Judging by the radio calls, it took only a few minutes for a gunman to snuff out the lives of 20 Newtown school children and six adults.
The first word of the horrifying Newtown school shooting went out over the town’s police radio at 9:36 this morning.
Two minutes later, a dispatcher reported the gunshots had stopped.
UP TO 27 PEOPLE SHOT DEAD AT SCHOOL
“Sandy Hook School. Caller is indicating she thinks there’s someone shooting in the building,” a Newtown dispatcher radioed in the town’s first report of the killings.
Less than a minute later, the dispatcher radioed:
“Units responding to the Sandy Hook School. The front glass has been broken in front of the school They are unsure why …
“All units, the individual I have on the phone said he is continuing to hear what he believes to be gunfire.”
Amid the confusing situation, officers can be heard reporting a possible second shooter headed for the rear of the school.
“The shooting appears to have stopped,” the dispatcher radioed at 9:38 a.m. “There is silence at this time. The school is in lockdown.”
Moments later, an officer apparently at the scene is heard saying: “They’re coming at me through this wood.”
“This is it,” said another.
And after that, at 9:46 a.m., as police searched the school, someone who could not hide the emotion in his voice radioed these haunting words: “I’ve got bodies here. Need ambulances.”