said, “Most of those who died were just young children with their whole lives ahead of them.…So our hearts are broken today. We grieve for the families of those we lost. And we keep in our prayers the parents of those who survived. Because as blessed as they are to have their children home, they know that their child’s innocence has been torn away far too early.”
In an October 2013 referendum, Newtown citizens voted to accept a state grant of nearly $50 million to tear down Sandy Hook Elementary School and build a new school. Workers completed the demolition of the school in November. In the summer of 2016, a new Sandy Hook Elementary School opened on land adjacent to where the previous school had stood. In February 2022, families of the victims reached a $73 million settlement with Remington, the manufacturer and marketer of the weapon used in the attack. A memorial to the victims opened in Newtown in November 2022.
See also Gun control; School violence.
