Newtown Gunman Had Arsenal of Pistols, Shotguns, Swords, Knives
The Newtown massacre took less than five minutes.
March 28, 2013 — -- Adam Lanza, who carried out a massacre of children at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary school, had accumulated an arsenal that included pistols, rifles, revolvers, shotguns, swords, knives and other "cutting instruments," according to search warrants released today.
The documents also stated that Lanza's deadly rampage took no longer than five minutes from the time Lanza forced his way into the school to when he turned a gun on himself. The Dec. 14 assault left 20 children and six adults dead.
Five previously sealed search warrants were released today for Lanza's home, which he shared with his mother Nancy Lanza, and car. Nancy Lanza, 52, was the first victim of her son's shooting spree. The documents represent the fullest picture yet of the shooting.
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The 20-year-old shooter went to Sandy Hook Elementary school where he shot his way into the building and killed 20 children and six adults with a Bushmaster .223 caliber model XM15 rifle. The Bushmaster was loaded with a 30-round capacity magazine. Fourteen rounds were in the magazine when the Bushmaster was recovered by police. There was one round in the chamber.
The shooter took his own life with a single shot from a Glock 10 mm handgun. He also had a loaded 9mm Sig Sauer P226 handgun with him. He also had three magazines for the Bushmaster, each containing 30 rounds, and additional ammo for the handguns.
When the carnage was over, police counted 154 spent bullet casings.
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The warrants also say police found computers and gaming devices.
The FBI interviewed a "citizen witness," whose name is redacted in the documents, who said Lanza "rarely leaves his home." The person said Lanza was "a shut in and an avid gamer who plays Call of Duty, amongst other games."
There were also books that included "Look Me in the Eye – My life with Aspergers," "Born on a Blue Day – Inside the Mind of an Autistic Savant," and "NRA Guide to the Basics of Pistol Shooting."
Police recovered the NRA certificates of both Nancy and Adam Lanza. Adam Lanza's was found in a duffel bag that also contained 50 rounds for a .22 caliber rifle and other ammo, ear protection, eye protection, binoculars and numerous paper targets.
There were nine knives, three swords of varying lengths and a BB gun.
In addition, police discovered personal notes, memoirs and thoughts collected by Lanza, including seven journals and drawings by Lanza. There were also newspaper clippings, drawings and medical bills police have been scrutinizing to develop a psychological profile of the gunman.
Among the newspaper clippings recovered was a New York Times article on from February 2008 about a school shooting at Northern Illinois University.
A recovered holiday card from Nancy Lanza to Adam Lanza contained a Bank of America check made out to him for the purchase of a firearm.
The guns use in the shooting were apparently all purchased by Nancy Lanza. The gun locker at the Lanza home was open when police arrived, according to authorities. It was unlocked and there was no indication that it had been broken into.
"After consultation with the investigators, it was decided that much of the information in the search warrants would not sought to be sealed and that the release of the above basic crime scene information would not jeopardize the active and continuing criminal investigation into this unprecedented tragedy," Stephen Sedensky III, state's attorney for the Judicial District of Danbury, said in a statement today.
"This is an active, ongoing investigation," Sedensky wrote. "No conclusions have been reached and no final determinations have been made."
The families of the shooting victims and other community members have been extremely active in the months since the attack. The families of four victims appear in a two new anti-gun TV ads out today as part of an effort to reinvigorate a lagging campaign for new gun control laws.
Also today, angry Newtown residents are planning to protest outside the National Rifle Association's office in their hometown. They are upset about NRA robocalls seeking to raise opposition to gun control legislation. The protest will be just three miles from Sandy Hook Elementary School.