Children were shot multiple times

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President Barack Obama will travel to Newtown, Connecticut, on Sunday The father of a young victim remembers his daughter as bright, creative and loving 12 girls and eight boys were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School Six adults were also killed, in addition to the mother of the suspected shooter

Watch CNN's LIVE TV coverage of the Connecticut elementary school shooting as the story continues to unfold.

Newtown, Connecticut (CNN) -- In a town still numb from an inexplicable massacre of children, relatives of the victims will meet with President Barack Obama on Sunday when the president visits.

Questions and anguish abound two days after the gunman allegedly shot his mother before killing 20 students and six adults at a nearby elementary school. He apparently turned a weapon on himself, silencing any way for the world to fully understand what was in his mind.

While the community grieves, authorities continue chipping away for clues as to why the tragedy unfolded.

Here's the latest on the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School:

The victims

.cnnArticleGalleryNav{border:1px solid #000;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavOn{background-color:#C03;border:1px solid #000;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:20px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavDisabled{background-color:#222;border:1px solid #000;color:#666;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleExpandableTarget{background-color:#000;display:none;position:absolute} .cnnArticlePhotoContainer{height:122px;width:214px} .cnnArticleBoxImage{cursor:pointer;height:122px;padding-top:0;width:214px} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControl{background-color:#000;color:#FFF} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControlText{cursor:pointer;float:right;font-size:10px;padding:3px 10px 3px 3px} .cnnArticleGalleryPhotoContainer cite{background:none repeat scroll 0 0 #000;bottom:48px;color:#FFF;height:auto;left:420px;opacity:.7;position:absolute;width:200px;padding:10px} .cnnArticleGalleryClose{background-color:#fff;display:block;text-align:right} .cnnArticleGalleryCloseButton{cursor:pointer} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNext span{background-color:#444;color:#CCC;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:26px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNextDisabled span{background-color:#444;color:#666;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:25px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{padding-right:68px;width:270px;margin:0 auto} .cnnGalleryContainer{float:left;clear:left;margin:0 0 20px;padding:0 0 0 10px} Firefighters attach black bunting to a fire truck as a memorial at the fire station down the street from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Saturday, December 15. A gunman killed 26 people at the school, including 20 children, before taking his own life on Friday. Firefighters attach black bunting to a fire truck as a memorial at the fire station down the street from the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Saturday, December 15. A gunman killed 26 people at the school, including 20 children, before taking his own life on Friday. Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner H. Wayne Carver II talks to the media about the elementary school shooting during a press conference at Treadwell Memorial Park on December 15. Zulma Sein is hugged by a family member outside of the entrance to the Sandy Hook School on Saturday. Police officers keep guard at the entrance to the street leading to the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Saturday, December 15. Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance addresses the press on December 15. Police officers stand at the entrance to the street leading to the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 15. Corinne McLaughlin, a student at the University of Hartford, bows her head during a candlelight vigil at Hartford, Connecticut's Bushnell Park on Friday, December 14, honoring the students and teachers who died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in nearby Newtown earlier in the day. Distraught people leave the fire station after hearing news of their loved ones from officials on Friday. Emergency workers stand in front of the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. A child and her mother leave a staging area outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14. Members of the media converge on December 14 in front of an apartment at 1313 Grand Street in Hoboken, New Jersey. The apartment is believed to be connected to the Connecticut elementary school shooting. Faisal Ali, right, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, joins other people outside the White House on December 14 to participate in a candlelight vigil to remember the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Connecticut State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance, center, briefs the media on the elementary school shootings during a press conference at Treadwell Memorial Park on December 14 in Newtown. People weep and embrace near Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, December 14. A woman leans on a man as she weeps near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. President Barack Obama wipes a tear as he speaks about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School during a press briefing at the White House on December 14. A woman weeps near the site of a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. A woman weeps near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. People comfort each other near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. A man takes in the scene near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. A young girl is given a blanket after being evacuated from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. State police personnel lead children from the school. Children wait outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, after the shooting. A boy weeps at Reed Intermediate School after getting news of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. FBI SWAT team members walk along Dickinson Drive near Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. An aerial view of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14. Connecticut State Troopers arrive on the scene outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. A Connecticut State Police officer runs with a shotgun at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on December 14. Police patrol the streets around Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. People try to deal with the shock of the attack outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. Connecticut State Police secure the scene of the shooting on December 14. People embrace outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. A man escorts his son away from Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. People take in the news outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. People line up to enter Newtown Methodist Church near the the scene of the shooting on December 14. A woman speaks with a Connecticut state trooper outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. The streets around Sandy Hook Elementary are packed with first responders and other vehicles. A view of the scene at Sandy Hook Elementary School after the shooting. A young boy is comforted outside Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14. People embrace each other on December 14. Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting Connecticut school shooting HIDE CAPTION << < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 > >> Photos: Connecticut school shooting Photos: Connecticut school shooting Students struggle to understand tragedy Medical Examiner: Worst I've seen Investigation to be 'long, painstaking' Student: I saw bullets going past

