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27 Killed, Including Children, in CT Elementary School Shooting

They’re calling it the worst elementary school shooting in U.S. history: at least one gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in the small town of Newtown, Conn., (about 60 miles northeast of New York City) and opened fire on students and staff. Twenty children and six adults are confirmed dead. It is unconfirmed at this time that there was a second shooter, but the one confirmed gunman was described as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, wearing a bulletproof vest, who was also pronounced dead at the scene. Lanza’s mother was a teacher at the school and was reportedly among those killed at the scene.

State police first received a 911 call at about 9:40 a.m. saying that children were trapped in a classroom and that a shooter was possibly on site. All schools in the district, both public and private, were locked down as a precaution after the shooting was reported. Students were evacuated to a nearby firehouse to meet their parents.

President Obama was briefed of the shooting and called the governor of Connecticut, who immediately went to the school to brief parents.

A local television station reporter spoke to an 8-year-old student who was on his way to the school office when he saw the shooter in the hallway. “I saw some of the bullets going down the hall and then a teacher pulled me into her classroom,” the boy said.

A resident of Newton with three children in local schools, Lisa Bailey, commented to CBSNewYork.com: “Newtown is a quiet town. I’d never expect this to happen here. It’s so scary. Your kids are not safe anywhere.”

Find more detailed information and video coverage of this horrific event at CBSNews.com and a live stream at ABCNewsGo.com. Please join with the staff of churchleaders.com in praying for the families and officials affected and involved in this situation.