Police reported that 27 people, including 20 children and six adults were killed in Newtown, Ct., after a lone gunman opened fire during the school day Friday, NBC News reported. The gunman died at the scene.
Authorities identified the gunman as 20-year-old Adam Lanza. Federal officials initially mistakenly identified the gunman as his 24-year-old brother, Lanza was reportedly carrying his brother's identification.
Lanza used two 9mm handguns in the shootout. Police authorities confirmed that Lanza was dead inside the school and that the crime scene had been secured by Friday afternoon.
Lanza reportedly began shooting inside Sandy Hook Elementary School, a kindergarten through fourth-grade school with 600 students, shortly after 9:30 Friday morning. Authorities said that Lanza, whose mother was a teacher at the school, focused his shooting at one section of the school and two different classrooms. Lanza's mother was among those killed Friday morning.
Another unidentified victim, who authorities said was related to the shooter, was found dead near Sandy Hook Elementary school Friday.
Jay Carney, a spokesman for President Barack Obama, spoke about the shooting at a press conference Friday afternoon.
"As we do, I think it's important on a day like today to view this as I know the president, as a father does, and I as a father and others who are parents certainly do," Carney said. "Which is to feel enormous sympathy for families that are affected and to do everything we can to support state and local law enforcement and to support those who are enduring what appears to be a very tragic event. There is, I'm sure, will be rather a day for discussion of the usual Washington policy debates but I don't think today is that day."
The president had a phone conversation with Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy and FBI Director Robert Mueller Friday afternoon to update information and offer his condolences, NBC News reported.
Obama ordered that flags be flown at half-staff Friday afternoon in honor of the victims.