All the victims died from gunshot wounds and were struck multiple times, said H. Wayne Carver II, Connecticut's chief medical examiner. Their deaths were classified as homicides.

"This probably is the worst I have seen or the worst that I know of any of my colleagues having seen," Carver told reporters.

All 20 of the slain children were either 6 or 7 years old.

Among those killed was 6-year-old Emilie Parker. Her father struggled to hold back tears while recalling the life cut far too short.

"As the deep pain begins to settle into our hearts, we find comfort reflecting on the incredible person that Emilie was and how many lives that she was able to touch in her short time here on Earth," Robbie Parker told reporters.

"She loved to use her talents to touch the lives of everyone that she came in contact with," he added. "She always carried around her markers and pencils so she never missed an opportunity to draw a picture or make a card for those around her."

Robbie Parker also offered his condolences to all the families affected.

"This includes the family of the shooter," he said. "I can't imagine how hard this experience must be for you, and I want you to know that our family, and our love and support goes out to you as well."

Six adults were also killed in the school rampage, including principal Dawn Hochsprung, school psychologist Mary Sherlach, first-grade teacher Vicki Soto and substitute teacher Lauren Rousseau.

Hochsprung recently oversaw the installation of a new security system requiring every visitor to ring the front entrance's doorbell after the school doors locked at 9:30 a.m.

Authorities said the first emergency call about the shooting came in at "approximately" 9:30 a.m. Friday.

The investigation

Timeline: School violence in U.S.Timeline: School violence in U.S.

Investigators have been combing "every crack and crevice" of the school and have found some "very good evidence" there and at suspect Adam Lanza's home, where his mother Nancy was killed.

"The detectives will certainly analyze everything and put a complete picture together of the evidence that they did obtain, and we're hopeful -- we're hopeful -- that it will paint a complete picture as to how and why this entire unfortunate incidence occurred," said Lt. J. Paul Vance, a spokesman for Connecticut State Police.

The gunman terrorized the elementary school wearing black fatigues and a military vest, according a law enforcement official.

A parent who was inside the school at the time of the attack said she heard what sounded like at least 100 rounds fired.

The gun control debate

The deadly shooting that shattered this quiet New England town also reignited the ongoing debate about gun laws in America.

Adam Lanza was found dead next to three guns, a semi-automatic .223-caliber Bushmaster rifle and two handguns made by Glock and Sig Sauer, a law enforcement source told CNN. All belonged to his mother.

Carver, who performed autopsies on seven of the victims, said the wounds he knew about were caused by a "long weapon" and that the rifle was the primary weapon used.

Nancy Lanza was a gun collector and recently showed off a newly bought rifle to fellow Newtown resident Dan Holmes, who owns a landscaping business in the town.

Besides the three weapons found at the school, the shooter also had access to at least three more guns, a law enforcement source said.

The suspect

The few relatives and acquaintances who have spoken out about Adam Lanza were at a loss to explain how this could have happened.

An aunt and a former classmate described him as very intelligent and very quiet. He had no known criminal record.

The suspect's father, Peter Lanza, released a statement Saturday expressing condolences to the families of victims.

"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," the statement read. "We are in a state of disbelief and trying to find whatever answers we can."

The suspect's father and brother have been questioned by authorities, law enforcement officers said.

The town

The massacre in Newtown is the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, behind the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting spree that left 32 dead.

"Stuff like this does not happen in Newtown," said Renee Burn, a teacher at another school in the town, which is roughly 75 miles northeast of New York City.

Until Friday, only one homicide in the past 10 years had been reported in the upscale community of expansive homes surrounded by woods, where many residents commute to jobs in Manhattan and the nearby Connecticut cities of Stamford and Hartford.

Flags were lowered to half-staff in a number of states, and vigils were held at houses of worship and at schools amid a national outpouring of grief.

Robbie Parker, the father who lost his daughter Emilie, said he didn't want the tragedy to "turn into something that defines us, but something that inspires us to be better, to be more compassionate and more humble people."

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