Draft:Adam Lanza

Adam Peter Lanza was born to Nancy Jean (née Champion) Lanza and Peter John Lanza, who married in June 1981.{{Cite web |last=Leger |first=Donna Leinwand |title=Nancy Lanza got custody of Adam Lanza in divorce |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/17/nancy-lanza-conn-adam-lanza/1774611/ |access-date=March 20, 2024 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}{{cite web |title=Peter Lanza Statement: Father Of Adam Lanza Says, 'We Too Are Asking Why' |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/peter-lanza-statement-adam-lanza_n_2308744.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216044247/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/peter-lanza-statement-adam-lanza_n_2308744.html |archive-date=December 16, 2012 |access-date=November 19, 2023 |website=Huffington Post}} He was partially raised in Kingston, New Hampshire with his parents and brother, Ryan Lanza. in 2009, Nancy and Peter Lanza divorced after 28 years of marriage. Court records show their divorce was due to their relationship being "broken down irretrievably". The Lanzas consented to sharing joint custody of Adam, with his main residence located at the Newtown residence with Nancy.{{cite news |last1=Maese |first1=Rick |title=Adam Lanza's parents divorced in 2009; parents agreed to joint custody |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/adam-lanzas-parents-divorced-in-2009-parents-agreed-to-joint-custody/2012/12/17/79b010e0-485e-11e2-820e-17eefac2f939_story.html |access-date=November 19, 2023 |agency=The Washington Post |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 17, 2012}} Nancy Lanza, in Newtown prior to the shooting. Nancy's house sat 5 miles (8 km) away from Sandy Hook elementary school.{{cite web |last1=Llanos |first1=Miguel |title=Authorities ID gunman who killed 27 in elementary school massacre |url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/14/15911025-authorities-id-gunman-who-killed-27-in-elementary-school-massacre?lite |website=NBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216022608/http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/14/15911025-authorities-id-gunman-who-killed-27-in-elementary-school-massacre?lite |access-date=December 14, 2012|archive-date=December 16, 2012 }}{{cite web |last1=Misur |first1=Susan |last2=Carter |first2=Angi |last3=Smith |first3=Jenn |title=Adam Lanza's family seemed like normal family, neighbors say |url=http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_22195195/adam-lanzas-family-seemed-like-normal-family |website=eveningsun |publisher=Digital First Media |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121218054044/http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_22195195/adam-lanzas-family-seemed-like-normal-family |access-date=December 15, 2012|archive-date=December 18, 2012 }}

Lanza spent four and a half years at Sandy Hook Elementary School,{{cite news |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/2012/12/18/adam-lanza-sandy-hook-student/1777525/ |title=Classmate says Adam Lanza attended Sandy Hook school |first1=Gary |last1=Stoller |first2=Oren |last2=Dorell |date=December 19, 2012 |access-date=September 22, 2018 |newspaper=USA Today |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112031129/https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/2012/12/18/adam-lanza-sandy-hook-student/1777525/ |url-status=live}} starting Newtown Middle School in 2004.{{cite news |url=http://www.courant.com:80/hc-adam-lanzas-medical-records-reveal-growing-anxiety-20141121-story.html |title=Adam Lanza's Medical Records Reveal Growing Anxiety |first1=Alaine |last1=Griffin |first2=Josh |last2=Kovner |date=June 30, 2013 |access-date=September 22, 2018 |newspaper=The Hartford Courant |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302081135/http://www.courant.com/hc-adam-lanzas-medical-records-reveal-growing-anxiety-20141121-story.html |archive-date=March 2, 2018 |url-status=live}} However, his mother reported that he experienced intense anxiety during this period..{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/adam-lanzas-pediatric-records-reveal-growing-anxiety/ |title=Adam Lanza's Pediatric Records Reveal Growing Anxiety |date=June 29, 2013 |access-date=September 22, 2018 |first1=Alaine |last1=Griffin |first2=Josh |last2=Kovner |work=PBS |archive-date=September 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922070713/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/adam-lanzas-pediatric-records-reveal-growing-anxiety/ |url-status=live}} She told friends that her son started getting upset in middle school because of frequent classroom changes during the day. The movement and noise were too stimulating and made him anxious. At one point his anxiety was so intense that she took him to the emergency room at Danbury Hospital. Because of the smaller class sizes, his mother moved him to a parochial school, St. Rose of Lima.{{Cite news |last1=Fisher |first1=Marc |last2=O'Harrow |first2=Robert |last3=Finn |first3=Peter |date=December 22, 2012 |title=A frustrating search for motive in Newtown shootings |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/a-frustrating-search-for-motive-in-the-madness/2012/12/22/1cbe1cbc-4956-11e2-820e-17eefac2f939_story.html |access-date=August 12, 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post}} According to a classmate at St. Rose of Lima, he entered "late in the school year", and he left in June 2005.

