SCHOOL NOT SAFE, SO SAD

Gunman is believed to be a parent of one of the students.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — At least 27 people were killed, including 18 children, in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Friday, according to reports from Reuters and The Associated Press.

The gunman also is among the dead, and, according to an ABC affiliate, is believed to be a parent of one of the students. Many of the shootings took place in a kindergarten classroom, a local newspaper reported.

An official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is still under way told the Associated Press the gunman apparently had two guns. The school district remains on lockdown as police investigate the shootings. There are unconfirmed reports of two shooters, according to a local newspaper.

LIVE: Updates from the shooting site

Some students were reportedly being treated for trauma. A dispatcher at the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps said a teacher has been shot in the foot and taken to Danbury Hospital. Dr. Patrick Broderick said the hospital had treated only three patients from the shooting scene. The hospital is on lockdown to protect the privacy of victims and to allow staff to do their work unreported.

One child was carried from the school by a police officer, according to The Newtown Bee, apparently seriously wounded.

The school superintendent’s office says the district has locked down schools as a preventive measure to ensure the safety of students and staff.

State police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance says they have a number of personnel on the scene to assist.

The Courant reported that police said a shooter was in the main office of the school shortly after 9:40 a.m.

Groups of students — some crying, some holding hands — were being escorted away from the school by their teachers, the Courant reported.

A staging area has been set up for students and their parents near the school.

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The district is made up of four elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.

Newtown is in northern Fairfield County, about 45 miles southwest of Hartford and 80 miles northeast of New York City.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.