School shooting suspect was son of teacher
2012-12-15 13:06
Washington - The man suspected of killing more than two dozen people
at a school in the US state of Connecticut was an honours student who lived in
a prosperous neighbourhood with his mother, a well-liked woman who enjoyed
hosting dice games and decorating the house for the holidays.
Adam Lanza killed his mother at their home before driving her car to
Sandy Hook Elementary School and - armed with at least two handguns - carried
out the massacre before taking his own life, officials said. A third weapon, a
.223-caliber rifle, was found in the car, and more guns were found inside the
school.
The 20-year-old may have suffered from a personality disorder, law
enforcement officials said.
Didn't utter a word
Investigators were trying to learn as much as possible about Lanza
but so far, authorities have not spoken publicly of any possible motive.
Witnesses said the shooter didn't utter a word.
Catherine Urso, who was attending a vigil on Friday evening in
Newtown, Connecticut, said her college-age son knew the killer and remembered
him for his alternative style.
"He just said he was very thin, very remote and was one of the
goths," she said.
Lanza and his mother, Nancy, lived in a well-to-do part of Newtown,
a prosperous community of 27 000 people about 100km northeast of New York City.
A grandmother of the suspect - who is also the mother of Nancy Lanza
- was too distraught to speak when reached by phone at her home in Florida.
"I just don't know, and I can't make a comment right now,"
Dorothy Hanson, 78, said in a shaky voice as she started to cry. She said she
hadn't heard anything official about her daughter and grandsons. She declined
to comment further and hung up.
A law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity said
investigators believe Lanza attended the school several years ago but appeared
to have no recent connection to the place.
At least one parent said Lanza's mother was a substitute teacher
there. But her name did not appear on a staff list. And the law enforcement
official said investigators were unable to establish any connection so far
between her and the school.
Personality disorder
Adam Lanza's older brother, 24-year-old Ryan Lanza, was being
questioned, a law enforcement official said. He told authorities that his
brother was believed to suffer from a personality disorder, the official said,
speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on
the record about the unfolding investigation.
The official did not elaborate, and it was unclear exactly what type
of disorder he might have had.
Ryan Lanza had been extremely co-operative and was not under arrest
or in custody, but investigators were still searching his computers and phone
records. Ryan Lanza told law enforcement he had not been in touch with his
brother since about 2010.
Brett Wilshe, a friend of Ryan Lanza's, said he sent him a Facebook
message on Friday asking what was going on and if he was OK. According to
Wilshe, Lanza's reply was something along the lines of: "It was my
brother. I think my mother is dead. Oh my God."
Adam Lanza attended Newtown High School, and several local news
clippings from recent years mention his name among the school's honour roll
students.
Sandeep Kapur, who lives two doors down from the Lanza family in
Newtown, said he did not know them and was unaware of any disturbances at the
Lanza house in the three years that he and his family have been in the neighbourhood.
He described the area as a subdivision of well-tended, 15-year-old
homes on lots of an acre or more, where many people work at companies like
General Electric, Pepsi and IBM. Some are doctors, and his next-door neighbour
is a bank CEO, said Kapur, a project manager at an information technology firm.
"The neighbourhood's great. We have young kids, and they have
lots of friends," he said. "If you drive past this neighbourhood, it
gives you a really warm feeling."Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy speaks
at a news conference.
- AP