During Lanza's time in fifth grade, he made a book titled the 'Big Book of Granny' in which the main character is an elderly woman with a gun hidden in her cane and shoots people. The book was made in collaboration with one of his peers for a school project but was reportedly never turned in.{{cite news |last1=Engel |first1=Pamela |title=A 10-Year-Old Adam Lanza Created A Horrifying Book About Hurting Children |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/adam-lanza-created-a-book-about-hurting-children-2013-11 |access-date=May 21, 2024 |agency=Business Insider |date=November 27, 2013}}

At age 14, he went to Newtown High School, where he was named to the honor roll in 2007.{{Cite news|url=http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Newtown-High-School-honor-roll-54220.php|title=Newtown High School honor roll|work=The News-Times|date=May 5, 2007|access-date=October 24, 2017|archive-date=October 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025074723/http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Newtown-High-School-honor-roll-54220.php|url-status=live}} Students and teachers who knew him in high school described Lanza as "intelligent but nervous and fidgety". He avoided attracting attention and was uncomfortable socializing. He is not known to have had any close friends in school.{{cite news |last1=Halbfinger |first1=David M. |title=A Gunman, Recalled as Intelligent and Shy, Who Left Few Footprints in Life |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/nyregion/adam-lanza-an-enigma-who-is-now-identified-as-a-mass-killer.html |access-date=November 19, 2023 |agency=New York Times |work=New York Times|date=December 15, 2012 }} Schoolwork often triggered his underlying sense of hopelessness and by 2008, when he turned 16, he was only going to school occasionally.{{cite magazine|first=Andrew|last=Solomon|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/17/the-reckoning|title=The Reckoning|magazine=The New Yorker|date=March 17, 2014|access-date=August 22, 2017|archive-date=August 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822134307/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/17/the-reckoning|url-status=live}} The intense anxiety Lanza experienced at the time suggests his autism might have been exacerbated by the hormonal shifts of adolescence. He was taken out of high school and home-schooled by his mother and father. He earned a GED.{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/adam-lanza-college-courses_n_2315431.html |title=Adam Lanza Took Western Connecticut State University Courses When He Was 16 |work=Huffington Post |date=December 17, 2012 |access-date=December 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121219151033/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/adam-lanza-college-courses_n_2315431.html |archive-date=December 19, 2012}} In 2008 and 2009, he also attended some classes at Western Connecticut State University.

In early 2016, officials confirmed that a 25-second video of a man playing Dance Dance Revolution was Adam Lanza. In Connecticut's final report on Lanza, it was stated that he was obsessed with the game and would play at Connecticut theater for up to 10 hours a day every weekend.{{cite news |last1=NG |first1=ALFRED |title=Officials confirm 2012 video is of Newtown shooter Adam Lanza playing 'Dance Dance Revolution' |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2016/02/23/officials-confirm-2012-video-is-of-newtown-shooter-adam-lanza-playing-dance-dance-revolution/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |agency=NY DAILY NEWS |publisher=NY DAILY NEWS |date=February 23, 2016}}

The report resulted in a debate about violent video games and their effects on young people.{{cite news |last1=Ferguson |first1=Christopher |title=Sandy Hook Shooting: Video Games Blamed, Again |url=https://ideas.time.com/2012/12/20/sandy-hook-shooting-video-games-blamed-again/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |agency=Time |date=December 20, 2012}} Wayne LaPierre, the CEO of the National Rifle Association publicly claimed that video games were the cause of the shooting.{{cite news |last1=Beekman |first1=Daniel |title=NRA blames video games like 'Kindergarten Killer' for Sandy Hook Elementary School slaughter |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2012/12/21/nra-blames-video-games-like-kindergarten-killer-for-sandy-hook-elementary-school-slaughter/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |agency=NY DAILY NEWS |date=December 21, 2012}}

Adam Lanza had a YouTube channel known as "Cultural Philistine",{{cite web |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/195696/ivf-clinic-bombing-antinatalism-efilism |title=The Dark, Nihilistic Philosophy Behind the IVF Clinic Bombing |last=Olivier |first=Indigo |date=24 May 2025 |publisher=The New Republic |access-date=2 June 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://nypost.com/2025/05/19/us-news/ivf-clinic-bomber-laid-out-chilling-pro-mortalist-death-cult-ideology-before-attack/ |title= Vegan IVF clinic bomber declared 'war against pro-lifers' in chilling 'pro-mortalist' manifesto |last1=Marino |first1=Joe |last2=Hussain |first2=Zoe |date=19 May 2025 |website=The New York Post |publisher=NYP Holdings, Inc |access-date=2 June 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://theindependentamerican.net/news-for-you/officials-give-report-on-fertility-clinic-incident/ |title=Officials Give Report On Fertility Clinic Incident |last=Brinker |first=Andy |date=20 May 2025 |publisher=The Independent American |access-date=2 June 2025}} which Lanza recorded a year before he did the shooting.

On the YouTube channel, Lanza discussed his personal and philosophical beliefs.

Lanza suggested "eulavism" (derived from "value" spelled backwards) as a term for describing his philosophy.{{rp|pp=7-8}}

In one video, Lanza said "I've always had an immense hatred for culture. I consider culture to be delusional values which humans mindlessly coerce onto each other, spreading it no differently than any other disease."

In another video, Lanza identified as an antinatalist and expressed disgust at the idea of childbirth on his channel: "I think that you should say 'I'm so sorry for your loss' whenever you hear that someone is pregnant."

