# Praying for Connecticut



## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 14, 2012)

I dont know if you all have seen it, but there has been a mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut. 27 people are dead, which includes 18 children. They are interviewing the children and it is just making me cry. Pray for these kids and the families.


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 14, 2012)

theyre saying there might be more than one shooter. One shooter is dead. But the cops think there might be more than one because of how many people are dead and the timing


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## Imbrium (Dec 14, 2012)

oh, geez! I caught a bit of it on the news a while ago before I left to run some errands... they thought the principal had been shot and there was confirmation that one of the shooters was down, but at that time no one had ANY clue there were that many casualties!

what a horrible tragedy... I can't imagine what would possess adults to shoot up an elementary school (or at least, they said the shooter that was down was an adult)... god... the kids who survived are gonna be *beyond* traumatized and I can't even imagine the hell that the parents of the children who died are going through 

ray:


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 14, 2012)

The shooter started in the principal's office. They were arguing and someone turned on the PA system so the teachers could hear what was going on and get the kids safe. One teacher heard it, got the kids in a corner and locked her door. Other kids weren't so lucky. The principal was shot and killed. The shooter is from New Jersey and is dead in the school but the police have to get a warrant from New Jersey to be able to do anything with the body. the news doesn't know if he shot himself or the SWAT team shot him. The police aren't releasing much yet. But they have done a search on the house of some relatives of the shooter and there is another dead body there. They dont know what the connection is yet. They dont know what the connection is with the school yet either. First they thought the shooter was a parent of a child there. But he is only 18-20 years old so they arent sure. He could be a kindergarten parent but arent sure


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## agnesthelion (Dec 14, 2012)

I've been watching it and crying for these families and those children. Makes me want to hug my son a little tighter today. I just can't wrap my mind around horror like this. What is wrong with people!!!!!!!!!!


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 14, 2012)

They just announced that his mom is a teacher there, and he grew up in this town. Alot of the victims were her students. There is a body at his mother's house but they havent released if she is dead or not. Im guessing she is. This is why I chose to homeschool audrina. theres just too much going on in schools these days


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## agnesthelion (Dec 14, 2012)

I'm just in awe watching the TV. My son is sick today so we are in PJs just cuddled up and I keep crying and he says "don't cry mommy". I just am more emotional about stuff like this since becoming a mom. I'm almost speechless and I literally cannot even begin to fathom what those parents are going through. It is unimaginable.
I'm just so saddened. And then it depresses me that it takes stuff like this to remember priorities and what's important in this world.........


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 14, 2012)

I completely agree with you Lisa. I just keep saying this is awful. i have no words for it. I cant imagine what these kids and parents are going through. I just want to know why he did it. Not that it matters, it wont bring these poor children back, but i want to know the reason. I want to know if there was any warning signs or letters he wrote. I wish I could just pack up and go there and help


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## whitelop (Dec 14, 2012)

This is the first I'm hearing of this. I purposely avoid the news. I know that sounds silly and probably ignorant, but I can't listen to or see things like that. 
It makes me hysterical, then really angry. Because it makes me wonder what the hell goes on in peoples minds and why they do things like that. Like WTF possesses you to go into an elementary school and kill little kids? I mean, they're like 4-10 years old. What did they do to you? 

I just turned it on. Oh my god. Its up to 20 children now. 

I'm going to be crying all night. This is freaking horrible. I want to use a lot worse words, but the filter on here is stopping me.


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## Imbrium (Dec 14, 2012)

the whole thing is just awful . I've had some pretty crappy stuff happen to me (losing my dad at 9 and my mom at 21), but I'm sure it pales in comparison to losing a child - that's gotta be one of the worst possible things for someone to have to go through. if you have children, you devote your entire life to them - practically everything you do is for them - and to have that taken away from you in such a horrible way... ugh. the whole thing is sickening.

