lanza left it behind in the car's truck. police say they're not sure what he intended to do it with but it suggests maybe he was thinking of a broader attack. >> pelley: bob, thanks very much. we asked correspondent seth doane to talk to people who could paint a broader picture of adam lanza. >> reporter: what kind of kid was adam lanza as a classmate. >> just quiet. >> reporter: this girl remembers adam lanza from german class. >> on one side he did something unspeakable, on the other, that's not how i remember him. i remember him as the nice kid that i sat near in class and, you know, we joked, he'd laugh, that kind of thing. >> reporter: it was the spring of 2009 and the two were enrolled at western connecticut state university while lanza was still in high school. >> we were all hanging out, outside of class afterwards one night and he walked by and we were like "hey, you want to grab a drink with us?" and he said "no, i can't, i'm 17." >> reporter: lanza was also being home schooled at the time. he took seven college le

this 24-year-old ryan lanza, the gunman in this situation, his mother's name is nancy lanza and also among the dead. that's the connection we heard that he has to the school. right now unconfirmed 27 people are dead, 18 of which are said to be students. now of course we do know that lanza is from new jersey and being searched by a dozen police officers at the time. we also know that his younger brother was also taken into custody at this time. he is said to be a person that is being questioned right now as a possible second gunman in this situation. there are reports that lanza had several weapons on his body at the time including a bullet- proof vest to keep himself safe. we're not sure how he died and we're not sure if it was self- inflicted or hit by officers. sandy hook elementary school is 626 students in a town of 2,000 people and it is about 6 on miles northeast of new york and about an hour drive outside of hartford. now, all of the family that was notified about the situation were notified via e-mails or text messaging from the school that is basically set up for these kinds

nancy lanza. it's a very distressing detail. >> that is indeed. >> at least two of those weapons, in fact, let me change that, at least three of the weapons reg jerred to nancy lanza. >> of course, her body was found at a residence right here in the area. >> an odd development. susan and i have been trying to piece together when the police said that the shooter killed someone he lived with, and then we've now found out that nancy lanza was found in her son's home, putting two and two together, you'd want to come to a conclusion, but they are not releasing that. >> it may very well be the mother's home. they say the suspect's residence. well, it may be -- very well may be where both of them lived together. so that again makes one wonder, what prompted all of this? was there something going on? it's hard not to speculate. >> the confusion is, well, susan, throughout the day, the name ryan lanza was being reported fast and furiously. this is the brother who was taken away in handcuffs from the apartm

>>reporter: ryan kraft says he baby-sat adam lanza about 10-years ago-- when lanza was ten, and kraft was 15. he describes lanza as focused, quiet, introverted. he never saw evidence of violence, kraft says. but says lanza did throw the occasional temper tantrum. >> it was general stuff like you know i'd have to put him to bed and he wouldn't like that or we had to stop watching tv and he wouldn't like that. you know, normal stuff that a kid would do- but i guess at ten years old most kids get out of that phase, and that wasn't the case for adam. >>reporter: kraft was only a year older than adam lanza's older brother, ryan. he says their mother told him to let ryan do whatever he wanted. but as for adam: >> what i really remember clearly is that nancy always asked me to always be with him in the room, no matter what- like 'don't go to the bathroom, don't ever leave him without supervision.' >>reporter: kraft says adam had a contentious relationship with his mother, nancy. she'd split from the boys' father, peter lanza-- who's described by the job-networking website 'linked-in' as tax

of lanza as a threat. ashleigh, tell us about the emotion that you are seeing. obviously, a lot of people who are -- they are burying their dead. at same time, trying to move on and give their other children a sense of hope in this community. >> one of the things i've been noticing surrounding communities, people from surrounding communities have been coming here to pay their respects, just to be a part of it somehow, show they are with the people of newtown and they support them in their grief. it's almost unbelievable the number of people with tears in their eyes just walking down the street. you can't walk anywhere near i am without encountering someone with a child or two adults walking hand in hand, crying, because they've just dropped off flags or teddy bears or candles or origami or some christmas ornament with the name of a child. we all know it's okay to be walking done street crying. everyone seems to understand. that's what this is all. and i just want to let you know also, there's a cafe i've b

