RESIDENTS had to be evacuated from a northern suburbs retirement home this morning after a fire broke out.
The blaze began just after 8am at the RAF retirement village in Merriwa.
A total of six fire-fighting crews attended the scene and were able to bring the blaze under control a short time later.
No-one was injured during the incident.
A FESA spokesman said it is believed the fire could have been the result of a faulty air-conditioning unit.
A shark was spotted near Floreat Beach. Picture: Supplied Source: AFP
A 2.5 metre shark has been spotted by a helicopter patrol in the waters off Floreat Beach.
Surf Lifesaving WA said the ocean predator was tracking north.
Floreat Beach has been closed.
A MAN has been flown to Royal Perth Hospital with serious injuries following a traffic crash in Nowergup this afternoon.
It is understood two cars travelling along Wanneroo Road collided just before 12.45pm.
Emergency services are at the scene where a male had to be freed from his vehicle after he became trapped.
The RAC Rescue helicopter was called in to fly the man to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment.
A spokesman for St John's said he was being treated for major trauma.
Wanneroo Road has been closed in both directions to allow the chopper to land.
A TEENAGE girl has been taken to Bunbury Hospital with possible spinal injuries.
An ambulance was sent to Bunbury's Back Beach after 3pm to treat a 19-year-old girl who had been dumped by a wave.
She was treated by Bunbury Surf Life Club lifeguards before an ambulance was called.
STEPPING DOWN: Former Parole Review Board boss, Justice Narelle Johnson has retired due to ill health. Source: PerthNow
STEPPING DOWN: Former Parole Review Board boss, Justice Narelle Johnson has retired due to ill health. Source: PerthNow
JUSTICE Narelle Johnson, former head of the Prisoners Review Board, has retired from the Supreme Court due to ill-health.
Justice Johnson was due to return to the Supreme Court bench earlier this year after her term at the board expired, but has been forced to retire early because of ill-health.
Attorney General Michael Mischin today thanked the retiring Judge for her service to the Supreme Court and the Prisoners Review Board.
Justice Johnson joined the then-Crown Solicitor's Office in 1982, rising to the rank of Senior Assistant Crown
Counsel. She joined the Independent Bar in 1994 and practised from Francis Burt Chambers for many years.
She was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1998.
Among her many notable achievements, Justice Johnson was counsel assisting the Coal Contract Inquiry in 1994; junior counsel assisting the Easton Royal Commission in 1995; counsel assisting the Royal Commission into the City of Wanneroo in 1996 to 1997; the president of the Equal Opportunity Tribunal between 2001 and 2003; and was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court in July 2003.
In 2009, she was appointed for a three-year term as second chair of the Prisoners Review Board.
Mr Mischin said Justice Johnson had made a significant contribution to the WA justice system.
"As my predecessor remarked when appointing her to the board, Justice Johnson is an experienced and highly-capable Supreme Court judge," he said.
"She did a tremendous job in the difficult role of chair of the Prisoners Review Board over three years.
"Her professionalism and worth ethic was extremely valued by the legal fraternity and she has every reason to be proud of her contribution to the administration of justice in this State and to the advancement of women in the profession. I wish her all the best in retirement."
AN ugly stoush has erupted between WA-based Decmil Group and the operator of its four-star mining camp in Gladstone, Queensland.
The operator, small Queensland firm Evolution Facility Management (EFM), has accused Decmil, who purchased the business in November last year, of "corporate bullying''.
Decmil's public relations consultant David Ikin today confirmed the company had terminated a deal with Evolution - which was contracted to run the 1300-room Homeground Gladstone remote accommodation facility until 2016 - and put in place a new facility manager Cater Care.
He said Cater Care was offering jobs to all Evolution staff under the same terms that they were currently paid.
"There are about 40 people employed by the facilities manager to carry out a range of activities at the village, administration, food and beverage, services and also general utilities. Most are local Gladstone people but there are some fly-in, fly-out as well,'' he said.
