All Children Killed In Newtown School Massacre Were 6 Or 7 Years Old
NEWTOWN, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- Most of the 20 of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre were only 6 years old, and none were older than 7.
The Connecticut State Medical Examiner's office released their identities Saturday afternoon.
Adam Lanza, 20, took the lives of 20 children and eight adults -- including his mother and himself – leaving wounds for the town that may never heal.
The child victims are identified as:
• Charlotte Bacon, 6;
• Daniel Barden, 7;
• Olivia Engel, 6;
• Josephine Gay, 7;
• Ana Marquez-Greene, 6;
• Dylan Hockley, 6;
• Madeleine Hsu, 6;
• Catherine Hubbard, 6;
• Chase Kowalski, 7;
• Jesse Lewis, 6;
• James Mattioli, 6;
• Grace McDonnell, 7;
• Emilie Parker, 6;
• Jack Pinto, 6;
• Noah Pozner, 6;
• Caroline Previdi, 6;
• Jessica Rekos, 6;
• Avielle Richman, 6;
• Benjamin Wheeler, 6;
• Allison Wyatt, 6.
Ana Marquez-Greene was the daughter of a well-known saxophone player. Emilie Parker moved to Connecticut with her family just a year ago. Josephine Gay had celebrated her seventh birthday just this past Tuesday.
The adult victims were:
• Rachel Davino, 29;
• Dawn Hochsprung, 47, the principal of the school;
• Anne Marie Murphy, 52;
• Lauren Russeau, 30;
• Mary Sherlach, 56, the school psychologist who planned to retire next year;
• Victoria Soto, 27, a first-grade teacher.
Gov. Dannel Malloy addressed the tragedy on Saturday afternoon.
"We could say we feel their pain, but the truth is that we can't. When tragedies like this take place, people often look for answers; an explanation of how this could have happened," Malloy said. "But the sad truth is, there are no answers – no good ones, anyway."
Malloy said despite the public policy debates that have been sparked by the massacre, "What's important right now is love courage and compassion" – the courage shown by the teachers who saved lives, and the love shown by people from Connecticut and around the world.
Meanwhile, as CBS 2's Tony Aiello reported, crime scene investigators continued Saturday to search through the school – a place of learning and a place of laughter until Friday, when it became a place of unimaginable horror and sadness.
Autopsies on all the children killed in the massacre were completed around 1:30 p.m., said Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner H. Wayne Carver II. Autopsies on everyone but Lanza and his mother will be completed by the end of the day.
All died of gunshot wounds from Lanza's rifle, and the manner of the deaths were homicides, Carver said. He personally conducted seven of the autopsies on victims ranging between the ages of 7 and 11, and called the massacre "probably the worst that I have seen, or the worst I know any of my colleagues have seen."
Hochsprung was killed when she heard the gunfire and ran toward it. She was lunging at Lanza when the gunfire hit her, CBS News reported.
All bodies had been removed from the school by the 9 a.m. hour, police said on CBS This Morning Saturday.
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Newtown First Selectman Patricia Llodora spoke on behalf of the town government Saturday afternoon.
"Our wound is deep because we are a close-knit community. We truly care for each other," she said. "We are coming together with love and support for those families who suffered this terrible loss."
Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance said the investigation will not be complete for at least another day or a few days. Three crime investigation teams were working at the scene Saturday morning, he said.
Meanwhile, police told Aiello they were looking at the strong likelihood that the gunman gained entrance to the school by shooting out a window right next to the front door.
Thus, he would have been able to get around the new security system that was put in place earlier this year, which includes a remote control lock and intercom with a video buzzer system to let visitors in.
Vance would only say Saturday morning that Lanza was not voluntarily let into the school, and forced his way in.
Vance said investigators had also retrieved valuable evidence, including some computer files, from Lanza's mother's home, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported.
"Our investigators at the secondary crime scene that we discussed, where the female was located deceased, did produce some very good evidence in this investigation that our investigators will be able to use," he said.
He added that the lone shooting victim – a teacher shot several times – was recovering in the hospital and was providing a helpful timeline as police pieced together the time when the gunman was walking the halls.
The family of that teacher, Natalie Hammond, said she was doing well Saturday following surgery the day before.
The gunman himself was barely out of his teens. And in a rampage beyond human comprehension, the killer stalked the school and took innocent lives that had barely begun.
PHOTOS: Shooting At Sandy Hook Elementary School
The scene began as one of chaos.
"Sandy Hook School – caller is indicating she thinks there's someone shooting in the building," a 911 dispatcher said.
But chaos soon turned to heartbreak when the scope of the tragedy came out.
"I just don't get how somebody could hurt innocent children -- I just don't get that," a woman said. "What did those poor babies do to you?"
Authorities said Lanza firs shot and killed his mother, Nancy Lanza. Some earlier reports said was a substitute teacher at the school, but police later said she had no connection.
She was found dead Friday in her Newtown home.
Afterward, Lanza drove his mother's car to the school, where he opened fire. Officials said he headed directly for a specific section of the school, killing students in two classrooms.
It was not known Saturday morning how many rounds he fired, but both guns are capable of carrying high-capacity extended clips that can hold up to 30 rounds.
Near the start of the massacre around 9 a.m. Friday, an 8-year-old boy faced bullets in a hallway as he tried to deliver attendance reports to the principal's office. He described what he saw to CBS 2's Lou Young.
"I saw some of the bullets going past the hall that I was right next to, and then a teacher pulled me into her classroom," said the boy, Bear Nikitchyuk.
A teacher pulled Bear to safety. His mother's gratitude deepened by the knowledge that so many of his schoolmates did not make it out alive. It was over in a matter of minutes.
"I'm just so grateful for the teacher that saved him," said his mother, Erin.
One teacher told another little boy an animal was loose in the building.
"We had to lock our doors so the animal couldn't get in," the boy said.
"Mostly all the lights were off, and my teacher, Miss Sullivan, she had to close the blinds," a girl said.
The killer then took his own life.
Police reported Lanza was dressed in black tactical assault-style clothing, and may have been wearing a bullet-resistant vest.
Authorities found at least three guns at the scene, including a Glock 9mm and a Sig Sauer 9mm -- both pistols. The weapons used in the shooting were found in close proximity to the gunman's body, Vance said.
Also found was a Bushmaster .223 assault rifle, which was discovered in a nearby car.
A federal official also told CBS News on Friday evening that all three weapons recovered in the shooting were, according to state records, bought legally and registered to the gunman's mother.
The New York Post reported Saturday that Lanza's mother took him to shooting ranges.
"Evil visited this community today and it's too early to speak of recovery," Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said. "Each parent, each sibling, each member of the family has to understand Connecticut -- we're all in this together."
The horror of it all continued to sink in throughout the day. At sunset, a woman checked on her friend's missing child and relayed the awful news.
They just told us everyone that's missing and is presumed missing is in the school, and they're dead," said Janice Markey. "The two they transported to the hospital are now dead as well."
A crisis intervention team has been established and is available to anyone in Newtown. Residents may reach it by calling (203) 207-4283.
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