adam lanza livedded with his mom.27-year-old vicki soto was a first grade teacher with a million-dollar smile. her family says that vicki died using her own body to shield her students. >> she was a teacher. that in itself is a hero, having the patience to mold young minds and then have to deal with a monster coming into her school and her classroom and, you know, she-- she was a hero. >> axelrod: first grader jesse lewis was six years old. his dad says he was a happy boy who loved math and riding horses. six-year-old emilie parker was also in first grade, a kid her grandfather says embraced everything with joy. >> she lovedthing in she could come in contact with. i mean, she loved life. >> reporter: ana marquez greene was 7. she and her family moved to newtown in july. on facebook, her father, jazz musician jimmy greene, wrote, "as much as she's needed here and missed by her mother, brother, and me, ana beat us all to paradise. i love you, sweetie girl." there will be much more about this story tonight on a special e

ended up on adam lanza.hat federal source also telling us that earlier this afternoon when ryan lanza pulled up to this apartment building with his girlfriend, he noticed police surrounding it. that's when he was cuffed and taken away apparently. he and his girlfriend both speaking with the f.b.i. and also cooperating with them. there had been reports that the girlfriend was missing. that apparently not the case. also some preliminary reports that somebody was dead inside this building. that not the case, from everything that we're hearing. we've even heard it was possibly the father. again, as rick leventhal mentioned, that federal source telling us that the father is speaking with the f.b.i. here in new jersey, bill. >> bill: you can imagine, too, we're trying to figure out what is fact and what is frankly not facts. hoboken a crowded community and there are a lot of neighbors there. how are they react to go what they saw at that scene today? >> they watched it unfold just like the rest of us did and when

nancy lanza, the mother of adam lanza, the man who went in, the twenty-year-old, and killed all of these people here in newtown where we are. he is too emotional. his sister is dead. he is the uncle of this young man. but other police officers and the district attorney came out and spoke on his behalf. wanting to sayhat they will obviously cooperate fully with this investigation. you think of the enormity, though, here he is a police officer in new hampshire. his sister is dead, his nephew is dead, kills himself after killing all of these young people, and six adults. i can only man what he can be going through. >> and it seemed like he wanted to come out and talk about it. certainly all this information. that was what the press conference was about. and at the last moment, he was too overcome to do it. which is not surprising, given the loss. we talked about the people who died in the school, but the lanza family, the champion family, which is lanza's brother in the case, they're obviously trying to come to terms with this, as well. incomprenhensible is the way they described it. there

when lanza was ten and craft was 15. he describes lanza as focused, quiet, introverted. he never saw evidence of violence, craft says. but says lanza did throw the occasional temper tantrum. >> just general stuff like you would have to put him to bed and he wouldn't like that. or we had to stop watching tv, and he wouldn't like that. normal stuff that kids do, but i guess at 10 years old, kids get out of that phase, but that wasn't the case for adam. >> mother told him to let ryan do whatever he wanted. but as for adam -- >> nancy always asked me to always be with him in the room. no matter what. don't go to the bathroom, don't ever leave him without supervision. >> craft says adam had a contentious relationship with his mother, nancy. she had split from the boy's father, pete elanza, who is tax director and president of gees ifs but kraft says nancy lanza was an engaged mother, setting up play dates with her sons and taking part in neighborhood activities. neighbors say nancy lanza enjoyed gardening and had taken time o

she is outside the lanza home tonight.usan, what can you tell us, the very latest that you have been able to figure out about why this happened? >> reporter: well, i'll tell you, if the shooter in this case was trying to erase his digital footprint, he may have succeeded. because investigators are telling us that that smashed computer that you referred to was so badly damaged, presumably by the shooter himself, that they are having a hard time retrieving data from the hard drive. but they're not giving up. they're still working on it because they want to try to examine it for any e-mails he might have sent, for any writings he left behind, to learn about any websites that he might have visited. and also, today, we are learning the new gruesome details from the autopsy of nancy lanza, his mother. we're here in front of the house that she shared with her son and they are saying that she was shot four times in the head while she was sleeping in her bedroom, shot by her own son before he went on to that school to kill 26 child