I hate people as a general rule, but I would never actually DO anything to anyone, let alone to innocent bystanders and CHILDREN - it boggles my mind that anyone, EVER, could get the thought in their head that they have the right to destroy so many lives (or even one, for that matter). not just the immediate victims that they kill, but the families and friends of their victims who will *never* be the same... and in a situation like this, the entire community... I don't care what hell someone's life has been, there is NO excuse for crap like this. FFS, go slit your wrists in the privacy of your own home instead of feeling the need to take so many innocents out with you. there just aren't words to describe how awful things like this are.


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 14, 2012)

It just really saddens me. Those poor kids that were killed and I cant imagine what the kids who witnessed their friends and teachers being killed are going through. I just dont understand why people do things like this. I also feel for the teachers that were trying desperately to protect the children. Its all so sad. What is this world coming to?


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## whitelop (Dec 14, 2012)

Like, what did you mom do to you to make you want to go into the school where she works and kill her and her students? Take it to Dr Phil like a normal person. 
The kid who did it, is a kid himself. He was 20 years old. 

The school lets people know what happens through an automated system, telling them there was a shooting. I could not imagine getting that phone call from the school. This is truly a parents worst nightmare. My heart is totally broken for these people.


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 14, 2012)

This is all so confusing...first it was Ryan Lanza age 24 and now its his brother Adam Lanza who is 20...How did they determine in the beginning that it was Ryan? Grr...I hate when they dont have their info straight before reporting. Now its 20 kids killed and 6 adults. So was the mom at the school teaching or is she the one dead at the house?


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## whitelop (Dec 14, 2012)

The mom was at the school. The shooter was Adam, 20. They still don't know who is at the house I don't think. And 18 kids passed at the scene and 2 at the hospital. 6 adults, not including the shooter are dead. Then there is the person at his mom's house, and then someone somewhere else (at his house I think?) 

He went there with a lot of guns. He had multiple on them and then more in the car, so he was way too prepared. Its like he was going to empty the clips from the guns he had in his hands, then go get more to the car and get more ammo and go back in. That is so scary. I have goosebumps right now. 
I couldn't imagine being the first responder on the scene. I don't know how fire fighters, EMTs, police officers handle things like that.


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## Hyatt101 (Dec 14, 2012)

This is the first I'm hearing of this story! That is just awful!
How traumatic it must have been for kids to see teachers and their friends be shot. And how do you tell the parents of the children who died? This is so sad, I'm praying for all the families! ray:


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## whitelop (Dec 14, 2012)

Ahhhh...this new format is really bothering me today! 

Someone said they pulled an adult out of the woods right after this happened. But he said he didn't do it. He didn't have an gun or anything on him. I think he was probably just in the woods.


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## Hyatt101 (Dec 14, 2012)

Wow. It must have been so terrifying for those people!


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## Imbrium (Dec 14, 2012)

audrinasmommy88 said:


> This is all so confusing...first it was Ryan Lanza age 24 and now its his brother Adam Lanza who is 20...How did they determine in the beginning that it was Ryan? Grr...I hate when they dont have their info straight before reporting. Now its 20 kids killed and 6 adults. So was the mom at the school teaching or is she the one dead at the house?



from what I gathered, he was carrying his relative's ID on him instead of his own, leading to the temporary misidentification.



whitelop said:


> Then there is the person at his mom's house, and then someone somewhere else (at his house I think?)



last I heard, they believed it was the mother dead at the house... kinda a$$-backwards to kill her first if he was shooting the kids because he knew how important they were to his mom (which was the supposition last time I was watching).

the whole thing is just so FUBAR.


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## whitelop (Dec 14, 2012)

No, his mom was killed in the school. The person at the house was someone else.


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## Hyatt101 (Dec 14, 2012)

Right after I read this topic I went downstairs, and sure enough, it was all over the news


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 14, 2012)

They're saying he had a personality disorder. The brother hasn't spoke to him since 2010. I'm so tired of seeing all of these shootings. This is the second largest shooting next to the Virginia Tech shooting. It's just terrible.


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## daisyandoliver (Dec 14, 2012)

I about cried when I read it earlier around 1pm. The details then weren't the greatest though. It is terrible. Can not believe this happened. I don't have children.. I can't imagine the pain those parents are in.  I've been thinking about them all day.


