Police say 27 people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Friday morning. That number includes 18 children dead at the scene, two children who later died in the hospital, six staff members and the gunman, according to the Associated Press.
Quinnipiac alum, Ryan Lanza, was initially identified as the shooter by several media outlets. CNN has since unnamed Lanza as the suspect and the Associated Press has reported that the shooter is Adam Lanza, Ryan’s 20-year-old brother.
In a press conference at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Lt. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police said police were not prepared to announce the identity of the shooter. “We have a tentative identification, we’re still working with that… We will identify the shooter at an appropriate time, [but] for our investigatory purposes, it’s not appropriate to do that now,” Vance said.
The suspect is now dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Associated Press. According to FOX8 WGHP and ABC News, Ryan Lanza is with police in Hoboken, N.J., for questioning, but he is no longer a suspect.
Lanza’s mother, Nancy Lanza, worked as a teacher in the school and was killed at the shooting, according to CNN.
[UPDATE: According to police, Nancy Lanza was killed in her home before the shooting at the school occurred.]
Matt Narel, a senior at Quinnipiac, is a Newtown resident and an alum of Sandy Hook Elementary School.
“Honestly, I feel sick knowing my childhood was there and that so many people will never get the chance to even grow up,” Narel said.
“Our little town of Sandy Hook has gone from a town that is not even on the map to the most talked about place in America for the wrong reason,” Narel posted on Facebook.
UPDATE: Quinnipiac sophomore Tyler Appleby, who lives in Brookfield, Conn., went to St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown for a vigil for the victims of the shooting.
“Incredibly emotional, like I can’t even put it into words,” Appleby said. “It was so quiet that you could hear people crying.”
Appleby went to the vigil at 6:30 p.m. and estimated that more than 1,000 people were there then. Even though Newtown is just one town over, he said the drive itself was “spooky.”
“One of the preists came out and started saying the Lord’s Prayer, the entire crowd joined in and you just felt chills run down your spine,” Appleby said. “Such a powerful feeling of faith overcame everyone … faith is something you need to turn to in times like these.”
Stay with the Chronicle for updates.