the gunman, adam lanza, was 20 years old. he shot his mother before coming to the school to shoot so many children, adults, as well. as i said, the deadliest grade school shooting ever in our history. and, elizabeth, so many people here having such a hard time coming to grips with this pain. >> it's unimaginable, george. i think every parent when they heard this story break, just was in shock. i felt, i know, physically sick to my stomach. a lot of other people felt the same way. and coming up in this half hour, we're going to weigh in with experts on how to talk to our kids about this tragedy, about the shootings. they will, of course, hear about that. it varies with the age. it varies with the child. but the experts have great advice. it's all important that we make our kids feel safe, even as they learn about this horrific massacre, in newtown, where you're standing, george. >> that's right. it's so hard to figure out how to give them what they need to know. i'm here with dan harris, who has been here from the very beginni

lanza's aunt, marsha lanza, had not seen his nephew since he was 3, but did keep in touch with nancy lanza, and she offered insight into their home life earlier today. >> i know she eventually wound up home-schooling him. she battled the school district. in what capacity, i'm not certa certain, if it was behavior or learning disabilities. he was a bright boy. >> i'm joined now by michael, what else do we know about the lanza family tonight? >> as you mentioned, we know nancy lanza was this avid gun collector. one friend described her as passionate about it. at time she's would take both her sons for practice at these shooting ranges. we do know adam lanza had -- there were reports that he tried to purchase a semi-automatic rifle at a local dick's sporting goods store, just this week. and the sale did not go through. we have not confirmed that net, but while he was not able to use his own guns, he was able to draw on the weapons of his mother, and used one of those weapons to kill his mother. the details we learned today about the shooting itself make this crime more inexplicable and

lanza's mother was found dead. police say adam lanza shot her before he stormed the school. around noon, abc news learned that lanza had killed 27 people, most of them children, before turning the gun on himself. shortly after 3:00, the president addressed the nation. >> i know there's not a parent in america who doesn't feel the same overwhelming grief that i do. the majority of those who died today were children. beautiful, little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. >> reporter: by 7:00 p.m., this little town had settled into an all-too familiar post-massacre routine, with prayer vigils. >> may god bless the adults who lost their lives today. >> reporter: overnight, police engaged in the horrifying work of identifying the bodies and then notifying the families. now, the big question in this investigation is why? what was the suspect's motive? george, if past is prologue, we may get an answer. but it will be deeply unsatisfying. >>> let's get more from elizabeth in new york. >> all of the questions, now, about that shooter. 20-year-old adam lanza. and new details a

that nancy lanza had these guns and how adam lanza could have gotten those.s we just reported she would have gotten home somewhere between 5:00 and 6:00 the night before, do you know where the guns are locked up? >> yeah, we do have a great deal of information relative to the guns. we've actually got a team, we're being assisted with that, with the atf, and we're literally investigating those guns from the day, the minute they left the manufacturer to the day we see them. there were capacities to lock those up, we know that. and certainly, we're going to check the place of guns every single time they were touched or handled. >> do you know if the lock was broken or were they removed with someone who may have had the competition? can you tell us that? >> i'm sorry, i do not know that information. >> all right. you don't know that information yet. okay. yesterday, we also had reports that the computer had been smashed to pieces. sort of implying adam lanza tried to destroy the evidence, giving the perception he would have known right from wrong. is there any ho

. >> reporter: 20-year-old adam lanza launched his massacre at home. officials say lanza shot his mother nancy multiple times, killing her in her bed. lanza then took four guns-- legally registered to his mother-- and drove this black honda to sandy hook elementary school about five miles away. students there had finished reciting the pledge of allegiance and the building's doors had been locked. then, around 9:30 friday morning staffers in the front office heard popping noises. police say those were likely sounds of lanza shooting out the glass of one of the school