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## whitelop (Dec 14, 2012)

Jennifer you were right, his mother was at the house dead. I hadn't turned the tv back on at that point. And for good reason. I'm so disgusted with this whole thing. My nose is raw from crying, my heart is totally broken for these people. I mean what the **** possesses you to go into an elementary school and kill babies? How do you look at that little face and want to hurt it? How do you look into their little eyes and do that to them? 

I don't give a rats a$s if he had a personality disorder. His mother should have gotten him help, if she did maybe she would still be alive. If someone knew he was dangerous then they should have locked his a$s up. People don't have a problem putting kids in psych wards, but when you're a semi-adult all of a sudden its wrong? F-that. 

Our jobs as parents are to protect our children, help them when they fall down, wipe their noses, put their best interests before our own. But our job as parents is also to protect the world from our children if we have to. There is no excuse for not getting your kid help if he/she needs it. I know they always say, its the quiet ones to watch out for but the kid from Colorado who went into the movie theater, he was only a little odd. He lived a pretty normal life until his possible early on set schizophrenia kicked in in his early 20s and he lost his mind. His parents should have realized something was wrong and they should have stepped in. I don't give a **** how old your kids are, they're still your kids. Even as adults, they're still your kids.

This is the most horrific thing I've ever seen and it breaks my heart. My husband and I watched the special on CBS and my husband was actually crying because its so bad. I really feel for the parents of the poor lost children, so close to the holidays. Its amazing how one person can completely shake a nation to its core. 

And yes, they said its the second largest school shooting in recent history behind Virginia Tech, but its the youngest children to be lost to a shooting.


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 15, 2012)

I completely agree with you Morgan. If she knew something was wrong with him and didn't do anything to help, she is just as much at fault as he is. Sad to say that, but it's true. I don't understand how he picked which children to shoot. I mean how do you do that? It's sickening

I hugged audrina a little tighter last night. Makes me not even want to go out in public anymore and risk something happening to my babies. These poor parents today are waking up without their children. I don't even want to fathom that. A parent should never have to bury their child


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## Imbrium (Dec 15, 2012)

whitelop said:


> No, his mom was killed in the school. The person at the house was someone else.



the news this morning is still telling me she was killed at the home, then he took three guns that were registered to her and drove her car to the school...


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## whitelop (Dec 15, 2012)

In my post above Rachel's I said you were right, Jennifer. lol


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## I_heart_Fraggles (Dec 15, 2012)

This is a terrible thing and completely heart breaking. But as someone who works in mental health I can tell you it is very VERY difficult to get help for a family member who is refusing treatment. I have no idea if she tried to get help for him or not but even if she had tried she would have found a lot of doors closed on her. In most states a court order is needed to hold someone longer then a week (72 hours in a lot of cases) and as long as that person cal clearly tell a judge that they are not dangerous then they go free. We have not had a stable mental health system in our country since Reagen and its only getting worse. Ten years ago a guitarist named Darrell Abbott was murdered on stage during a concert by a deranged fan. The killer was then shot to death by a police officer to save a hostage. The killers mother later thanked the officer and told him he did the right thing. She then stated she had tried to get help for her son who she knew was dangerous but was repeatedly turned away cause HE did not want treatment. We have no idea what this family went threw with this guy...However that being said I think its SICK that the mother knew he was mental and still allowed him to live at home with her gun collection....That is just wrong. When I am doing an evaluation with someones parents I always ask if there is a gun in the home. If I feel the teen is dangerous then I alert the police to the situation....


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## agnesthelion (Dec 15, 2012)

I do agree it's hard to get someone help for mental health. We don't know what his mother did/didn't do and she isnt alive to tell her story. I think it's pretty harsh to blame her without having more information. The only person responsible for this is the shooter, IMO. Obviously, as more information comes out there could be other aspects but as of now I don't think she is just as responsible. Let's even say she was a "crappy" mother. THAT doesn't even make her responsible! 
This whole thing is exhausting to watch because of how emotional it is. I woke up thinking of all the families waking up today hoping it was just a nightmare, but it isn't......


