kris welker is with us. we also have larry johnson, the president of the national association of school safety and law enforcement officials. first we go for an immediate update to my msnbc colleague chris jansing. chris, i know you have aride on the site in newtown, connecticut. what's the latest? >> reporter: well, there was just a briefing by officials here, and it is obviously the most devastating of news. as they describe it, this has been a scene of absolute horror. in fact, they have moved the press away from the school here to a community area, and the parents are still gathering at the nearby fire station. the problem is the scene itself, which will be an active crime scene, chris, for at least until sunday because the scene is described as so horrific that the identification process is very difficult. what we do know, of course, is what we've been reporting for most of the last couple of hours, which is that 26 people were shot inside that elementary school with students age 5 to 10. 20 of the victims being children. the shooter, 20-year-old adam lanza, his mother a kindergarten teacher at that school.