Connecticut State Police have said little about their investigation into the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but authorities issued a rare statement yesterday after the New York Daily News reported previously undisclosed details about the gunman's planning before the deadly attacks, the Wall Street Journal reports. The details emerged from an off-the-record briefing given by Col. Danny Stebbins of the Connecticut State Police at a law-enforcement conference last week in New Orleans. The gathering was organized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police to discuss school safety and included “sensitive information” on “tactical operational approaches employed by first responders on the day of the shootings.”
A Connecticut police spokesman blamed the leak “someone in attendance” who “chose not to honor Col. Stebbins's request” to keep the information confidential so that families affected by the shooting could be informed first. The final public report on the deadly shooting is still months away, state police said. David Wheeler, a father of a child killed at Sandy Hook, said Connecticut State Police have been “sensitive” and “prompt” in their communication with the families of survivors. “I'm pretty impressed with them so far,” he said. The off-the-record briefing, he said, should have remained confidential. “Every respectable news agency should respect it as such,” he said.