Suspect's Father Stunned at News

Reporter informs him as he arrives home
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 14, 2012 2:01 PM CST
Updated Dec 14, 2012 5:49 PM CST
Connecticut Shooter Identified as Ryan Lanza
Police at the scene of the shooting.   (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

After some initial confusion, police have identified today's shooter at a Connecticut school as 20-year-old Adam Lanza. Little is known about him so far, and the Danbury News-Times reports that his father, Peter, learned of the news from reporters after he arrived home, rolled down his car window, and "politely" asked one of the assembled journalists, "Is there something I can do for you?" Then comes this remarkable paragraph:

  • "When he was told his address had been linked to the Newtown school shooting, Lanza took the news as a blow—his face turning from patient to surprised and horrified. He promptly rolled up the window of his car, declined to comment, and pulled his vehicle into the right door of the two-car garage, before closing it behind him."

NBC News, meanwhile, reports that Adam's older brother, Ryan, told police that his brother had a history of mental illness. And a police official tells AP that Adam had some kind of personality disorder. Adam had lived with his mother, a kindergarten teacher at the school who is now presumed dead. She was divorced from Adam's father. Police brought Ryan Lanza in for questioning after the shooting—in fact, he was mistakenly identified as the shooter—but now don't think he played any role. He told authorities he hadn't spoken to his brother since 2010. (More Newtown stories.)

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