- NEW: The mother of the suspected shooter is found dead at her son's residence, source says
- The shootings occurred in one section of the school
- The school's principal and psychologist are among the dead, a witness says
- The suspect is also dead, police say
Watch CNN's LIVE TV coverage of the Connecticut elementary school shooting as the story continues to unfold.
Newtown, Connecticut (CNN) -- In one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, a gunman opened fire Friday in a Connecticut elementary school, killing 26 people, 20 of them children, police said.
The suspected gunman, who was not identified by police, also was killed, apparently by his own hand.
One person was wounded.
The mass shootings occurred in one section of Sandy Hook Elementary School and spanned two classrooms, said Lt. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police.
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.
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Photos: Connecticut school shooting
How the school shooting unfolded
Student: We heard lots of bangs
3rd grader describes shooting from class
Among the dead were the school's principal and psychologist, according to a parent who was at the school when the incident happened.
Separately, another adult was found dead at a second location in Newtown, Vance said. A law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the investigation identified that person as Nancy Lanza, the mother of the suspected shooter, who was found dead at her son's home. She was a teacher at Sandy Hook, sources said.
How do we stop the violence?
Vance described "a very tragic, tragic scene," noting the carnage first responders witnessed when they arrived.
"I have difficulty putting it into words," Vance told CNN, adding that he has "seen some horrific things, and this is right up there with them."
Police recovered three weapons from the scene: a semi-automatic .223 Bushmaster, a Glock and a Sig Sauer, a source with knowledge of the investigation said. Vance said that the medical examiner will determine the cause of death for the gunman, though he noted that police never discharged their weapons.
Slain principal worked to keep students safe
Meanwhile, authorities in Hoboken, New Jersey, were questioning a man believed to be the brother of the suspected shooter, two law enforcement sources said.
President Barack Obama addressed the shooting in an emotional statement Friday afternoon, saying, "Our hearts are broken today." Obama, a father to two girls, wiped away tears as he noted the nation has "endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years."
'I hope my mom is ok': Tweets from the Connecticut school shooting
Police and teachers rushed students from the building as police swarmed the area shortly after the first calls came in, around 9:40 a.m. ET. Officials moved students to a nearby firehouse, where parents frantically sought information about their children.
"Why? Why?" one woman wailed as she walked up a wooded roadway leading from the school.
Third-grader Alexis Wasik said police and teachers barged into her classroom and told students to hide in the corner.
"Everybody was crying," she said. "And I just heard the police officers yelling."
Aerial images from CNN affiliate News 12 New Jersey showed police officers armed with rifles following a dog into woods near the school.
Other officers, some in tactical gear, stood around the school with guns drawn, CNN affiliate WFSB reported.
'It doesn't seem possible' -- parents shocked by school shooting
All schools in the city were on lockdown Friday as police assessed the situation, Vance said.
Gov. Dannel Malloy is "horrified" by what happened, a spokesman said. Malloy was meeting with families Friday afternoon, the spokesman said.
Obama ordered flags to half-staff nationwide in honor of the victims.
If the number of fatalities remains at 26, the Newtown shooting would be the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, behind only the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech that left 32 people dead.
In 1999, at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, two students shot 13 people to death before killing themselves.
Complete coverage of the Connecticut school shooting
People across the world are sharing their concern and sadness over the Newtown school shooting. What are your thoughts? Share them with CNN iReport.
CNN's Susan Candiotti reported from Newtown, Connecticut; Michael Pearson from Atlanta. CNN's Meredith Artley, John King, David Ariosto and Terry Frieden contributed to this report.
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