Lanza was influenced by efilism,{{cite web |url=https://unherd.com/2023/04/we-need-to-talk-about-extreme-antinatalism/ |title=We need to talk about extreme antinatalism: Childfree doomsters believe life is suffering |last=Dee |first=Katherine |date=5 April 2023 |website=Unherd |access-date=29 May 2025}}{{cite book |last=Van Allen |first=T. K. |date=6 January 2024 |title=Lucifer's Question |language=English |publisher=Amazon Publishing |isbn=9798303675940 |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078H8KJLK}}{{rp|pp=7-8}} although he did not identify as an efilist.

Unlike efilists, Lanza believed that morality is a cultural delusion, and he did not value altruism.

He criticized efilists for their belief in moral realism and moral universalism.

Lanza did not share the negative utilitarian values of Efilists either, at least not in the same way as they do.{{cite AV media |last=Lanza |first=Adam |date=7 September 2011 |title=vlogrant of a ruminative vagrant (Part 2/2) |url=https://archive.org/details/adamlanzaculturalphilistine/Rambling+vlogrant+of+a+ruminative+vagrant+(Part+2_2).mp3 |time=11:14 |type=Video |language=English |location=Newtown, Connecticut |publisher=YouTube |access-date=2 June 2025}}

Even if all suffering were abolished, Lanza would still reject life because life causes the existence of value:

{{Blockquote |text="It's my value which leads me to hating value. (sigh) And another thing about the Efilists is that a lot of them seem to think, that it's possible for there to be... it's possible for there to be an instance under which it would be a good idea to propagate life, that if suffering were abolished tomorrow, that it would be okay to bring new lives into the world or to live your current life. But I don't really focus on suffering, at least not directly, I focus on really, value itself, that's the problem. Even if there were Paradise tomorrow, and there were no suffering forever in the future, I would still be advocating this position because I... you can sum me up in one sentence: I have a vendetta against value. So instead of an Efilist I'm more of a... [?] I only oppose life because life is the source of value and it's value that I really hate. [short pause] Well I guess that just says it all: I have a vendetta against value. And I guess that's a good place to finish my video, I mean I basically support the Efilists because I do hate life and value, but um... it's just that I have several problems with them, and also the same applies to Gary[?] there are a lot of things I disagree with him about but listening to his rants are kind of my idea of pornography. It's just fun to listen to." |author=Adam Lanza |title="Rambling vlogrant of a ruminative vagrant (Part 2/2)" |source=Culture Philistine (7 September 2011)}}

In November 2014, a report from the Office of the Child Advocate in Connecticut suggested that Lanza could have been dealing with anorexia nervosa. The authors stated that "Anorexia may lead to cognitive impairment, and the combination of anorexia with an autism spectrum disorder and OCD likely heightened Lanza's risk of suicide.".[http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf Report of the Office of Child Advocate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126233253/http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf |date=November 26, 2014}}, p.102. They also noted that at the time of his death, Lanza "was anorexic (he was six feet tall (183 cm) and weighed 112 pounds (51 kg)), to the point of malnutrition and resultant brain damage."{{Cite report |date=November 21, 2014 |title=Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School |url=http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf |page=102 |access-date=November 28, 2014 |archive-date=November 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126233253/http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf |url-status=live}}

He lived in near-complete isolation within his room, dedicating his time to browsing the Internet and playing World of Warcraft and other video games. The report stated that he "descended" into a world where his only communication with the outside world was with members of a cyber-community, "a small community of individuals that shared his dark and obsessive interest in mass murder".[http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf Report of the Office of Child Advocate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126233253/http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf |date=November 26, 2014}}, p.100.

In the weeks leading up to the shooting, Lanza's mother was contemplating moving him to a different town.{{cite news|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nancy-lanza-had-considered-moving-with-her-son-to-washington-state-friend-says/|title=Nancy Lanza had considered moving with her son to Washington state|newspaper=The Seattle Times|date=November 18, 2012|access-date=August 24, 2017|archive-date=August 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824053834/http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nancy-lanza-had-considered-moving-with-her-son-to-washington-state-friend-says/|url-status=live}} She planned to purchase a recreational vehicle for him to stay in so that potential purchasers could see the house without disturbing him.[http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf Report of the Office of Child Advocate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126233253/http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf |date=November 26, 2014}}, p.103 The Report of the Child Advocate stated that:

{{blockquote|In the wake of Mrs Lanza's stated plan to move out of Newtown in 2012, and perhaps stimulated by fears of leaving the "comfort zone" of his home, Adam planned and executed the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.[http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf Report of the Office of Child Advocate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126233253/http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf |date=November 26, 2014}}, p.8 His severe and deteriorating internalized mental health problems were combined with an atypical preoccupation with violence. Combined with access to deadly weapons, this proved a recipe for mass murder".[http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf Report of the Office of Child Advocate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126233253/http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf |date=November 26, 2014}}, p.9.}}

James Knoll, a forensic psychiatrist at SUNY Upstate Medical University, was consulted about what motivated Lanza to kill. Knoll states that Lanza's final act conveyed a distinct message: "I carry profound hurt—I'll go ballistic and transfer it onto you."