Mr Ikin would not go into details over the stoush but said ASX-listed Decmil was "unable to go into details of what the issue was that's driven the change but it's been a purely contractual thing''.
EFM general manager Alex Ferguson said the firm had tried to come to an amicable solution with Decmil over the existing contract to run Homeground as a four-and-a-half star facility.
"Our business virtually has just lost a huge contract and all our staff, so we're absolutely (devastated) and we feel we've been bullied to get to this point,'' he said.
"We're a small Queensland private company. I don't think that the tactics that a large public company has used in this case are appropriate.
"We will obviously have our day in court, but it's something that's a shame for our business. Our staff have to look after themselves so I absolutely understand their stance if they are to accept roles. It's absolute corporate bullying."
The Calliope facility was founded by Gold Coast-based Maroon Group, which sold 50 per cent of the business to Decmil for $40 million.
It then sold the remaining 50 per cent in August this year for around $18 million. Decmil was due to make the final $3 million payment to seal full ownership yesterday.
COMMUNITY SPIRIT: Robert Juniper with one of two paintings he donated to raise money for the Mundaring Shire Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades. Picture: Stewart Allen Source: PerthNow
LIFE LONG PARTNERS: Artist Robert Juniper with wife Trish. Picture: Alf Sorbello Source: PerthNow
WA LEGEND: Robert Juniper, landscape artist and Member of the Order of Australia died in Perth today. Picture: Colin Murty Source: The Australian
LOVE THIS COUNTRY: Juniper at Cottesloe Beach for the 2010 Sculptures by the Sea. Picture: Stewart Allen Source: PerthNow
POPULAR West Australian artist Robert Juniper has died at the age of 83.
His wife Trish confirmed today that Juniper had died from an illness.
Juniper was a painter, illustrator, art teacher, sculptor and printmaker.
He received a Member of the Order of Australia honour in 2011 for services to the visual arts. Juniper said at the time that he was "chuffed'' to receive the accolade.
"I love my country and I'm very much in tune with the landscape,'' he said.
Born in the Wheatbelt town of Merredin in 1929, Robert Litchfield Juniper studied commercial art and industrial design at Beckenham School of Art in England.
He returned to WA in 1949 and since 1974 devoted himself full-time to painting, sculpting and printmaking.
Despite his success, Juniper continued living in the same place for the past 60 years in Darlington in Perth's Hills.
Juniper received many accolades for his work including the Wynne Prize in 1976 and 1980.
For his services to the arts, he was awarded a WA Week Council's Citizen of the Year award in 1979 and an honorary doctorate from the University of WA in 1984.
In 1998, he was named an inaugural State Living Treasure and in 2003 received the Centenary Medal.
He also designed the coat of arms for the Commonwealth Law Courts in Perth in 1992.
Juniper suffered a stroke 10 years ago that robbed him of the use of his left hand and became ill in October last year when fluid gathered on his lung.
Culture and the Arts Minister John Day paid tribute to Juniper, saying he was one of the state's most successful artists.
"He will be remembered for not only his outstanding works, but also his generosity to local artists" he said.
"Mr Juniper was very successful in making art accessible to all West Australians with his many public commissions, including murals, public sculptures, installations and posters."
Hungry Jack's in Beechboro has been fined $75,000 after metal was found in an onion ring. Source: The Advertiser
FAST-FOOD giant Hungry Jack's has been fined $75,000 for selling an onion ring at a Perth store that had a 1.5cm shaving of metal in it.
The burger chain was convicted in the Perth Magistrates Court of selling unsuitable food after a woman nearly choked on the 1.5cm piece of metal that was in an onion ring purchased in February from its Beechboro store, in Perth's northern suburbs.
It is understood the shaving was likely to have come from maintenance work that had been done at the fast-food outlet the day before.
A lawyer for Hungry Jack's said the matter had been the subject of much "soul searching'' for company management.
A spokesman for Hungry Jack's said the company was "surprised and disappointed'' by the findings and intended to appeal the decision.
"We have sophisticated quality assurance and rigorous training systems, which we believe stand up to scrutiny,'' he said.
