Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza wore a pair of earplugs before he blasted his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School and gunned down 20 children and six adults before turning the gun on himself, it was revealed today.
The decision by the mentally disturbed 20-year-old has puzzled authorities as it is believed he had every intention of killing himself after the senseless massacre of December 14 in the quiet Connecticut town.
It was also revealed today that he reloaded his gun several times, even though there were a number of rounds left in each.
He also may have targeted teacher Lauren Rousseau, police believe, as he shot up her car before he entered the school to commit one of America’s worst mass shootings.
Investigators revealed the details as they attempt to ascertain the mentally-disturbed gunman’s mindset as he moved through the school with a Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle.
TheHartford Courant reported that the earplugs were still in his ears when police found his body, which they considered strange – that he would be worried about his hearing when he intended to commit suicide.
‘It’s just weird, given what he was about to go do,’ a source told the Courant. ‘It’s not like he had to worry about long-term protection of his hearing because he had to know he wasn’t coming back out of the building.’
It has also been suggested that the ear plugs could have been a matter of habit as his mother often took him shooting at indoor ranges where hearing protection is mandatory.
Or, chillingly, it could have been to block out the screams of his innocent victims.
Some patients with Asbergers have a high sensitivity to loud noises. Though it has never been confirmed Lanza has the disorder, many who knew his mother Nancy – who was his first victim after he shot her in the face at their home – said she struggled with his mental problems.
Police are looking into whether he targeted Miss Rousseau, whose classroom was his second stop after killing the principal and the school psychologist in the front office.
As well as the 30-year-old teacher, 15 of her 16 students – all first graders – were shot dead several times.
It is believed Lanza opened fire on several cars in the parking lot, including the vehicle belonging to Miss Rousseau.
Previous reports have said Lanza may have targeted the school because his mother, Nancy Lanza, was volunteering there.
Fox News reports that Adam Lanza was jealous that his mother may have loved the students at Sandy Hook more than him.
The shooting of Miss Rousseau’s car, and her subsequent murder, raises questions about whether the teacher was specifically targeted.
Police still have not determined what drove the reclusive Lanza, who was said to have mental and emotional problems - possibly Asperger’s syndrome – to murder 27 people on December 14 in Newtown, Connecticut.
Though they have not said how many rounds he fired as he made his bloody rampage through the school, police did say that he frequently changed the 30-round magazines on his assault rifle – even though some still had up to 15 shots remaining.
This practice of ‘topping up’ is common in violent video games – where magazines are in unlimited supply and a gamer’s worst fear is running out of bullets in the midst of a firefight.
Police say they are investigating whether Lanza frequently played military-style games like the popular Call of Duty, which puts assault rifles like the one Lanza was firing in the hands of users.
