Connecticut Shop Where Nancy Lanza Bought 1 Of Her Guns Raided By Feds
Recent Thefts Of Firearms Reported At Riverview Sales In East Windsor December 20, 2012 11:29 PM
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Federal agents raided an eastern Connecticut gun shop on Thursday, the same gun shop that sold one of the weapons used by the Newtown elementary school shooter.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, assisted by police, moved in on Riverview Sales at 4 Prospect Hill Road in East Windsor at around 5:15 p.m., reported Len Besthoff of CBS 2 sister station WFSB in Hartford.
Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children and six adults with a Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle in Newtown last Friday, the second-worst mass shooting in United States history. At least one of the guns the 20-year-old had on him during the attack was purchased at Riverview Sales by his mother, Nancy Lanza, who was shot to death by her son prior to his rampage at the school.
EXTRA: Remembering The Sandy Hook School Shooting Victims
All indications are Thursday’s raid was not directly related to the Newtown massacre investigation, but, as Besthoff reported, it was related to several other crimes committed at the store, including the recent theft of an AR-15 and the attempted theft of a .50-caliber long gun, both by a man with mental illness, Besthoff reported.
Police and ATF agents converged on the store and the plaza was later cordoned off by local cops, while the feds reportedly went through the store’s inventory.
Another Day Of Anguish In Newtown
The motorcade of Attorney General Eric Holder left the Sandy Hook Fire Department on Thursday after he held a private meeting with first responders. But it was another visitor that truly moved Assistant Fire Chief Mike Burton.
“The mother and father of one of the girls that survived came up to thank us and that was really touching. It made us feel really good. In the midst of all the bad news we got some good news,” Burton told CBS 2′s Dick Brennan.
Burton’s 17-year-old son, Mike Jr., is also a Sandy Hook firefighter, and said he appreciates what the nation is doing for Newtown.
“The support of everyone shows us were not going to let this get the best of us,” Mike Burton Jr. said.
In Washington, President Barack Obama’s task force on gun violence chaired by Vice President Joe Biden met for the first time.
“The president is absolutely committed to keeping his promise. We will act in a way that even as he says, ‘even if we save one life,’ we have taken action,” the vice president said.
Newtown continued painful rituals Thursday, with five more funerals. Friday will mark one week since the massacre, one agonizing week for the nation, and for Newtown, still mourning its terrible loss.
“The town is in the middle of its grieving process with the funerals and the wakes. It’s taking a toll on everybody,” Assistant Chief Burton said.
To mark the one-week anniversary, at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy will be in Newtown to observe a moment of silence, something that will no doubt be repeated in towns across America.