Nancy Lanza became a stay-at-home mother shortly after Adam was born. He had access to the guns used in the shooting through his mother, who was described as a "gun enthusiast who owned at least a dozen firearms".{{cite news|title=Friends: Newtown gunman's mother home-schooled son, kept arsenal of guns|url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/12/16/friends-newtown-gunmans-mother-home-schooled-son-kept-arsenal-of-guns/|work=CBS News|date=December 16, 2012|access-date=December 17, 2012|archive-date=December 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121219044839/http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/12/16/friends-newtown-gunmans-mother-home-schooled-son-kept-arsenal-of-guns/|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Bankoff |first=Caroline |title=Newtown Shooter Adam Lanza's Mother Was an Avid Gun Collector |work=New York |date=December 2012 |url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2012/12/adam-lanzas-mother-was-an-avid-gun-collector.html |access-date=December 16, 2012 |archive-date=December 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216200413/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2012/12/adam-lanzas-mother-was-an-avid-gun-collector.html |url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=Investigators look for insight into Newtown gunman's mind |url=http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/12/14/newtown-school-shooting-who-is-adam-lanza/ |work=CBS News |agency=Associated Press |date=December 14, 2012 |access-date=December 16, 2012 |archive-date=December 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121219133749/http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/12/14/newtown-school-shooting-who-is-adam-lanza/ |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/survivalists-worry-preppers-scapegoated-newtown-shooting-213541985.html|work=Yahoo! News|title=Survivalists worry 'preppers' will be scapegoated for Newtown shooting|last=Goodwin|first=Liz|date=December 19, 2012|access-date=December 19, 2012|archive-date=January 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117052620/http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/survivalists-worry-preppers-scapegoated-newtown-shooting-213541985.html|url-status=live}} She often took her two sons, Adam and Ryan, to a local shooting range, where they learned to shoot.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9747682/Connecticut-school-shooting-troubled-life-of-Adam-Lanza-a-fiercely-intelligent-killer.html |title=Connecticut school shooting: Troubled life of Adam Lanza, a fiercely intelligent killer |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |first1=Harriet |last1=Alexander |first2=David |last2=Barrett |first3=Laura |last3=Donnelly |first4=Jon |last4=Swaine |date=December 15, 2012 |access-date=April 5, 2018 |archive-date=April 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418164407/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9747682/Connecticut-school-shooting-troubled-life-of-Adam-Lanza-a-fiercely-intelligent-killer.html |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/conn-gunman-learned-shoot-mom-article-1.1220893 |title=Newtown, Conn. shooting: Sandy Hook elementary school gunman Adam Lanza learned to shoot from his gun-collecting mom |first1=Matthew |last1=Lysiak |first2=Dennis |last2=Slattery |first3=Corky |last3=Siemaszko |work=Daily News |location=New York |access-date=December 15, 2012 |date=December 15, 2012 |archive-date=December 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215184629/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/conn-gunman-learned-shoot-mom-article-1.1220893 |url-status=live}} Lanza's father has said that he does not believe Nancy feared Lanza. She did not confide any fear of Lanza to her sister or to her best friend, slept with her bedroom door unlocked, and kept guns in the house.

Adam struggled with showing basic emotions and would be coached by his mother when he was young. Adam was involved in a school play during his childhood, his mother had wrote to a friend "Adam has taken it very seriously, even practicing facial expressions in the mirror!"{{cite magazine |last1=Solomon |first1=Andrew |title=The Reckoning |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/17/the-reckoning |magazine=The New Yorker |date=March 10, 2014 |access-date=January 11, 2024}} The state's attorny report on the shooting states that when Nancy asked Adam whether he would feel sad if anything happened to her, he replied "No."{{cite magazine |last1=Park |first1=Alice |title=Don't Blame Adam Lanza's Violence on Asperger's |url=https://time.com/19957/adam-lanzas-violence-wasnt-typical-of-aspergers/ |magazine=Time |date=March 11, 2014 |access-date=January 11, 2024}}

{{main|Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting}}

On December 13, 2012, Lanza's GPS showed that he drove past Sandy Hook Elementary school in an uninterrupted loop that began and ended at his home. The whole trip took him 23 minutes.{{cite news |last1=Chappell |first1=Bill |title=No Motive In Newtown Report, But Many Details About Lanza |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/11/25/247219204/no-motive-in-newtown-report-but-many-details-about-lanza |access-date=May 21, 2024 |agency=NPR |publisher=NPR |date=November 25, 2013}}

On the morning of December 14, 2012, Lanza shot his mother four times in the head at their home in Newtown, Connecticut. He then drove to Sandy Hook elementary school in his mother's car.{{cite news |title=20 Children Died in Newtown, Conn., School Massacre |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/twenty-children-died-newtown-connecticut-school-shooting/story?id=17973836 |access-date=January 10, 2024 |agency=ABC NEWS |date=December 15, 2012}} Lanza arrived at the school and opened fire on the students and staff at the school, resulting in the deaths of 20 students and 6 staff members.{{cite news |title=20 children among dead in Connecticut school massacre |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/20-children-among-dead-in-connecticut-school-massacre-1.1134782 |access-date=January 10, 2024 |agency=The Associated Press |date=December 14, 2012}}{{cite news |last1=Klein |first1=Melissa |title=Sandy Hook Elementary School nurse's brush with death |url=https://nypost.com/2012/12/16/sandy-hook-elementary-school-nurses-brush-with-death/ |access-date=January 10, 2024 |agency=New York Post |publisher=New York Post |date=December 16, 2012}}