now, adam lanza's late mom, nancy lanza, owned a house in new hampshire. we were told she often talked about going there. she maintained the property and relatives of her there, who have apparently been in contact with her, had been in contact with her, are about to tell us what light they can shed on this. so we'll just have to wait and see what they say. but we've learned quite a bit more about the lanza family today. we know that the -- we talked to a friend of nancy lanza's, who talked about how she was an avid gun collector, an enthusiast, even had a passion for guns. used to go to local shooting ranges and even take her two children there, ryan, who's now 24, and adam lanza. so -- and we also know, of course, that the guns that adam lanza used to shoot those children, were registered to the mother. we know that adam lanza, on tuesday, had tried to buy a semi-automatic rifle at a local dick's sporting good store. didn't want to go through the waiting period, so the sale never within the through. but he was able to use one of those rifles the that his

what we know about nancy lanza, she lived alone with adam lanza. the family lived alone since 1998, the whole family, nancy lanza, the husband peter lanza, the son ryan, 24 years old, and adam, who was 20 years old. what happened is peter lanza left the house at some point a few years ago when they divorced. he doesn't live here anymore. ryan lanza, who is 24 years old, went off to work. he lived in hoboken, new jersey. we saw he was taken in for questioning yesterday. that left adam and nancy back here. nancy lanza worked in finance in boston and here in connecticut for some years. but recently she has left work. we don't know whether she was retiring or whether she was taking a break. she did tell acquaintances she wanted to take care of adam. now, we did speak to one neighbor, gene j mcdade, who said she didn't find anything unusual about this particular family. >> she was a stay-at-home mom who loved her kids. there is no explanation. there was no funny business going on as far as i know. >> they were quiet. seemingly friendly people. i don't t

nancy lanza's brother's wife.ree of separation there. you very aptly say we need to take this with a grain of salt at this point. but the confusion over nancy lanza and her connection to the school. why is that so murky? i mean, she's not on the staff lists. >> right. here's how this all went down yesterday. and remember these are police and federal law enforcement responding to a chaotic scene. taking information from many, many witnesses. putting this information together. running out and following these leads. the initial reporting while we get the big picture and law enforcement gets the big picture right, details get messed up. and some things that you think are correct turn out not to be correct as the investigation continues. the best information yesterday early on was that this gunman went to the school because the mom had either worked as a teacher, a substitute in some sort of role, volunteer at the school. that may not be the case now. the superintendent this morning herself said not a staff employee bu

perhaps the secrets that adam lanza wanted no one to see.bc news, new york. >> perhaps further proof how premeditated this thing was, that he took the time to damage that hard drive. >> he mentioned a former adviser said he had a bizarre condition where he had the inability to touch and feel and empathize with anything. another neighbor said adam lanza had been a weird kid since we were 5 years old. as horrible as this was, i can't say i'm surprised. why didn't anybody reach out? so many of these kids that are loners and we know they're possibly going through a tough situation, people need to reach out to them. and befriend them. >> hopefully the gun control and mental health debate this country is about to have will answer some of those questions. >>> older students in newtown returned to classes today, but those who attended sandy hook elementary itself are still waiting for their new school to get ready. administrators have not decided when classes at nearby chalk hill school will begin, but students will get a chance this week to see the

lanza the principal says this is nancy lanza's son. i recognize him. it was a couple minutes later she confronted him in the hall and he shot her dead. >> here's why there's a little problem with the story. she was supposedly in a conference with the school psychologist and a parent. at that time is the principal the one who has to hit a button and queue somebody in. nancy the mom wasn't working there. i heard a report she had stopped working in order to deal with adam full-time. >> that was a picture of the principal. >> i think what they do is have a surveillance camera they buzz them in if they look relatively normal and he wasn't wearing the ski mask or whatever it was at that time. let's talk about the stories of heroism and profound caring that the teachers took over inside the school when the gun fire broke out. there's a story of a first grade teacher katelyn royd they were doing something called morning meeting. i am sure you know this. kids you talk about what your day is going to be like. during morning meeting they heard gu

