Douglas Healey
The Connecticut home of gunman Adam Lanza.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The madman behind the Newtown school massacre and his mom had enough weapons and ammo in their suburban home to launch a small war, according to documents released today.
Among the items State Police seized in their search of killer Adam Lanza's home were a bolt-action Enfield .32 caliber rifle, a Savage .22 caliber rifle, a .22 caliber pistol and hundreds of rounds of ammunition for a variety of weapons.
Other items seized include three Samurai swords, a 6-foot, 10-inch spear and a deadly collection of large knives.
Reuters
Adam Lanza
Witness told cops that Lanza was an avid gamer who played "Call of Duty" among other games, had a gun safe containing at least four guns and had attended Sandy Hook Elemetary School, which the witness described as his "life."
A search of the home receipts and emails documenting the purchase of firearms and ammo, and books, including "Look me uin the Eyey - My Life with Asbergers [sic]," "Born on a Blue Day, Inside the Mind of an Autistic Savant," and "The NRA Guide to the Basics of pistol shooting."
Cops found journals and drawings made by Adam Lanza, as well as "three photographs with images of what appears to be a deceased human covered with plastic and what appears to be blood."
Other items found include a New York Times article from February 2008 about a school shooting at Northern Illinois University, and a holiday card containing a Bank of America check made out to Adam "for the purchase of a C183 (Firearm.)"
Also seized from his bedroom was "one military style uniform."
The documents also provide chilling details in matter-of-fact language of what first responders found when they entered the school.
"Numerous school children and school personnel were located deceased from apparent gunshot wounds in the first three classrooms located of the main hallway...Investigators also located a teenage white male dressed in military style clothing , wearing a bullet proof vest, lying deceased on the floor in the middle classroom. "
The Connecticut prosecutor leading the investigation said Lanza took his own life within five minutes of shooting his way into the building.
State's Attorney Stephen J. Sedensky III says Lanza killed all the victims inside Sandy Hook Elementary School with a Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle before taking his own life with a Glock 10 mm handgun. He says Lanza also had another loaded handgun with him inside the school as well as three, 30-round magazines for the Bushmaster.
A loaded 12-gauge shotgun was also found in the passenger compartment of the car Lanza drove to the school containing 70 shotgun rounds.
Families of the Sandy Hook shooting were briefed last night by Conn. state police on what was recovered from Lanza's home and car, the Connecticut Post reported.
The warrants had been sealed under an order that expired Wednesday, and prosecutors have made few details available, despite pressure to do so.
Newtown massacre search warrants
Gov. Daniel P. Malloy had expressed concern about leaked information appearing in the news, and state lawmakers have requested a more complete accounting of the case as they address gun control and other issues raised by the shooting.
A Danbury Superior Court judge on Wednesday granted a request by the prosecutor overseeing the investigation, State's Attorney Stephen Sedensky III, to withhold some details. Sedensky asked to redact the name of a witness, saying the person's safety might be jeopardized if the name were disclosed. He also asked that the release not include other information such as telephone numbers, serial numbers on items found and a few paragraphs of an affidavit.
Lanza shot his mother to death inside their Newtown home on Dec. 14 before driving to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he massacred 20 first-graders and six educators. He killed himself as police arrived. Authorities have said it will take until June or later for the investigation to be completed.
It was reported previously that Lanza showed interest in other mass killings and authorities found literature on other massacres at his house.
Malloy announced last week that additional information would be released at his request. Malloy expressed concern that some information about the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook disclosed by a top state police commander at a recent law enforcement seminar in New Orleans was leaked.
"Like many others, I was disappointed and angered to learn that certain information about the Newtown shooting had been leaked, specifically with concern for the victims' families who may have been hearing this news for the first time," the governor said in a statement.
Newtown was in the news again this week after robocalls from the National Rifle Association urged residents to pressure their state legislators to vote against proposed stricter gun laws.
"It's ridiculous and insensitive," Newtown resident Dan O'Donnell fumed to a local television station.
"I can't believe an organization would be so focused on the rights of gun owners with no consideration for the losses this town suffered."
With AP
AP
Connecticut State Police lead a line of children from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown after gunman Adam Lanza opened fire inside the school on Dec. 14.