Newtown police heard the final shot at 9:40:03 a.m., likely Lanza's suicide. Autopsy reports show he shot himself at the lower rear portion of his head with a Glock 20SF in classroom 10.{{cite book |title=sandy-hook-report |date=November 25, 2013 |url=http://www.ct.gov/csao/lib/csao/compressed-sandy-hook-report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131125213507/http://www.ct.gov/csao/lib/csao/compressed-sandy-hook-report.pdf |access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-date=November 25, 2013 }} The Glock was used solely for Lanza's suicide.{{cite news |last1=Barron |first1=James |title=Children Were All Shot Multiple Times With a Semiautomatic, Officials Say |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/nyregion/gunman-kills-20-children-at-school-in-connecticut-28-dead-in-all.html |access-date=January 11, 2024 |agency=NY Times |publisher=NY Times |date=December 15, 2012}}

{{Main|Reactions to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting}}

Shortly after the shooting, news stations received false reports that Ryan Lanza, the brother of Adam Lanza, was the perpetrator. Ryan found out about this while sitting at his desk at work. It was reported that his office in Times Square, New York was raided by police shortly after he found out about the false accusations.{{cite news |last1=Shontell |first1=Alyson |title=How Ryan Lanza Reacted When TV Networks Incorrectly Named Him The Sandy Hook Shooter |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/how-ryan-lanza-reacted-when-tv-networks-incorrectly-named-him-the-sandy-hook-shooter-2012-12 |access-date=January 12, 2024 |agency=Business Insider |date=December 18, 2012}} Ryan's facebook was flooded with messages and comments shortly after news networks posted pictures of him. He made two posts on his facebook account criticizing the media and harassers within three minutes of each other, likely before police raided his office.{{cite news |last1=Hill |first1=Kashmir |title=Blaming The Wrong Lanza: How Media Got It Wrong In Newtown |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/12/17/blaming-the-wrong-lanza-how-media-got-it-wrong-in-newtown/?sh=7f3bcb4a7601 |access-date=January 12, 2024 |agency=Forbes |date=December 17, 2012}}

The day following the shooting, Peter Lanza, the father of Adam, released a statement:

{{blockquote|Our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones and to all those who were injured. Our family is grieving along with all those who have been affected by this enormous tragedy. No words can truly express how heartbroken we are. We are in a state of disbelief and trying to find whatever answers we can. We too are asking why. We have cooperated fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so. Like so many of you, we are saddened, but struggling to make sense of what has transpired.{{cite news|title=Peter Lanza Statement: Father Of Adam Lanza Says, 'We Too Are Asking Why'|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/peter-lanza-statement-adam-lanza_n_2308744.html|access-date=December 16, 2012|website=Huffington Post|date=December 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216044247/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/peter-lanza-statement-adam-lanza_n_2308744.html|archive-date=December 16, 2012}}}}

Less than a year after the shootings, a report of the massacre was released to the public that showed investigators were unable to establish a clear motive for Lanzas actions.{{cite news |last1=Winter |first1=Tom |last2=Seville |first2=Lisa |title=Newtown report: Shooter Adam Lanza had no clear motive, was obsessed with Columbine |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/newtown-report-shooter-adam-lanza-had-no-clear-motive-was-flna2d11651840 |access-date=February 4, 2024 |agency=NBC news |publisher=NBC news |date=November 26, 2013}}

Canadian philosopher and biologist T. K. Van Allen believes that eulavism influenced Lanza's decision to commit mass murder.

However, Van Allen also believes Lanza had other motives for the shooting as well, since he believes that the philosophy described by Lanza alone does not imply murder.

Van Allen believed that Lanza's mother's desire to sell the house pushed Lanza over the edge since the selling the house would have required evicting Lanza from his bedroom.

While living in New Hampshire at the time, Lanza exhibited developmental challenges before the age of three. These included communication and sensory difficulties, socialization delays, and repetitive behaviors. He was seen by the New Hampshire Birth to Three intervention program and referred to special education preschool services. Once at elementary school, he was diagnosed with a sensory-integration disorder. The sensory-processing disorder does not have official status by the medical community as a formal diagnosis but is a common characteristic of autism.{{cite news |title=Newtown Shooter Lanza Had Sensory Processing Disorder|url=http://abpcnews.go.com/Health/newtown-shooter-adam-lanza-sensory-processing-disorder-controversial/story?id=18532645|work=ABC News|access-date=February 20, 2013}} His anxiety affected his ability to attend school and in 8th grade he was placed on "homebound" status, which is reserved for children who are too disabled, even with supports and accommodations, to attend school.[http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126233253/http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf |date=November 26, 2014}}, Office of the Child Advocate, 2014, p.8.

