Peter Lanza, Father Of Sandy Hook Shooter, Offers Statement

Peter Lanza, the father of 20-year-old Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter, offered a statement Saturday regarding the massacre, reports The Huffington Post.

“Our hearts go out to the families and friends who lost loved ones and to all those who were injured. 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. We are in a state of disbelief and trying to find whatever answers we can. We too are asking why. We have cooperated fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so. Like so many of you, we are saddened, but struggling to make sense of what has transpired.”

This week, Adam Lanza shot his own mother to death in their home, and then proceeded to Newtown, Connecticut where he killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Initial reporting held that Lanza had killed both his mother and his father.

The Stamford Advocate then confirmed that Adam’s father, Peter Lanza, was in fact alive, and shocked to learn of his family’s involvement in the tragedy mere hours after it happened.

Peter Lanza divorced from Nancy Lanza in 2009 due to”irreconcilable differences,” though agreed on joint custody of their son, Adam, who was 17-years-old at the time. Adam was to live primarily with Nancy, but Peter Lanza was allowed “liberal visitation and vacations.”

After a confrontation with a Stamford Advocate reporter at his own home, a horrified Peter Lanza retreated into his home, offering no comment. His statement above is his first to the media in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting. He and his son, Ryan Lanza, have been cooperating with law enforcement since the shooting.