he killed his mother nancy lanza, the one person who knew him best. law enforcement officials say over the past three years his mother bought and registered the three semiautomatic weapons lanza carried with him during his attack at the sandy hook elementary school. sources say a gun trace revealed nancy lanza bought the murder weapon, a bush master ar-15, in march 2010. a year later, in march, 2011, she bought a 9 millimeter sig sauer pistol. that gun was found in one of the possibilities of lanza's cargo pants. the third gun, the glock 10 millimeter adam lanza used to take his own life, was purchased 11 months ago in january, 2012. lanza didn't buy any of the weapons himself but agents for the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives confirmed he and his mother did go shooting at various gun ranges. >> pelley: bob, thank you. teachers used their investment muscle today to strike back against the company that made the murder weapon. the gun was built by freedom group, freedom group is owned by a private investment firm called cerberus us a

though they shared custody, peter lanza said adam lanza stopped visiting him and cut off all conversation with him in 2010. that was around the time that peter lanza began dating his new wife. according to divoce documents obtained by nbc news, peter lanza paid his ex-wife nancy just under $200,000 in alimony in 2012. friends say nancy lanza had not been working in recent years. the "new york times" is reporting adam lanza had, quote, no connections to the school where friday's massacre occurred. >>> students in newtown, connecticut are returning to school this morning for the first time since the shooting massacre. meanwhile, more families will hold funerals. nbc's danielle leigh joins us from newtown. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. just over my shoulder, you may be able to make out a christmas tree marking the memorial that has become the focal point of this little town. it's something those going to class today will drive by, and it will be a reminder that some thing also never be the same. each day long lines of cars bring thousands of tearful mourners to this little town. t

that gun was found in one of the pockets of lanza's cargo pants. the third gun, the glock 10 millimeter adam lanza used to take his own life, was purchased 11 months ago in january, 2012. lanza didn't buy any of the weapons himself but agents for the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives confirmed he and his mother did go shooting at various gun ranges. >> pelley: bob, thank you. teachers used their investment muscle today to strike back against the company that made the murder weapon. the gun was built by freedom group, freedom group is owned by a private investment firm called cerberus us are. today the massive california teachers pension fund said it would review its $600 million investment in cerberus, and with that cerberus us are announced it will sell off the gun manufacturer. cerberus us are said in part it is apparent that the sandy hook tragedy was a watershed event that has raised the national debate on gun control to an unprecedented level. other companies today and gun rights activists reconsidered their support for weapo

it was registered to his mother, nancy, lanza's first victim. police say she was shot four times in the head as she slept. investigators describe lanza demanding as a gunnen thus yift hard. adam lanza investigators say was heavily armed when he arrived at the school. >> high capacity magazine for the rifle and multiple magazines for the rifle and multiple magazines for the handguns. only the quick response of two police men prevented even more karnage. when lanza sauz them, he ducked into a room and killed himself. >> in this town where angels now mark the roads, funerals begin for the victims of adam lanza, for jessica who loved horses who just asked santa for new cowboy boots and a coy girl hats. >> a group of revolution avenue war reenactors against the 49ers, the malligza was there but they left their mufkets at home out of respect for those who were killed. >> tragedies like this one bring up the gun control debate, but many agree, this time it's different. people are angry. even the president said something has got to be done. >> we saw th

adam lanza was home schooled. he has been described by students who -- when he did go to school, classmates of him, as very intelligent and as we have often heard in these cases, also described as loner. someone that didn't have a lot of friends. went out of his way not to be noticed, of course, he couldn't have changed that in a more devastating way than he did by going into that elementary school. his aunt, who has not seen him since he was 3 years old, spoke just within the last hour to local reporters in north carolina. here is what she had to say about adam. >> he was different. he was quiet. nice kid. good kid. he was challenging the family in that house. never in trouble with the law. never in trouble with anything. >> she also talked a little bit about adam's mother who, of course, was the first victim in this massacre. we have a picture of her. this is the first time we have been able to see her. the aunt described her as something of a survivalist. she said she worried about economic collapse and had bee

