Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting — 2012 school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, United States
The deadliest elementary school shooting in US history, killing 20 children and 6 adults, intensifying national debate on gun control.
Key Facts
- Date
- December 14, 2012
- Total killed (school)
- 26 people
- Child victims
- 20 children aged 6–7
- Adult staff killed
- 6 people
- Perpetrator
- Adam Lanza, age 20
- Rank in US school shootings
- Second deadliest in US history
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Adam Lanza, a 20-year-old with a history of severe mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, had developed an atypical preoccupation with violence. He had access to deadly weapons at his Newtown home. Official investigations found no clear motive for targeting the school, though he acted with deliberate planning.
On December 14, 2012, Lanza fatally shot his mother at their home before driving to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. He killed 20 children between six and seven years old and six adult staff members. When first responders arrived, he killed himself. The attack became the second deadliest school shooting in US history.
The massacre prompted widespread national debate over gun control, including proposals for universal background checks and federal bans on certain semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity magazines. A 2013 Connecticut State Attorney report confirmed Lanza acted alone, and a 2014 child advocate report concluded his mental health conditions, while significant, did not directly cause his actions.