Adam Lanza Wore Earplugs While Shooting His Victims at Sandy Hook Elementary

Impact

Adam Lanza, the suspect in the horrific December 14 Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting that killed 20 children and 6 adults, used earplugs during his fatal rampage — according to a report obtained by The Hartford Courant.  

Though authorities don't know yet if the earplugs are significant to the investigation, they believe Lanza used them because a habit from shooting at gun ranges.

Another chilling possibility is that the alleged perpetrator put the earplugs on in order to muffle the children's screams.

"It's just weird [that he popped in earplugs] given what he was about to go do," a source said according to 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."

The report also found that Lanza "changed magazines frequently" as he fired inside the first-grade classrooms of teachers Lauren Rousseau and Victoria Soto, shooting approximately 15 shots out of a 30-round magazine (investigators continued to find bullets in the building more than a week after the mass shooting).

In addition to the earplugs, there's potential evidence to consider coming from the fact that Lanza's "frequent reloading" is common in violent video games. Investigators believe experienced players know "never to enter a new building or room without a full magazine so as not to risk running out of bullets" (they have not said how many shots Lanza fired with the Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle after he entered the school by firing half a dozen rounds through the glass at the school entrance. But sources cited by the Courant say that he fired approximately 150 rounds during the shooting spree).

Police also found bullets outside the school in the parking lot, including some in at least three cars belonging to school personnel (including Rousseau's car).