Van Allen believes that Lanza's autism spectrum disorder contributed to his rejection of culture.{{rp|pp=8-9}}

When he was 13, Lanza was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome by a psychiatrist, Paul Fox. When he was 14, his parents took him to Yale University's Child Study Center, where he was also diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression and anxiety. He frequently washed his hands and changed his socks 20 times a day, to the point where his mother did three loads of laundry a day.{{cite web |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/newtown-shooting-police-file-101561.html |title=Police release documents on Newtown massacre |work=Politico |date=December 27, 2013 |access-date=January 14, 2014 |archive-date=December 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231204759/http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/newtown-shooting-police-file-101561.html |url-status=live}} He also sometimes went through a box of tissues in a day because he could not touch a doorknob with his bare hand.{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/adam-lanza-newtown-school-shooter-remains-enigma-despite-files-1.6684722|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131229114153/http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/adam-lanza-newtown-school-shooter-remains-enigma-despite-files-1.6684722|archive-date=December 29, 2013 |title=Adam Lanza, Newtown school shooter, remains enigma despite files |work=Newsday |access-date=December 29, 2013}}

Lanza received treatment from Robert King, who advised implementing comprehensive support, and Kathleen Koenig, a colleague at the Yale Child Study Center, prescribed the antidepressant Celexa.{{cite news|title=Sandy Hook shooter treated at Yale|url=http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2014/01/22/sand-hook-shooter-treated-at-yale/|access-date=June 23, 2014|work=Yale Daily News|date=January 22, 2014|archive-date=July 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703193410/http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2014/01/22/sand-hook-shooter-treated-at-yale/|url-status=live}} Lanza took the medication for three days. His mother Nancy reported: "On the third morning he complained of dizziness. By that afternoon he was disoriented, his speech was disjointed, he couldn't even figure out how to open his cereal box. He was sweating profusely ... it was actually dripping off his hands. He said he couldn't think ... He was practically vegetative." He never took the medication again. A report from the Office of the Child Advocate found that "Yale's recommendations for extensive special education supports, ongoing expert consultation, and rigorous therapeutic supports embedded into (Lanza's) daily life went largely unheeded."[http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126233253/http://www.ct.gov/oca/lib/oca/sandyhook11212014.pdf |date=November 26, 2014}}, Office of the Child Advocate, 2014, p.7.

During a 2013 interview, Peter Lanza expressed his suspicion that his son might have had undiagnosed schizophrenia alongside his other conditions. Lanza noted that family members may have overlooked signs of the onset of schizophrenia and psychotic behavior in his son's adolescence, mistakenly attributing his peculiar behavior and growing isolation to Asperger syndrome.{{cite news|title=Raising Adam Lanza|url=http://video.pbs.org/video/2336615746/|access-date=December 11, 2013|work=Frontline|publisher=PBS|date=February 19, 2013|archive-date=December 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216055019/http://video.pbs.org/video/2336615746/|url-status=live}}{{cite news | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/17/health/connecticut-shooting-autism/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 | title=Groups: Autism not to blame for violence | date=December 17, 2012 |work=CNN | access-date=December 17, 2012 | last=Falco | first=Miriam | archive-date=February 5, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140205013104/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/17/health/connecticut-shooting-autism/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 | url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Goodwin |first=Liz |url=https://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/photos-details-emerge-newtown-mass-shooter-adam-lanza-124951161.html |title=New photos, details emerge of Newtown mass shooter Adam Lanza | The Lookout |work=Yahoo! News |date=February 19, 2013 |access-date=February 19, 2013 |archive-date=February 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130219144802/http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/photos-details-emerge-newtown-mass-shooter-adam-lanza-124951161.html |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/adam-lanza-diagnosed-sensory-integration-disorder-18530509 |title=Adam Lanza Diagnosed With Sensory Integration Disorder | Video |work=ABC News |date=February 18, 2013 |access-date=February 19, 2013 |archive-date=February 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218201116/http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/adam-lanza-diagnosed-sensory-integration-disorder-18530509 |url-status=live}} Because of concerns that published accounts of Lanza's autism could result in a backlash against others with the condition, autism advocates campaigned to clarify that autism is a brain-related developmental disorder rather than a mental illness.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/19/health/shooting-autism/index.html|magazine=Time|title=Troubling legacy of Sandy Hook may be backlash against kids with autism|last=Rochman|first=Bonnie|date=December 19, 2012|access-date=December 20, 2012|archive-date=December 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220150640/http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/19/health/shooting-autism/index.html|url-status=live}} The aggression displayed by Lanza in the shooting is typically not observed in the autistic population{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2012/12/adam_lanza_asperger_s_can_autism_explain_the_sandy_hook_tragedy.html|work=Slate|title=Don't Be Afraid of People With Autism: They are not cold-blooded killers|last=Lutz|first=Amy S.F.|date=December 17, 2012|access-date=December 20, 2012|archive-date=December 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221004440/http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2012/12/adam_lanza_asperger_s_can_autism_explain_the_sandy_hook_tragedy.html|url-status=live}} and none of the psychiatrists he consulted identified concerning indications of violence in his demeanor.

