Police Release Thousands of Pages of Documents on the Newtown School Shooting

The Connecticut State Police released thousands of pages of documents from its investigation into the deaths of 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary last December

The Connecticut State Police released thousands of pages of documents from its investigation into the deaths of 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary last December. The long-promised  (and partially redacted) full police report closes a long chapter in the state's year-long struggle to balance the privacy of the victims and their families with the public's right to know. By now, everyone knows who did it: Adam Lanza, age 20, who also took his mother's life, as well as his own. What we'll probably never know, however, is why he did it. Instead, we're left with more and more incremental details.

Today's report includes text, photos, and the 911 calls to state police. It's several thousand pages long. Many of the images contained in the report have been blacked out by officials. As expected, the report makes no conclusions about Lanza's possible motive. One interviewee told police that “Lanza hated his mother and Sandy Hook,” the school where the shooter's mother Nancy used to work. But another interviewee said that Adam had a "good" relationship with his mother, and noted that Adam's mental health issues seemed to worsen around the time of Hurricane Sandy.

In November, the state released a summary of the police report's findings. The report detailed Lanza's room, with black trash bags taped over the windows. It discussed his past history of mental health issues, and his obsession with Dance Dance Revolution. We now know that Lanza almost entirely refused to leave his room for a period of months before the shooting, and that Lanza carried a total of 30.47 pounds worth of guns and ammunition to Sandy Hook. We know that as a kid he created "The Big Book of Granny," about hurting children. And that he was obsessed with other mass murders, especially the Columbine school shooting. 

As we've noted before, the most newsworthy thing about the public release of documents pertaining to the shooting may be the releases themselves. The town held off for nearly a year before releasing the 911 calls from the tragedy to the media — news outlets generally request copies in the early stages of covering a breaking news event, as they're public records. And Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy has made it clear that the Newtown Police's delay in releasing their full investigation into the public is unacceptable.

If you wish, you may view and download the entire document here.