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## whitelop (Dec 15, 2012)

The guy took his mothers guns to the school and did this with HER guns. He was too young to legally buy a hand gun, much less those two high powered hand guns. The police said they were hers. She knew he was mentally ill and she allowed him to live in the house with her guns. Its an unfortunate thing that her guns were turned on her and then on her class, but she should have gotten rid of her guns. 
Now, I'm pro gun. I love guns. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Do I think gun laws should be more strict, hell yes. Do I think that the age limit on guns should be raised, hell yes. Do I think that parents should teach their kids how to respect a gun, hell yes. But I think that even a child with the most respect for a gun, will still use it if mentally deranged. He was obviously ill and she probably knew, but she isn't hear to ask. I wasn't blaming her, but I was saying that if there is a chance that your kid will harm someone, you should tell SOMEONE! Anyone! There are things that everyone could differently in every aspect of life, hindsight is 20/20. She should have taken the guns out of the house. Thats the only thing I know that she should have done! Getting someone help when they don't want it, is almost impossible. I know that all to well. x


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## Imbrium (Dec 15, 2012)

whitelop said:


> In my post above Rachel's I said you were right, Jennifer. lol



whoops... totally posted my response without realizing there was another page of new posts to read! sorry, lol.

what I don't get is what the **** the mother was doing owning not just two hand guns, but a freaking ASSAULT weapon. no civilian needs an assault weapon! there's NO purpose in having them other than to kill people... and to not only keep those guns in a house with a mentally unstable adult child, but to keep them in a way where he had ACCESS to them?

someone in my guild in an online game I play commented "this is why i think every adult with no record should have the right to carry, with or without permit in there own state. if you have permit u should be able to carry in any state." *facepalm* WTF.

maybe less kids would've died if someone had been able to whip out a gun and take out the shooter early in the rampage... but a good solution to this sort of thing can't *possibly* be to have elementary school teachers carrying concealed weapons at work, which is a DAILY risk to have around little kids. personally, I don't like guns but see no reason why sane, non-criminal adults can't own non-assault weapons for hunting or protection or whatever... that said, I could never get on board with it being ok for teachers to have guns at work.


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## agnesthelion (Dec 15, 2012)

No I totally see what you are saying. All I meant was that we dont know what she did. Maybe she did tell someone. Maybe she tried. OR maybe she didn't have any idea!! Supposedly this kid had mild autism and was always a " weird" kid. That doesn't mean he's gonna go shoot 26 people!! 
The guns were registered to her. Maybe she always had them. Maybe shes had them for years. Who knows. Now, if she bought them 2 weeks ago and was like "here son, take my guns to go on your shooting spree" then obviously it would be her fault. But I just don't think we have enough info to blame the mom at all yet. Having a weird, autistic kid and having guns doesn't automatically equal a bad decision. Maybe the guns were locked up and he somehow broke into the case. I mean, there are a million different scenarios.

Now, why any civilian had an assault weapon i don't get either. But that's a whole other topic. Lol.

I guess my main point is I'm sure as time goes on we will here more info about the shooter and his family. We may find out that the mother failed miserably in some way. But we may find out that she tried too. We just don't know. But this tragedy is so huge and so horrible that it's human nature to want to blame someone and it's not fair yet for her to be the person to blame. She's dead so she's a victim in this too.


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## irishbunny (Dec 15, 2012)

Absolutely horrific, those poor babies.
The kids were all ages between 6 and 7, the same age as my little sister's class. I can't even bear thinking about something like that happening to them.


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## Gordon (Dec 16, 2012)

There was a piece in my local paper today that said gun sales are up due to the tragedy in Connecticut. The reason was attributed to people's fears that the gov't might make it harder to get a gun. I've never really understood the reason for anyone other than a police officer to have a gun. My town has a nice historical arms museum and I've enjoyed learning about guns, but I don't see the need to own one. What's the point in having a gun? It really would not make me feel any safer to have a gun in my house.


