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Long-Awaited Report On Sandy Hook School Tragedy Says Shooter Acted Alone

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- The 20-year-old gunman who killed 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School acted alone, according to a report released Monday by the state of Connecticut following its 11-month investigation.

Photo Credit: File

Stephen J. Sedensky III, state’s attorney for the Judicial District of Danbury, officially released his report on the investigation into the Dec. 14, 2012, shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School and a private residence in Newtown.

The report is posted online at the website for the State of Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. 

The report concludes that 20-year-old Adam Lanza acted alone when he fatally shot his mother at their Newtown home and then went to the elementary school, where he fatally shot 20 first-grade pupils and six adults and wounded two other adults. No motive was found, the report said. “The purpose of the investigation was to determine what crimes had been committed and whether anyone will be prosecuted as a result of those crimes. Based on a painstaking investigation it is determined that there will be no arrests or prosecutions. The Connecticut State Police are to be commended for their tireless work on this investigation and their consideration of the families and victims involved,” Sedensky said in a statement. “With the release of this report today the investigation is closed, and no additional release of information or documents by this office is anticipated,” he said. A copy of the report was provided to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. “My thoughts today are with the people who lost a loved one at Sandy Hook Elementary School, as they have been nearly every day since the tragedy. The release of this report will no doubt be difficult on them," Malloy said. "But if there is one thing that I believe we must do, it’s that we must honor the lives that were lost by taking steps to protect ourselves from another horror like this.  I hope that the information in this summary and in the supporting documents that will be released by the State Police takes us closer to that goal.” The extensive Connecticut State Police case report, which numbers several thousand pages, is also completed. The process of removing any information contained in the report that is required by law to be redacted is underway. That work must be finished before the document is released. The items to be redacted include photos, 911 calls and witness statements, officials said. The process will be completed as quickly as possible, said the office of State's Attorney Kevin Kane. The State Police expects to complete the redaction process before the anniversary of the tragedy.

  • Follow this link to download the State's Attorney's Report (PDF File, Size 608K)
  • Follow this link to download the Appendix to the State's Attorney's Report (PDF Portfolio - Size 26M)

The victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School were: 

  • Charlotte Bacon, 6
  • Daniel Barden, 7
  • Rachel D'Avino, 29, teacher's aide
  • Olivia Engel, 6
  • Josephine Gay,  7
  • Ana Marquez-Greene, 6
  • Dylan Hockley, 6
  • Dawn Hocksprung, 47, prinicipal
  • Madeleine Hsu, 6
  • Catherine Hubbard, 6
  • Chase Kowalski, 7
  • Jesse Lewis,  6
  • James Mattioli, 6
  • Grace McDonnell, 7
  • Anne Marie Murphy, 52, special education aide
  • Emilie Parker, 6
  • Jack Pinto, 6
  • Noah Pozner, 6
  • Caroline Previdi, 6
  • Jessica Rekos, 6
  • Avielle Richman, 6
  • Lauren Rousseau, 30, first grade teacher
  • Mary Sherlach, 56, school psychologist
  • Victoria Soto, 27, first grade teacher 
  • Benjamin Wheeler, 6
  • Allison Wyatt, 6

State Sen. Toni Boucher (R-Wilton) is co-chair of the School Security Working Group of the Bipartisan Task Force on Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety.

“This report underscores the difficulty in predicting such a devastating horror. All parents expect their children to be safe at school. What occurred on December 14, 2012 was a parent’s, school system and community's worst nightmare.

“The School Security Working Group sought to help reduce any perpetrator's ability to access victims by providing funding for infrastructure upgrades. The group also required school security plans, procedures and training that included law enforcement expertise in formulating those plans.

“Although there may be nothing that can completely rule out violence, an added layer of school security measures have been undertaken throughout Connecticut’s school systems.

“Greater attention however should have been given to the mental health issues that confront and challenge not only our school community but society at large.  The legislature cannot ignore the serious mental health issues that are exacerbated by violent media, videos and movies.

“As a society, we all have a responsibility to confront these growing negative influences and the need for medical intervention when a family cannot cope. We may never know why the shooter did what he did, but we must try to find new ways of identifying and treating deeply troubled individuals before they become a threat to themselves or others.”

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