27 people dead 'including principal and multiple children' after shooting at Connecticut elementary school

EWTOWN, Conn.  – Twenty-seven people are dead including 14 children after a gunman opened fire at an elementary school in Newtown, CBS News has confirmed.

It happened around 9:40 a.m. Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School. One 8-year-old student told CBS 2′s Lou Young he was on his way to the school’s office when he saw the gunman.

“I saw some of the bullets going down the hall and then a teacher pulled me into her classroom,” he said.

 

Police believe there may be a second gunman and are looking for a red or maroon van with its back window blown out, 1010 WINS’ Al Jones reported. Two guns have reportedly been recovered.

The district has been placed on lockdown. Schools in surrounding areas are also on lockdown.

Danbury Hospital spokesperson Diane Burke told CBS 2 that the hospital is also on lockdown as a precautionary measure. No one is being allowed out of the hospital and other than emergencies, no one is being allowed in, she said.

 

Lisa Bailey, a Newtown resident with three children in Newtown schools, told 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.”

Students were taken to a nearby firehouse where they are being reunited with their parents. Afternoon kindergarten has been cancelled and there will be no mid-day bus runs, according to the district’s website.