27 killed in Connecticut primary school shooting

As many as 27 people have been killed, including many children, in a shooting attack at a primary school in the US state of Connecticut, US media say.

At least 18 children are among the dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, the Associated Press reported.

State police spokesman, Paul Vance said the gunman died at the scene – but would not confirm the number of deaths.

If confirmed, Newtown would be the second-deadliest shooting in the US, after 32 people died at Virginia Tech in 2007.

Friday’s shooting is the third major shooting in the US in 2012.

In the July attack that killed 12 people at a premiere of a Batman film in Aurora, Colorado. In August six people died at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

Governor Dannel Malloy is meeting the families of the victims, a spokesman said, and is expected to visit the school later in the day.

White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney told reporters that US President Barack Obama had been informed of the incident and was receiving regular updates.

Sandy Hook School, described by correspondents as a highly rated school, has more than 600 students in classes from Kindergarten to 4th Grade – spanning the ages five to 10.

Police arrived at the school soon after 09:40 local time (14:40 GMT), answering reports that a gunman was in the school’s main office and one person had “numerous gunshot wounds”.

Get more trends like this

Subscribe to our mailing list and get latest Nigeria trends in your inbox.

Tags:

Get more trends like this
in your inbox

Subscribe to our mailing list and get latest Nigeria trends in your inbox.