7 heartbreaking images from Connecticut's devastating school shooting [Updated]

A woman waits to find out if her sister, a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary is safe.

(Image credit: AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Shortly after 9 a.m. on an otherwise uneventful day in Newtown, Conn., a gunman entered a kindergarten classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School, beginning a rampage that has reportedly left as many as 27 people dead, 18 of whom are children. The shooter is reportedly dead, but police continue to scour the rural terrain and keep nearby schools on lockdown. As this horrifying story continues to unfold, here are a look at some heartbreaking photos of children evacuating, families reuniting, and loved ones in waiting:

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Families of victims hug one another outside the school. (Photo: REUTERS/Adrees Latif)

A grieving family leaves a firehouse staging area near the school. (Photo: AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Young children wait outside the school. (Photo: REUTERS/Michelle McLoughlin)

Family members embrace. (Photo: REUTERS/Adrees Latif)

A young, coatless girl is draped in a blanket after being evacuated. (Photo: REUTERS/Michelle McLoughlin)

Police lead children away from the school on Friday morning. (Photo: AP Photo/Newtown Bee, Shannon Hicks)

Lauren Hansen produces The Weekâ€™s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.