Lanza appears to have had no contact with mental health providers after 2006. The report from the Office of the Child Advocate stated: "In the course of Lanza's entire life, minimal mental health evaluation and treatment (in relation to his apparent need) was obtained. Of the couple of providers that saw him, only one—the Yale Child Study Center—seemed to appreciate the gravity of (his) presentation, his need for extensive mental health and special education supports, and the critical need for medication to ease his obsessive-compulsive symptoms."

On the morning of the shooting, Lanza removed the hard drive from his computer and intentionally destroyed it with a hammer or screwdriver, making it difficult for investigators to recover its data.{{cite news |last1=Ward-Bailey |first1=Jeff |date=December 18, 2012 |title=Reconstructing Adam Lanza's hard drive |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2012/1218/Reconstructing-Adam-Lanza-s-hard-drive |access-date=January 11, 2024 |agency=csmonitor}}{{cite news |date=December 17, 2012 |title=Reports: Lanza smashed computer hard drive |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/17/newtown-sandy-hook-adam-lanza-computer-destroyed/1776253/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |publisher=USA Today |agency=USA Today}}

Lanza never permitted others to access his bedroom, including his mother. Lanza had also taped black plastic garbage bags over the windows in his bedroom to block out sunlight.{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/25/justice/sandy-hook-shooting-report/ |title=Sandy Hook killer Adam Lanza took motive to his grave |work=CNN |access-date=December 29, 2013 |date=November 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218072027/http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/25/justice/sandy-hook-shooting-report/ |archive-date=December 18, 2013}} He had cut off contact with both his father and brother in the two years before the shooting and at one point communicated with his mother, who lived in the same house, only by email. A document titled "Selfish", describing Lanza's belief in the inherent selfishness of women, was found on his computer after his death.{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/sandy-hook-report-inside-gunman-adam-lanzas-bedroom/story?id=21009111 |title=Sandy Hook Report: Inside Gunman Adam Lanza's Bedroom |work=ABC News |date=November 25, 2013 |access-date=December 29, 2013 |archive-date=December 31, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231003215/http://abcnews.go.com/US/sandy-hook-report-inside-gunman-adam-lanzas-bedroom/story?id=21009111 |url-status=live}}

Investigation findings revealed Lanza had a keen interest in mass shootings, such as the Columbine High School massacre. Adam Lanza made a spreadsheet with detailed information on mass shooters and mass shooting incidents, along with making Tumblr accounts named after school shooters.{{cite web |last1=DEE |first1=KATHERINE |title=A dark online Sandy Hook subculture is growing |url=https://unherd.com/thepost/a-dark-online-sandy-hook-subculture-is-growing/ |access-date=November 19, 2023 |website=Unherd}} In his room, investigators uncovered clippings, including a story from The New York Times detailing an incident in 1891 where a man shot at schoolchildren. His computer contained two videos of gunshot suicides, movies that showed school shootings, and two pictures of Lanza pointing guns at his own head.{{cite news |date=December 18, 2013 |title=Sandy Hook killer Adam Lanza took motive to his grave - CNN.com |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/25/justice/sandy-hook-shooting-report/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218072027/http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/25/justice/sandy-hook-shooting-report/ |archive-date=December 18, 2013 |website=CNN}}{{cite news |last=Perrefort |first=Dirk |date=January 19, 2014 |title=Computer evidence shows Lanza's interest in pedophilia |url=http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Computer-evidence-shows-Lanza-s-interest-in-5156605.php#photo-5651099 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106210812/http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Computer-evidence-shows-Lanza-s-interest-in-5156605.php#photo-5651099 |archive-date=November 6, 2017 |access-date=November 19, 2017 |work=Connecticut Post}}

Lanza had an account on a forum titled "Super Columbine Massacre RPG", which discusses the video game of the same name and other mass shootings. Lanza used the username "Smiggles". Lanza's posts on Tumblr and the Super Columbine Massacre RPG! forum is seen as a clear indicator by investigators about Lanza's fascination with Columbine and other mass shooting incidents. In one post on the forum, Lanza describes having a dream about Columbine while he was asleep.{{cite news |last1=Weill |first1=Kelly |title=Adam Lanza's Terrifying Online Life Revealed: Mass Shooting Spreadsheets, Columbine Collages, and Murder Tumblrs |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/adam-lanzas-terrifying-online-life-revealed-mass-shooting-spreadsheets-columbine-collages-and-murder-tumblrs |access-date=November 19, 2023 |agency=The Daily Beast |publisher=The Daily Beast}}

Lanza had posted writings related to the 2011 Norway attacks perpetrated by Anders Behring Breivik, citing his mass murder as "impressive", and writing that he "finally outdid Woo Bum-kon", referring to how South Korean policeman Woo's spree killing had been the deadliest rampage to date when Breivik's attacks occurred. He also contrasted Breivik to American-Israeli mass murderer Baruch Goldstein.{{Cite web |last=Siemaszko |first=Corky |date=January 16, 2014 |title=Norway mass murderer had a fan in Sandy Hook killer Adam Lanza |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2014/01/16/norway-mass-murderer-had-a-fan-in-sandy-hook-killer-adam-lanza/ |access-date=May 7, 2024 |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US}}