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 17, 2012)

We have guns in our house that we keep locked up. 2 handguns. One is mine and one is my husbands. The reason we have them is for security. If someone was to break into our house, we have them for protection. Not just for us but also for my kids. We also have a convicted armed robber living across the street. Thats when I decided I wanted my own gun. The guy used to sit on the back of my SUV at night when he knew my husband was at work. I dont know how many times I had to call the cops to come check it out. Now he will sit on the sidewalk in front of my house if my husband's truck is gone. My husband used to work 3:30pm-12am. Now he works day shift, so I dont worry as much. But thats why we have ours. Police can't protect citizens. They aren't always around, so I'm going to protect myself and my kids. But this is just my opinion on it. To each their own


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## Imbrium (Dec 17, 2012)

wow, that's seriously creepy ><


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 17, 2012)

The armed robber? or me having a gun lol?


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## Imbrium (Dec 17, 2012)

the armed robber stalking you, lol


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 17, 2012)

haha yea, he's weird. Freaks me out when I'm home alone. Especially because i'm pregnant and have audrina. Thankfully I have my neighbors who look out for us when my husband isn't home.


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## holtzchick (Dec 17, 2012)

Regardless of whether or not the mother had guns, why weren't there proper precautions to keep them locked up. 
My father used to hunt alot when I was growing up and he had numerous guns and crossbows! He had a lock on every single weapon, which he kept in a LOCKED safe, in a LOCKED room. Even if he could open the room, there would still be the safe to get through which no one had the code to. 

I just think this is a horrible tragedy and hopefully does not repeat itself again. It's just insane to think things like this happen in the world.


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## 1357bunnylover (Dec 17, 2012)

This has been all over the news in the UK too, so so sad  
Did you hear about the teacher that locked her students in the cupboard to save them then told the man that her students were at the gym and he then shot her but thankfully her students got away safely, that is so brave. I feel so sorry for the families that have lost so much!


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 17, 2012)

Well did yall hear the same day as the shooting a man in China went into a school and stabbed 22 people and kids


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## shananagrams (Dec 17, 2012)

I live a town over. I think that saddest part this tragedy aside from innocent lives lost is the way the media is handling it. My cousin who lives in newtown has been harassed by media on Facebook, at her door step, by phone 900 times. Yes, 900 media people tried to connect with her on Facebook within 3 hours of the shooting because she had the original suspect (for whom the media tarnished his name) as a friend on Facebook. 

Her neighbors child died and the media dared to come to their front door to ask "what kind of family where they."

No compassion in American media. It is so so sad. All some of these people want to do is grieve and be left alone, if they want to talk the media let them come to you.


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## Gordon (Dec 17, 2012)

audrinasmommy88 said:


> Well did yall hear the same day as the shooting a man in China went into a school and stabbed 22 people and kids



Guns, knives, water balloons, it's all enough to make me want to lock the door and become a hermit. :nerves1


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## Imbrium (Dec 17, 2012)

1357bunnylover said:


> This has been all over the news in the UK too, so so sad
> Did you hear about the teacher that locked her students in the cupboard to save them then told the man that her students were at the gym and he then shot her but thankfully her students got away safely, that is so brave. I feel so sorry for the families that have lost so much!



yeah, she sacrificed her life to save, I believe, seven children who were crammed in a closet hiding out. beyond selfless.


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## audrinasmommy88 (Dec 17, 2012)

The picture that was going around of a girl on a phone crying, she had a white shirt on, was that teachers sister. She had just heard what her sister did to save those children. That teacher was only 27 years old, and what she did, was absolutely amazing.


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## shananagrams (Dec 17, 2012)

The girl in the picture is also upset that it is being circulated so freely As it was a private moment where she discovered her sister died.


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## Nela (Dec 17, 2012)

Yeah the girl on the phone is Carlee Soto, her sister Vickie Soto, 27. I cried for all of them, and was so gutted to find out that Carlee's sister was one of the victims. Bleh. What a terrible thing. Such young children. I have 20 lights in my star on top of my Christmas tree. One for each sweet babe. Will make something to remember all the victims with too. *Sigh*


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