Police look for answers as Connecticut town mourns victims of deadly shooting
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY DECEMBER 16, 2012, 12:36 AM
BY JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN AND MATT APUZZO
NEWTOWN, Conn. — Investigators tried to figure out what led a bright but painfully awkward 20-year-old to slaughter 26 children and adults at a Connecticut elementary school, while townspeople sadly took down some of their Christmas decorations and struggled Saturday with how to go on.
The Town of Newtown is an upscale municipality of about 27,500 people. It covers 60 square miles in a mostly rural area of northern Fairfield County. Sitting about 65 miles northwest of New York City and just to the east of Danbury, it has about the same number of people as Paramus, but is about six times the size. More than half the adults in Newtown have college degrees, and nearly half the households are families with children. Here are the demographics of the town, according to the U.S. Census Bureau:
The tragedy brought forth soul-searching and grief around the globe. Families as far away as Puerto Rico began to plan funerals for victims who still had their baby teeth, world leaders extended condolences, and vigils were held around the U.S.
Relatives of the shooter, whose victims included his mother, were at a loss for words.
“The whole family is traumatized by this event,” said a police official who knows the family. A family statement read: “We reach out to the community of Newtown and express our heartfelt sorrow for this incomprehensible and profound loss of innocence.”