police say his name is adam lanza. cnn's mary snow is at lanza's home. what can you tell us about the suspected shooter? >> reporter: john, it's believed that he lived with his mother at the home that is behind me now blocked off by police. and in terms of descriptions of him, one neighbor described him as troubled. former classmates described him as very bright, someone who kept to himself socially awkward, and we're also learning from our -- cnn's susan candiotti that a law enforcement official told her that a family member of lanza told investigators that he had a form of autism. >> mary, what do we know about the guns? the weapons that he used in the shooting? we understand there were two pistols, also a rifle perhaps found in the car. >> reporter: and law enforcement officials so far are saying what cnn has learned is they were legally purchased by his mother nancy lanza. >> all right. mary snow, thank you so much. we'll be checking in with you all morning. ali? >> you were talking about the guns, john, let's focus in on the weapons used on the atta

the spree ended when lanza shot himself with one of the handguns. police have yet to find any journal or detailed notes lanza may have left behind explaining his horrific actions. but lieutenant paul vance said clues have been recovered. >> did produce some very good evidence in this investigation that our investigators will be able to use and hopefully painting the complete picture as to how and more importantly why this occurred. >> investigators are still trying to determine a motive. police are checking out report that the killer adam lanza had recently been involved in an argument with staffers at the school, but that has not been confirmed. >>> tonight we're hearing more about extraordinary heroism displayed by teachers at sandy hook elementary. some of them in the last moments of their lives. michelle miller has their story. >> reporter: the news that the six 7-year-olds had been shot multiple times devastated a community. >> just babies. they're just babies. they shouldn't be taken away from their mothers and their fathers. >> reporter: the

we've learned a body was found in a home connected to lanza and police are said to be questioning lanza's younger brother. so the motive for this shooting remains a mystery. but we're getting more and more details at this hour about the gunman just 24 years old, his connection to the that his mother was aea

live from the lanza home with that investigation.lso, awaiting the arrival of president obama, due here in newtown shortly, going to speak with the families of the 26 people, most of them elementary school children who were shot dead friday morning. stay with cnn for that you will see the president live right here when he arrives. of course, the interfaith vigil, the entirety, all of it we will bring it to you live. go out to the home where adam lanza lived with his mother that home is also right now a crime scene because it appears in lanza's mother was killed -- killed in the home before the shooting rampage over at the elementary school. cnn's alison kosik joining us from the lanza home. the state police, connecticut state police, just gave us an update. for those of the viewers weren't watching cnn live, tell us the main points that the police made. >> state police say that adam lanza shot and killed his mother, shooting her multiple times inside the house, that is in this neighborhood where i'm standing right now. police still h

mary snow is outside the location where nancy lanza lived with her son adam lanza. over the next days and weeks we're going to hear a lot about the gunman and theorys and explanations about how something this horrible could've happened. until then, now is the time to remember the victims and the survivors of the day that stole the innocence from hundreds and hundreds of people. >> this is a very, very tragic, tragic scene for everybody. certainly our hearts are broken for the families here. >> well, you know, about 9:30, 9:40, we heard noises, and the announcement system was still n on, so it didn't go off so you could hear what sounded like pops, gun shots. >> her teacher managed to take two children out of the hallway, pull them in the classroom, lock the door, and move everybody over to the other side of the room. >> we just told a little boy about his sister now. and who am i going to play with, he said? i have nobody to play with now. excuse me. >> when your first grader goes to bed and says, mommy, is anyone from my class last year, are they all okay? are they

they said peter lanza cut off visiting adam around 2010. that was around the time that peter lanza began dating his new wife. peter lanza paid his ex-wife nancy just under $200,000 in alimony in 2012. friends say nancy lanza had not been working in recent years. adam lanza had, quote, no connections to the school where the massacre occurred. >>> students are returning to school this morning for the first time since the shooting massacre. meanwhile, more families will hold funerals. nbc's danielle leigh joins us. >> reporter: good morning. over my shoulder, you may be able to make out a christmas tree that's marking the memorial that is marking the focal point of this little town. it's just incredible to walk by that memorial to see the letters, stuffed animals, all the mementos that mourners brought here to the victims. today, students will go past that memorial has they return to school after the shooting. it will be a reminder that things will not be the same. we saw yesterday the two funerals of jack pinto and noah pozner. one of the vie

