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              Connecticut Town Shocked by Deadly School Shootings

   by  Peter Fednysky

   The town of Newtown, Connecticut, experienced an unfathomable tragedy
   on Friday and residents woke up Saturday hoping it was just a bad
   dream. But the realization is sinking in that 27 people, 20 of them
   mere schoolchildren, were indeed shot dead at Newtown's Sandy Hook
   Elementary School.
   Residents of Newtown gathered Friday evening for religious services
   amid a prevailing mood of shock and horror.  Alex Ortner is the father
   of two toddlers and says his heart goes out to the victims.
   "At think that at any time like this, people lean on spirituality; they
   lean on anything to try to understand why something like this happens.
   I think at this stage now, it's more of a shocking time than anything
   else.  I don't think people are really processing it properly yet."
   The killings shook the picturesque and normally quiet town to its
   core.  Alongside traditional holiday decorations, signs now call on
   people to be strong and to pray for victims of the tragedy.
   ''
   Former school bus driver Marsha Moskowitz is in disbelief.  She once
   drove at least two of the victims to school, and remembers driving the
   gunman when he was in middle school.
   "I recall him to be quiet, reserved, and very shy.  Pretty much stayed
   to himself on the bus."
   The killer, identified as 20-year old Adam Lanza, apparently obtained
   his weapons from the home of his mother, whom he also shot dead before
   driving in her car to the school.  Connecticut State Police spokesman
   Paul Vance says Lanza forced his way into the building.
   "We have established the point of entry.  It was -- I can tell you, he
   was not voluntarily let into the school at all, that he forced his way
   into the school.  But that's as far as we can go on that."
   As the nation struggles to understand how the tragedy could have
   occurred, Lawrence Palinkas, Professor of Social Work at the University
   of Southern California, notes the reason why so many young Americans
   have become targets in mass killings is unknown.

   "Largely because we still don't have enough data - surprisingly, given
   the increasing number of events.  But generally when helpless
   populations are victimized like that, it's usually to send a message,
   and it's unfortunately a message of intense anger."
   As of now, no one knows the reason why Adam Lanza did what he did, and
   many residents of Newtown fear they never will.
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   hool-shootings/1565824.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/connecticut-town-shocked-by-deadly-school-shootings/1565824.html