Gunman Kills 27 Including Children At An Elementary School

The shooter was killed during the rampage and several others were injured. Mother of Ryan Lanza also shot and killed, source close to investigation says. The identities of the shooting victims has not yet been released.The gunman was wearing dark clothing, a mask, a bulletproof vest, and was carrying four guns. A cause and manner of death is pending, police said. Teachers and police escorted students out of the building following the shooting.
Mark Hertz, a reporter, says this part of the US does not have a large gun culture, and there is a particular sense of shock as people are not used to shooting incidents. "This school is incredibly highly rated - people come to these communities for safety and a sense of quiet. It's a feeling of invasion into the feeling of safety they have there."
“It was a very orderly evacuation given the circumstances,” Connecticut Post reporter Brian Koonz told CBS New York.
One mother tells CBS 2 reporter Lou Young that it’s like a “war zone” in Newtown. Her child told Young he had bullets “whizzing by” him in the hallway and that a teacher pulled him into a classroom.
Connecticut State Police tell CBS Connecticut that it is “still an active situation.” Police responded to the school shooting at 9:41 a.m. WFSB-TV reporter Len Besthoff calls it a “chaotic scene.”  It continues to  investigate if there was a second shooter involved.
Stephen Delgiadice said his 8-year-old daughter heard two big bangs and teachers told her to get in a corner. His daughter was fine.
“It’s alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America,” he said.
The school superintendent’s office says the district has locked down schools as a preventive measure to ensure the safety of students and staff. Schools in neighboring towns also were locked down as a precaution.
State police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance says they have a number of personnel on the scene to assist.
The White House said President Barack Obama was notified of the shooting.