On Thursday, Connecticut authorities unsealed search warrants and police reports pertaining to the Sandy Hook Elementary school massacre in Newtown, Conn., offering a trove of new information about shooter Adam Lanza to the public. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy had been pressing for their release, saying the details could be useful as state lawmakers try to craft legislation to limit gun violence. However, Danbury's state attorney, Stephen Sedensky, successfully won a court order redacting the personal information of certain witnesses, the disclosure of which, he claimed, could compromise an ongoing investigation. Here, five revelations about Adam Lanza and the Sandy Hook shooting:
1. The Lanza household was packed with weapons
When police raided the home that Adam Lanza shared with his mother, they found "a veritable arsenal," says NBC News. "Authorities found at least nine knives, three Samurai swords, two rifles, 1,600 rounds of ammunition, and a 7-foot, wood-handled pole with a blade on one side and a spear on the other." The body of Lanza's mother, Nancy, was in one of the rooms; she is presumed to have been shot dead by her son.
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2. Lanza fired 154 rounds in five minutes
Authorities have concluded that Lanza fired 154 rounds in the space of five minutes at Sandy Hook, using a Bushmaster XM15-E2S semiautomatic rifle and several 30-round magazines. The spree killed 20 first-graders and six adults. Lanza then took his own life with a Glock 10mm semiautomatic handgun. In addition, he had a Sig-Sauer 9mm semiautomatic pistol on his person, and a loaded 12-gauge Saiga shotgun stowed in the trunk of the Honda Civic he used to drive to the school. All the weapons were registered in Nancy Lanza's name. At the Lanza home, police also found a National Rifle Association certificate with Adam Lanza's name, though the NRA has claimed that neither son nor mother were NRA members.
3. The Lanzas had books about autism
Police found books related to autism — including Born on a Blue Day — Inside the Mind of an Autistic Savant and Train Your Brain to Get Happy — at the Lanza home. It was previously reported that Lanza may have had Asperger syndrome, a high-performing variant of autism. "Experts say individuals with spectrum disorders are often bullied in school and the workplace, and frequently suffer from depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts," according to The New York Times. "But the experts also say there is no evidence that they are more likely than any other group to commit violent crimes."
4. Lanza may have studied previous mass shootings
Police also found a news article on a 2008 school shooting at Northern Illinois University, which resulted in the deaths of five people. Authorities also found "three photos containing images of what appears to be a dead person covered with plastic and blood," reports The Associated Press. The New York Daily News earlier this month reported that Lanza possessed a "chilling spreadsheet 7 feet long and 4 feet wide" containing information "about mass murders of the past."
5. Lanza may have been an avid video game player
One witness, whose name was redacted, told police that Lanza was a "shut-in" and "avid gamer" who played the shooting game Call of Duty. This witness also told police that "school was Adam's 'life,'" according to the affidavit. "That description doesn't mesh with published reports indicating that Lanza bounced in and out of Newtown schools," says The Washington Post.
