***UPDATE 9: Here is the latest just after 9PM on what we know. Apparently the earlier reports that the father was killed is incorrect. Also the mom was at home when she was killed and Adam Lanza stole her guns to commit mass murder:
***UPDATE 8: Shooter Adam Lanza apparently suffered from mental illness:
Ryan Lanza, 24, brother of gunman Adam Lanza, 20, tells authorities that his younger brother is autistic, or has Asperger syndrome and a “personality disorder.” Neighbors described the younger man to ABC as “odd” and displaying characteristics associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
***UPDATE 7: Here is the latest from Fox News as of just after 4PM EST. They also report that they are now being told the shooter is the brother Adam Lanza:
***UPDATE 6: FOX NEWS CHANNEL just reported that it’s possible that Ryan Lanza was not the shooter, but that it was his brother Adam Lanza. This has not been confirmed. And the count is now up to 20 children dead among the 26.
***UPDATE 5: The shooter’s name is Ryan Lanza. Both his father and his mother have been found dead now. His father was found dead in Hoboken, NJ. The believe Lanza killed his father first, then drove to Connecticut and killed his mother before finally killing between 18-20 children at this elementary school.
***UPDATE: 3 & 4: The Livestream is over and few details were released, including official numbers on how many killed. Megyn Kelly did report that most of the children dead were in a Kindergarten class. The Principal and school psychologist are also among the dead.
Also, there may not be a 2nd shooter as the Sheriff did confirm that the public is not in danger.
***UPDATE 2: According to Fox News Channel the death toll right now is 26 dead, including 18 children and the dead gunman who was possibly a parent. They are also reporting that a 2nd gunman is now in custody.
Stay tuned.
***UPDATE: Here’s a graphic someone tweeted out showing at least 14 children are among the 27 dead:
Just as I’m about to post this, a CBS tweet goes out saying the number dead may be upwards of 27:
.@JohnMillerCBS "this is preliminary information", we have been told by officials that the number they are working with is 27 dead.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 14, 2012
Here’s the latest actually reported:
WABC — A state official confirms that more than 12 people, including children, have been killed in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, Friday morning.
The exact number of deaths is unknown, but a gunman is said to be among the fatalities. Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton says at least three people were rushed to Danbury Hospital.
Police report that the school is now cleared of shooters, but they are still treating it as an active shooter situation and all schools in the district remain locked down. There are unconfirmed reports of a second shooter, but it is unclear what happened to that gunman.
State police officers have gone classroom to classroom to make sure the school is clear. Authorities are searching the area, doing roadblocks and checking suspicious vehicles out of an abundance of caution. There are also unconfirmed reports that authorities have surrounded a purple van in Danbury that may be connected to the shooting.
The first 911 call reportedly came in just after 9:40 a.m., stating that multiple students were trapped in a classroom with a gunman, who authorities say was an adult who had at least two guns. The school locks its exterior doors during the school day, so it is unclear how the gunman or gunmen gained access to the building.
Students were escorted from the building and evacuated to a nearby firehouse, and a reverse 911 call went out to parents. Some children could be seen reuniting with their parents outside the firehouse, but at least one group of students remain unaccounted for.
Some students were reportedly being treated for trauma. A dispatcher at the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps said a teacher had been shot in the foot and taken to Danbury Hospital.
The school houses more than 600 students from kindergarten through fourth grade.