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 The documents include footage of the school facade, including
close-up images of bullet-shattered windows, and a video tour
through the cheerfully decorated home the shooter, 20-year-old Adam
Lanza, shared with his mother, Nancy Lanza.
The December 14, 2012, shooting rampage in Newtown marked one of the
deadliest gun violence incidents in U.S. history. Lanza, who also
shot and killed his mother before driving to Sandy Hook and forcing
his way into the school he once attended, killed himself as police
arrived on the scene.
Twenty first-graders, ages 6 and 7, and six staff members lost their
lives.
The tragedy rocked the suburban town of 27,000 people and sparked a
national debate about school violence and access to firearms.
Much of the material, which was posted on the website
Cspsandyhookreport.ct.gov, has been redacted, and none of the images
that speak to the carnage unleashed that day are visible.
"I hope that the release of this report, though painful, will allow
those who have been affected by it to continue in their personal
process of healing, and will provide helpful information that can be
put to use to prevent such tragedies in the future," Commissioner
Reuben Bradford said in a letter introducing the documents. The
release comes about a month after the state Division of Criminal
Justice released a report on Newtown that concluded Lanza had acted
alone, and that his motive may never be known.
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The documents offer an eerie look into the life of the shooter,
including an assortment of firearms and targets riddled with bullet
marks.
One lengthy video shows the interior of Lanza's spacious Newtown
home — off-white couches and chairs, brightly colored rugs and
framed family photographs. Dirty dishes are in the kitchen sink and
a telephone blinks with a new message.
In a message sent out on Thursday, acting superintendent of Newtown
public schools, John Reed, warned families of the release and the
likelihood of media coverage surrounding them.
"Like you, I have not seen the materials, but I suspect for some
persons, the contents will be an emotional trigger," he wrote,
suggesting that parents might avail themselves of information from
the National Trauma Stress Network.
(Reporting by Edith Honan; editing by Gunna Dickson)
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