In January 2014, the New York Daily News reported that Lanza had made a phone call to AnarchyRadio, a college radio station in Oregon in December 2011, in which he used the name "Greg" and compared a teenage mall shooter to Travis the chimpanzee. An audio recording of the call obtained by the newspaper was said to contain Lanza's voice by two of his former high school classmates. Lanza is also said to have discussed the possibility of going on to the radio show in an instant messaging conversation, in which he had the username "Smiggles". Danbury State Attorney Stephen Sedensky said "Adam Lanza may have called a radio station, but I do not specifically know whether or not that is Adam Lanza on the audiotape".{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/exclusive-lanza-twisted-call-radio-station-article-1.1580984 |title=Adam Lanza calls in radio station a year before Sandy Hook shooting and gives bizarre interview|work=Daily News (New York) |date=January 16, 2014| accessdate=January 17, 2014}}

Criminologist Casey Jordan said that she saw parallels between the phone call and Lanza's violence.{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/16/us/newtown-shooter-possible-radio-interview/index.html |title= Newspaper: Newtown shooter may have called 'AnarchyRadio' show before attack |last1=Pearson |first1=Michael |last2=Botelho |first2=Greg |date=16 January 2014 |website=CNN |publisher=Cable News Network |access-date=4 June 2025 |quote=Criminologist Casey Jordan, a professor of justice and law administration at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, said she sees parallels between this call and Lanza’s later rampage. "I think the subtext of what he is saying is that violence is innate and instinctual to humans and really should not be punished because it is their natural basis," Jordan said. "That's the message he's trying to get across, and the parallel to himself is obvious. "He feels possessed by this need, this compulsion to commit violence."}}

Since the massacre, Lanza has become subject to discussions by true crime fans and has opened a disturbing subculture of Adam Lanza "fans". Online platforms such as TikTok, Twitter and Tumblr are utilized by his fans to post fan art, edits{{efn|Edits are made in a montage-like format with music and video clips}} and fan fiction of Lanza.{{cite web |last1=DEE |first1=KATHERINE |title=A dark online Sandy Hook subculture is growing |url=https://unherd.com/thepost/a-dark-online-sandy-hook-subculture-is-growing/ |website=UnHerd |access-date=January 11, 2024 |ref=December 14, 2022}}

Other mass shooters and terrorists have been inspired by Lanza:

• Jesse Osborne, the Townville Elementary School shooter had planned to "outdo" Adam Lanza.{{cite news |last1=Cox |first1=John |title=Inside the mind of school shooter Jesse Osborne |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/inside-the-mind-of-school-shooter-jesse-osborne/M65ZA4HZ4BZCFACIONCT544BBY/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |agency=NZ Herald |date=March 4, 2018}}
• Jonathan Sapirman, the Greenwood Park Mall shooter made online posts about Adam Lanza and posted photos of himself pointing a gun to his own head, similar to the photos found on Lanza's computer.{{cite news |last1=Burbrink |first1=Jacob |title='No clear motive' questions remain months after Greenwood shooting |url=https://fox59.com/greenwood-park-mall-shooting/police-fbi-hosting-news-conference-on-greenwood-park-mall-shooting/ |access-date=January 11, 2024 |agency=Fox 59 |date=December 21, 2022}}
• William Atchison, the perpetrator of the 2017 Aztec High School shooting, had used "Adam Lanza" as an online username.{{Cite web |last=Dupiy |first=Beatrice |date=December 15, 2017 |title=Aztec High School Shooter Obsessed With Trump, Hitler |url=https://www.newsweek.com/william-atchison-led-double-life-online-749363 |access-date=March 20, 2024 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}
• Nicholas Prosper, who shot three members of his family dead, had a deep interest in the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, and had reportedly planned his own own school massacre, specifically aiming to kill 30 people as to "outdo" Lanza.{{Cite web |date=18 March 2025 |title=Teen who shot family plotted to kill 30 children to become most notorious mass killer |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/nicholas-prosper-murder-sentence-luton-b2716699.html |access-date=18 March 2025 |website=The Independent |language=en}}
• Colt Gray, the perpetrator of the 2024 Apalachee High School shooting, had a Discord account with the username "Adam Lanza".{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Jackson |date=2024-09-06 |title=Discord account linked to Georgia shooting suspect referenced Sandy Hook shooter, CNN says |url=https://mynbc15.com/news/nation-world/discord-account-linked-to-georgia-shooting-suspect-referenced-sandy-hook-shooter-cnn-says-colt-gray-adam-lanza-school-apalachee-high-school-winder-cnn-online-gaming-chat-application-barrow-county |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=WPMI |language=en}}
• Solomon Henderson, the perpetrator of the Antioch High School shooting, copied the suicide pose of Adam Lanza in a photo and quoted a line from his YouTube channel "CulturalPhilistine".{{citation needed|date=June 3, 2025}}
• Guy Edward Bartkus, the 2025 Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing, linked transcripts of videos from Adam Lanza's YouTube channel "CulturalPhilistine" on his website.

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