Obama Addresses the Connecticut Elementary School Shooting

Previously published in Examiner on December 14, 2012

Once again we are plagued with yet another school shooting. CNN U.S. reports that, “In one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, a gunman opened fire Friday in a Connecticut elementary school, killing 26 people — 20 of them children, police said.

The alleged gunman killed himself. The police have not yet identified the body. CNN U.S. goes on to say, “The mother of the suspected shooter, who was a teacher at the school, appeared to be the primary target, a federal law enforcement source said. The mother was among those killed. ” A parent who happened to be at the school said the principle and the psychologist were also killed. Bizarre though it might be the brother of the suspect was killed as well.

Three weapons were found at the scene; however, police have not made any disclosure at the time. There will be an autopsy done on the gunman.

When children are murdered there are no happy moments. Parents and children alike were crying at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Teachers and staff still had the responsibility of evacuating the children in order to let the police carry on their investigation.

Hospital officials in neighboring Danbury said they were treating three people wounded in the shooting. Mayor Mark Boughton said the victims were in “very serious” condition. The schools in the area were put in lockdown today as the police continued their investigation.

President Obama commented, “Our hearts our broken today.” Obama, a father to two girls, wiped away tears . The deeply saddened president was equally emotional about the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin, a youth from Florida.

Mediaite reported that Obama spoke as a father about the Trayvon Martin case, “But my main message,” he added, “is to the parents of Treyvon Martin. You know, if I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon. And, you know, I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and that we’re going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.”

Today Obama said, “The nation has “endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years.” The nation will get to the bottom of this school tragedy as well.

Since the original story was written earlier today, police have the identity of the gunman. Huffington Post report that the man was Ryan Lanza who was in his 20’s.

I also remember a twenty-five year old man, Kimveer Gill who terrorized Dawson College and killed young Anastasia De Sousa. This young woman had her whole life ahead of her; just as these young children would have had as well. The experience for me here in Montreal was very painful especially since Dawson College was the CEGEP I attended when I was a young woman. Tragedies like this effect the whole community in one way or another and no matter how much we know about the murder no one can give a sufficient answer when we ask why.