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| RIP: Victoria Soto, 27 |
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| Note written by a six year old boy who died in the shooting |
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| Emile Parker |
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| Dawn |
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| Jesse Lewis |
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| Ana Marquez-Greene |
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Mary Sherlach, 56 |
Charlotte Bacon, 6
Daniel Barden, 7
Olivia Engel, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 6
Dylan Hockley, 6
Madeleine F. Hsu, 6
Catherine V. Hubbard, 6
Chase Kowalski, 7
Jesse Lewis, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Emilie Parker, 6
Jack Pinto, 6
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Aveille Richman, 6
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Allison N. Wyatt, 6
Rachel Davino, 29
Anne Marie Murphy, 52
Lauren Russeau, 30
Mary Sherlach, 56
Victoria Soto, 27
Dawn
US shooting: 'I thought we were all going to die'
How it happened
More details are starting to emerge about the carnage, which claimed the lives of several children, adults and the suspected gunman. The United States is in shock after a mass shooting left 28 people in Connecticut dead, including 20 children.
Here is what happened on the morning of Friday 14 December 2012:
The suspect, widely reported to be 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shot and killed his mother Nancy Lanza at their home in Yogananda Street in Newtown, an affluent town of 27,000 people about 60 miles northeast of New York City.
It is still not clear why Lanza killed his mother, who had divorced Lanza's father Peter in 2009.
A parent told AP that Nancy Lanza was a substitute teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but this is not confirmed. A search of Connecticut's educator certification system revealed no one by that name, and school employees have said Mrs Lanza did not work there.
Journey to school
After killing his mother, Lanza drove her car to the school, which has around 700 pupils aged between 5 and 10-years-old.
He was armed with at least three weapons and clad for combat in black fatigues.
Two handguns - a Glock and Sig Sauer - were later found inside the school and .223-calibre rifle was found in the back of the car.
Entry into school
Visitors to the school have to be buzzed in by a member of staff. But at about 09:30, Lanza forced his way into the school, police now say, contrary to earlier reports that he had been let in.
Shooting begins
Children hid in classrooms during the shooting and Newtown police were notified of shooting at the school over their radios at 09:36.
"Caller is indicating she thinks someone's shooting in the building," a police dispatcher said.
Immediately realising the gravity of the situation, they alerted the state police.
A school employee ran through the halls, warning of a gunman on the loose, and someone switched on the intercom, alerting people in the building to the attack by letting them hear the hysteria going on in the school office, a teacher told AP.
One young survivor said the gunshots sounded like pots and pans falling to the floor.
Teachers locked their doors and ordered children to huddle in a corner or hide in cupboards as shots echoed through the building.
Abrupt end
The authorities say that the shooting only lasted a few minutes.
"The shooting appears to have stopped," the police dispatcher radioed at 09:38, according to the New York Post. "There is silence at this time. The school is in lockdown."
The police respond
The shooting has shocked the town of 27,000
Fearful the gunman could still be at large, police swarmed into the building, breaking windows to enter at several points, Lt Paul Vance of the Connecticut state police said. Meanwhile, other officers searched and secured the woods surrounding the school, police said in a statement.
Inside the building officers encountered a horrific scene: 18 children and six adults shot dead, including popular principal Dawn Hochsprung, 47. Two more children would later die from their wounds.
The officers went from room to room removing surviving children and staff from classrooms.
A library clerk who had ordered 18 children into a storage room before locking and barricading the door gave the children paper and crayons to keep them occupied. The police arrived at the door within an hour, the clerk, Maryann Jacob, told the Associated Press.
"One of them slid his badge under the door, and they called and said, `It's OK, it's the police,"' she said.
The school children were escorted hand-in-hand and were told the shut their eyes as they passed the principal's office, believed to be the scene of much of the carnage.
They were taken to Sandy Hook fire station, where worried parents began to gather.
The governor of Connecticut, Dannel Malloy, went to the fire station.
"Evil visited this community today and it's too early to speak of recovery," he said later. "But each parent, each sibling, each member of the family has to understand that Connecticut - we're all in this together. We'll do whatever we can to overcome this event".
The suspect
The police, who did not fire their weapons during the search, found the body of Lanza, who appears to have killed himself after the shooting spree in two classrooms.
More details about Lanza have begun to emerge, but there is still no clear motive for the rampage. AP reported that during the shooting, Lanza did not utter a single word.
After tentatively identifying Lanza, police rushed to the house on Yogananda Street, where they found his deceased mother.
Media confusion
Initial reports about a shooting at the school identified Ryan Lanza, Adam Lanza's older brother, as the gunman after he was mistakenly identified by a police official.
Ryan Lanza, 24, apparently posted Facebook updates on Friday afternoon that read, "It wasn't me" and "I was at work".
In northern New Jersey, where Ryan Lanza works at an accounting firm, police took him into custody for questioning.
A construction worker who witnessed Ryan Lanza's initial encounter with police said he was handcuffed but remained calm, the Record newspaper reported.
He was said to be co-operating with investigators, was not suspected of having a role in the attack, and had not been placed under arrest.
Presidential address
In an emotional speech, President Barack Obama addressed the nation, saying: "Our hearts are broken today, for the parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers of these children, and for the families of the adults who were lost." He called for "meaningful action" against gun crime.
Town vigil
On Friday night, hundreds of people from the close-knit town packed St. Rose of Lima church and stood outside in a vigil for the 28 dead.
People held hands, lit candles and sang "Silent Night". AP reported the church's monsignor, Robert Weiss, as saying: "These 20 children lit up this community better than all these Christmas lights we have... There are a lot brighter stars up there tonight because of these kids".
BBC News
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