The Connecticut mass murderer used an assault rifle to slaughter his 26 victims, spraying dozens of bullets into a helpless group of first-graders and staff, officials said Saturday.
The grisly details of killer Adam Lanzaâs gory rampage emerged one day after the shooter unleashed the second-deadliest school killing in U.S. history.
The tiny victims were riddled by as many as 11 bullets.
Lanza forced his way inside the Sandy Hook Elementary School and opened fire with a .223-caliber Bushmaster rifle â" an assault weapon that can fire up to six bullets per second. The victims were shot âall over,â said Connecticut state Medical Examiner H. Wayne Carter II. âAll over . . . this is probably the worst Iâve ever seen.â
Sixteen of the slain students were 6-year-olds, while four were just 7. Victim Josephine Gay, one of a dozen slain girls, celebrated her seventh birthday just three days before Lanza walked into her classroom. Carter, asked if the carnage left him in tears, replied, âNot yet.â
Carter said the shooter seemed to fire both randomly and accurately during his two-minute tear. The six slain school staffers were all women.
The father of 6-year-old Emilie Parker, choking back tears, recalled his âbright, creative, very lovingâ daughter at a news conference where he sent condolences to the family of the killer. âI canât imagine how hard this must be for them,â said Robbie Parker. âIâm not mad.â
VICTIM LIST: NAMES OF 26 SLAIN RELEASED
PHOTOS: SCENES OF TERROR FROM CONN. MASS SHOOTING
KILLER LEARNED TO SHOOT FROM HIS GUN-COLLECTING MOTHER
ADAM LANZA, 20-YEAR-OLD KILLER, WAS A 'DEEPLY DISTURBED' KID
LUPICA: NOWHERE LEFT TO HIDE FROM GUNS AFTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING
PHOTOS: FACES OF AMERICA'S HEARTBREAK - SANDY HOOK VICTIMSÂ
Investigators searching around the clock for a motive uncovered âvery good evidenceâ inside the school and the nearby home where Lanza, 20, fatally shot his mother, said Connecticut State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance.
Without going into detail, Vance said the findings will help âin painting the complete picture â" the how and, more importantly, the why.â
He refuted a report that Lanza fought with teachers inside the Newtown elementary school one day before showing up dressed in black camouflage and a military-style vest.
Investigators will continue working at the murder scene through at least Monday, the lieutenant added.
The names of the victims were made public after family members identified their loved ones from photos taken inside the school where they were gunned down. The bodies were then released as the town braced for a series of heart-breaking funerals.
The tony New England burg of 27,000 was plunged into deep mourning, with some resident taking down their Christmas decorations. âGod Bless The Familiesâ read a spray-painted message on a piece of plywood. âHug A Teacherâ declared another.
While the nation and President Obama were left in tears, the pain stung more deeply in Newtown as the names of the dead became public.
Sports-loving Chase Kowalski, the 7-year-old baby of his family, left behind two older sisters. His relatives gathered to mourn the loss of the bright-eyed child.
âHe was an amazing little boy,â said one neighbor. âHe was biking in his yard all the time . . . he loved to run and bike. He was a beautiful little boy.â
The neighbor, whose five kids all attended Sandy Hook, said she was with the Kowalskis when they received the news that every parent in town feared. âIt was just awful,â she said. âItâs your worst nightmare. Theyâre a beautiful family. Nobody deserves this.â
The grim scene was repeated over and over as families dealt with the staggering loss. Neighbors delivered food and compassion to the family of victim Daniel Barden, 7.
âYou just wish you could give them their son back,â said neighbor Cindy Stierle. âHe was just this cute little cherub. He was just a sweet little kid. They would sell lemonade in the summer.â
"Everyone who has ever met Daniel remembers and loves him," his grieving father, Mark Barden told the Daily News in an email Saturday night. "He was, as his mother said, 'just so good.'
"He embodied everything that is wholesome and innocent in the world."Â
Tales of heroism among the slain school staff emerged from the inexplicable bloodbath.
Killed in one classroom was first-grade teacher Victoria Soto, who threw herself in front of the gunmanâs bullets to spare several kids from certain death.
Principal Dawn Hochsprung, 47, was blasted when she lunged at Lanza in a bid to disarm the killer.
A next-door neighbor at Sotoâs Stratford, Conn., home recalled her as a friendly face eager to offer a helping hand. âShe was beautiful,â the neighbor said Saturday. âShe helped me do the yard. When she noticed I was sick, she helped me.â
Asked about Sotoâs ultimate sacrifice, the neighbor expressed his admiration. âItâs incredible,â he said. âIâm going to miss hearing her truck pull up. She was so beautiful. The prettiest thing.â
Neighbor Louise Ortega said she hoped to start a fund to cover Sotoâs funeral expenses. âIâm not surprised,â she said of Sotoâs heroism. âIâm a nanny, and your instincts kick in to protect your kids.â
Soto, 27, was one of three teachers killed inside the school, along with the principal and Mary Sherlach, a school psychologist.
Autopsies were still pending on the bodies of the killer and his mother, Nancy. A local bartender said the slain woman was a three-times-a-week regular and a huge Boston Red Sox fan.
âShe liked sports,â said Mike Agius, 26, who works at My Place. âShe would talk to anyone.â
While Nancy Lanza spoke about her 24-year-old son Ryan, of Hoboken, N.J., she had nothing to say about the 20-year-old who lived with her in a pleasant Newtown neighborhood. âShe never mentioned her youngest son,â said Agius. âJust her oldest one.â
The weapons used in the killings were all registered to Nancy Lanza. Her homicidal son, armed with the assault rifle and two 9-mm. handguns, drove his slain momâs car to the school.
Contrary to earlier reports, Lanza never worked at the school where her son appeared Friday morning.
With Denis Slattery, Henrick Karoliszyn and Jared T. Miller
lmcshane@nydailynews.com
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