As details continue to emerge regarding the timeline of events of the active shooter incident in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday morning, school officials are urging decision makers to provide Active Shooter Response Training and education about such incidents to help schools and worried parents regain their footing.
According to The New York Times, President Obama said he will submit broad new gun control proposals to Congress in January "and will commit the power of his office to overcoming political opposition in the wake of last week’s school massacre" at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Meanwhile, school officials are seeking security experts such as MSA Security to provide threat and risk assessment of their campuses, as well as education and training for their staff in the aftermath of the active shooting situation Connecticut. In addition to assessing a school's risk for a potential attack, Active Shooter Response Training at MSA covers the following bases:
-
History of School Violence / Active Shooter
-
Introduction to the Four Categories of Violence
-
Effective Strategies for Mitigating School Violence / Active Shooter
-
Planning for an Active Shooter Incident
-
Response to an Active Shooter Incident
-
Recovery from an Active Shooter Incident
Overview of Sandy Hook
Authorities have determined that 20-year old Adam Lanza shot his mother as she slept in her bedroom at their family home before using her car to drive to Sandy Hook Elementary School. Upon arrival at the school at around 9:30am, he shot his way through a school door while dressed in black fatigues and a military-style vest. Lanza opened fire once inside the school and entered two separate classrooms. He shot and killed 26 people inside the school, including 20 children and 6 adults. Authorities report Lanza shot himself as police neared during the second classroom episode, about 10 minutes into the attack. There was no armed guard or unarmed guard present at Sandy Hook during the incident.
All of the weapons used in the shooting were reportedly registered to Adam Lanza’s mother, Nancy Lanza, who collected them as a hobby. Federal agents stated that Adam had fired guns at shooting ranges over the past several years, but there is no indication that he had been shooting in the past six months or that he had been training for this attack. On Friday, Adam Lanza carried a Bushmaster AR-15, two handguns, and hundreds of bullets in multiple high-capacity magazines, suggesting that he was planning an even more horrific active shooter attack. There are reports that he had a fourth weapon, a shotgun, in his car outside the school. He fired with the Bushmaster AR-15 through the entire attack in the school and used a handgun to take his own life. All victims were shot multiple times.
The motive for the active shooter attack remains unknown at this time. There are reports that Adam Lanza had been diagnosed with Asperger’s, a mild form of autism and was not taking any medication. Investigators have not been able to retrieve any data from Adam Lanza’s computer, as it appears that he smashed the computer and extensively damaged the hard drive.
Implications
As details emerge, there are indications that Adam Lanza undertook considerable preparations before the attack, such as stockpiling ammunition and smashing computers to possibly conceal evidence of search history. The elements of planning are similar to other recent active shooter scenarios. Further evidence of “benchmarking” seems to exist here as this shooter wore military style close (though not body armor), used multiple weapons for the attack and seemed to be attempting maximum casualties.
Additionally, there has been a recent uptick in bomb threats as well as suspect activity on social media. People are utilizing Twitter to post rants and outbursts. We are starting to see disturbed people make related threats such as a threat to a church in Newtown after the incident. While these rarely lead to violent acts, they may point to a need for heightened vigilance in the near-term.
Contact MSA today to learn more about our Active Shooter Response Training or click below for a FREE threat and risk assessment at your school.
