© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Is This What Made Sandy Hook Elementary Shooter Adam Lanza Snap?
NEWTOWN, CT - DECEMBER 18: A sign hangs near a cemetery where shooting victim Jessica Rekos was to be buried on December 18, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. Funeral services were held in Newtown Tuesday for Jessica Rekos and James Mattioli, both age six, four days after 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Credit: Getty Images

Is This What Made Sandy Hook Elementary Shooter Adam Lanza Snap?

This undated photo circulated by law enforcement and provided by NBC News, shows Adam Lanza. Credit: AP

On Friday, Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 innocent children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. before taking his own life. Ever since, police and the rest of the country have been trying to determine what could have driven the 20-year-old to commit such a horrific act of violence.

FoxNews.com, "citing a lifelong resident of the area who was familiar with the killer's family and several of the victims' families," reports that Lanza may have snapped because his mother was planning to involuntarily commit him to a psychiatric facility.

Lanza took aim at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown after killing his mom Friday morning because he believed she loved the school "more than she loved him," Joshua Flashman, who grew up close to where the shooting occurred, told FoxNews.com.

Flashman, 25, is reportedly a U.S. Marine and the son of a pastor at a local church, which many of the families in the area attend.

“From what I've been told, Adam was aware of her petitioning the court for conservatorship and (her) plans to have him committed…Adam was apparently very upset about this. He thought she just wanted to send him away. From what I understand, he was really, really angry. I think this could have been it, what set him off," Flashman added.

It should be noted, all theories at this point are pure speculation. There is no evidence available that shows Nancy Lanza was seeking to involuntarily commit her son. However, police are investigating Lanza's anger at his mother over plans for "his future mental health treatment" as a possible motive for the school massacre, according to a senior law enforcement official.

FoxNews.com has the exclusive on this story:

A senior law enforcement official involved in the investigation confirmed that Lanza's anger at his mother over plans for “his future mental health treatment” is being looked at as a possible motive for the deadly shooting.

Flashman was told Nancy Lanza had begun filing paperwork to get conservatorship over her troubled son, but that could not be confirmed because a court official told FoxNews.com such records are sealed. The move would have been necessary for her to gain the legal right to commit an adult to a hospital or psychiatric facility against his will. A competency hearing had not yet been held.

Adam Lanza attended the Sandy Hook School as a boy, according to Flashman, who said Nancy Lanza had volunteered there for several years. Two law enforcement sources said they believed Nancy Lanza had been volunteering with kindergartners at the school. Most of Lanza's victims were first graders sources believe Nancy Lanza may have worked with last year.

Flashman said Nancy Lanza was also good friends with the school’s principal and psychologist—both of whom were killed in the shooting rampage.

"Adam Lanza believed she cared more for the children than she did for him, and the reason he probably thought this [was the fact that] she was petitioning for conservatorship and wanted to have him committed," Flashman told FoxNews.com. "I could understand how he might perceive that—that his mom loved him less than she loved the kids, loved the school. But she did love him. But he was a troubled kid and she probably just couldn’t take care of him by herself anymore."

This 2005 photo provided by neighbor Barbara Frey and verified by Richard Novia, shows Adam Lanza. Credit: AP

NEWTOWN, CT - DECEMBER 18: A sign hangs near a cemetery where shooting victim Jessica Rekos was to be buried on December 18, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. Credit: Getty Images

Nancy Lanza was at her limit in dealing with her son, according to Flashman. The Washington Post reported that the concerned mother thought about moving with her son to Washington state where she found a school that she thought could him Adam.

A number of sources also told FoxNews.ocm that Adam Lanza was suffering from Asperger's syndrome and other psychological and emotional issues. The mother had reportedly realized she could no longer care for Adam full-time with no help, so she planned to have him involuntarily hospitalized, according to another source. The source did not know if Nancy Lanza had taken any steps towards making that happen.

To read FoxNews.com's full report, click here.

Want to leave a tip?

We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?