US flag to fly at half-staff till Dec 18 over Connecticut shooting, tearful Barack Obama says

American President Barack Obama expressed grief over the deadly shooting incident in Connecticut which claimed lives of 27 people including 18 children, promising action to prevent such tragedies again but did not say what that would be.

An emotional President Obama, tearing up as he spoke, said that their hearts were broken for the families of the victims in the deadly mass shooting in Connecticut. “There is not a parent in America who does not feel the same overwhelming grief as I do”, he added.

A gunman on Friday killed 27 children and six adults at a primary school in the US state of Connecticut.  The president, who in the past has maintained his composure at such moments no matter the depth of the tragedy at hand, paused repeatedly, struggling to get through his remarks.

He observed, “The majority of those who died today were children — beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. They had their entire lives ahead of them — birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. I know there’s not a parent in America who doesn’t feel the same overwhelming grief that I do.”

Officials told US media that the killer at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown, was a 20-year-old son of a teacher. He is thought to have killed her before the attack. It is one of the worst-ever US school shootings, with a toll close to the 32 who died at Virginia Tech in 2007.

Early reports named 24-year-old Ryan Lanza as the gunman, but anonymous officials later said his brother Adam, 20, was the suspect. He is believed to have killed their mother, Nancy Lanza, at her home before heading to Sandy Hook school. Investigators say it is unclear whether she worked there.

Ryan Lanza of Hoboken, New Jersey, was being questioned by police, US media reported, but has not been named as a suspect.

Shortly before speaking, Obama ordered that U.S. flags be flown at half-staff on public grounds through Tuesday. House Speaker John Boehner ordered the same at the U.S. Capitol.

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Posted by Web Desk on Dec 14 2012. Filed under USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.