the mother nancy lanza of the shooter is one of them.o records she works for the schools. she may have been a volunteer or a substitute. we are learning this morning the shooter adam lanza brought three guns into the school and the weapons are registered to his mother. abc news reports lanza gaye access to the school by breaking a glass window near the front door. you can express condolences to those touched by the school tragedy on facebook page. we invite you to share your thoughts at facebook.com/abc 7 news. you can post this badge to your facebook wall for a silent show of support to everyone at newtown, connecticut. thank you for joining us on the abc 7 saturday morning news. abc 7 news continues at 8:00 a.m. go"good morning >>> evil visited this community today. >> good morning, america. this morning, tragedy at the elementary school. >> i actually prayed to god. >> new details unfold overnight about this horrific crime. so hard to comprehend. >> we were like all scared. >> 27 dead. most of them children. the principal gunned down.

ryan lanza, 24 years old. we are also told some time before his father found dead in hoboken, new jersey. the school, sandy hook elementary school, that school is where his mother is a schoolteacher. we're also told that lanza focused most of his gun fire on one classroom. we do not know whether that was the classroom of his mother. but again, father found dead in hoboken. law enforcement executing a number of search warrants but we do know that his mother was a teacher at newtown -- sandy hook elementary in newtown. ryan lanza, 24 years old. now officials saying that the gunman's mother, a teacher at the connecticut school found dead at the school. this information just coming in to nbc news. law enforcement -- this is according to pete williams, justice correspondent, now confirming that the gunman's mother was found dead at the school. earlier law enforcement accounts, earlier law enforcement accounts that a parent was found shot at home apparently not correct at this point. according to our justice corresp

lanza's internet searches. but officials say lanza was a socially awkward recluse who had little touch with the outside world and he killed the one person who knew him best. his mother. sources say a gun trace revealed nancy lanza bought the web in march of 2010. a year later in 2011, she purchased the sig sauer pistol that was found in one of the pockets of lanza's cargo pants. the other weapon, a glock used to take lanza's life was purchased 11 months ago in january 2012. some retailers have stopped selling or promoting semiautomatic rifles in the wake of the tragedy. dick's sporting goods has pulled them from stores nationwide and wal-mart has taken down a wal-mart add for the bushmaster ar15 that was used friday. the nra said "meaningful contributions to stop fur tragedies." >>> california is no longer invested in assault rifles. illegal to either have or sell that weapon in the state of california. so obviously, the state shouldn't be a participant in that kind of activity. >> california's teacher pension

tried to get away, lanza shot them, soto, and a special ed teacher.was only after police arrived that they found other students. the paper says they were hidden in a closet. the governor of connecticut told abc's george stephanopoulos the rampage only ended around 9:50, about ten minutes after it began when lanza heard the sirens approaching and killed himself with one bullet to the head. >> we surmise that it was during the second classroom episode that he heard responders coming and apparently decided to take his own life. >> reporter: school officials announced the surviving students from sandy hook elementary will in a matter of days start attending classes at an unused school in a neighboring town. after that, though, there's a wrenching decision to be made -- do they ever reopen sandy hook elementary? dan harris, abc news in newtown, connecticut. >> no easy answer on that one. schools around the country are now reviewing security in light of the tragedy. administrators have pledged to have extra police and guidance counselors on hand as students

the father of the suspected gunman, adam lanza. is peter lanza. he released a statement earlier today. it reads in part. "our family is grieving along with all those who have been affected by thishe continues to say. "no words can truly express how heartbroken we are" and that whatever answers we can." >> candlelight vigils were held across the country tonight to remember the victims of the school shooting. kron four's jeff bush was with a group in san francisco and talked to people directly affected by gun violence and this weeks shooting. several dozen gathered at the playground in dolores park at sundown. it was a fitting place to remember the young lives that were lost on friday. reading of names. everyone was clearly moved by the east coast mass murder but stephanie dalton had a heavier heart than most. stephanie dalton knew one of the victims i work with jazz muscians and a very dear friend of mine, jazz saxaphonist, jimmy greene, who is a very beautiful person who's five year old girl, ana greene was lost. >> stephanie could not contain her