TRAGEDY: A toddler has drowned in Mandurah Estuary after falling into deeper water as her parents were crabbing. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow
A YOUNG girl has drowned after falling into deep water while her family were crabbing in the Mandurah Estuary, south of Perth.
The two and half year-old toddler went missing near the Mandurah estuary bridge about 8pm last night, after she slipped away from her parents.
A major search was launched, involving water police, aircraft and volunteer water rescue workers, Duty Inspector Bill Norton told ABC radio in Perth.
It is believed the girl fell from a fishing platform and that her parents were unaware she was in the water.
The girl's family is from a non-English speaking background and the alarm was raised by a fellow fisherman.
TRAGEDY: A toddler has drowned in Mandurah Estuary after falling into deeper water as her parents were crabbing. Picture: Daniel Wilkins
"Eventually water police divers were recalled to duty, and conducted a night dive in the area, and located the body of the child,'' Insp Norton said.
The child's body was found by police divers around 1am, about five hours after she went missing.
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner.
City of Mandurah mayor Paddi Creevey offered heartfelt sympathies to the family, saying: "Our hearts go out to the family of the little girl who lost her life in the Mandurah estuary last night.
"Together with the council, I offer my heartfelt sympathy to this family which has experienced the tragic death of a child.
"Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time and we want them to know that they won't be alone.
"True community spirit was on display during the search efforts on Wednesday night and we'd like to sincerely thank and recognise the rescue squads - the Water Police and the Mandurah Water Rescue - for their efforts in the very difficult job they had to perform.
"Sadly, nothing can replace the loss of a child, but we will do anything we can to assist this family during this time."
** Comments have now been closed on this story but can still be read here **
Christmas can be free of stress and we have 12 tips to help you enjoy the day again. Source: Supplied
WE all have a Christmas horror story to tell. Only the names and the places are changed to protect the innocent.
Ever had the turkey burn? Ever had the carpet catch fire after a Christmas candle got knocked over in the rush. Ever been cursing under your breath as you "endured" family members who you have carefully avoided since last Christmas? Ever had to break up a fight after lunch between cousin Fred and uncle Bob? Ever felt so full you swore you would never eat a morsel of ham or turkey again as long as you live?
If you answered "yes "to any of the above or similar festive nightmares then you are not alone.
It seems that the festive season can have that effect particularly on adults. But it doesn't start out this way. Once upon a time we looked forward to Christmas.
Are we all taking it too seriously? Have we gone over the top with trying to get fancy presents? Are we trying so desperately to make everyone else happy that we make ourselves miserable in the process?
The biggest stress issues around Christmas are, weight gain from overindulging, bank balance loss from overspending and anxiety from interacting with people who you would prefer not too.
Is there a solution to all this? You could start by making a decision to enjoy Christmas.
Here are 12 tips to help you do just that:
1) Breathe! Sound obvious but I am talking about the slow deep breathing, which relieves stress. Four times each day take 30 seconds to take 3 slow deep breaths in and out slowly.
2) Water water everywhere, so have a drop to drink. There is no law that says you have to drink alcohol. You can drink water at functions instead of or alternating with alcoholic drinks. And have a glass or two before you head out so you wont be as thirsty on arrival.
3) Copy Bugs Bunny. Take a leaf from Bugs' book and eat a carrot or other piece of vegetable before you go out. You wont be as hungry and hence you will eat less finger foods which are loaded with calories.
4) As the song goes; I like to move it, move it. Do some walking or other exercise everyday or at least three times a week. Exercise is one of the best antidotes to stress and as a bonus you can burn off last nights excesses.
5) The last person left at the party may have to help with the dishes. Don't be the last to leave. You need your sleep.
6) Cull the visiting and present's list. You have a choice about whom you see and what you buy. Only buy presents for those you really want to. Your stress levels are a result of your choices not the "world out there." Be honest with yourself and others about what you can and can't reasonably do.
7) Cut up the credit card. Buy your Christmas presents with cash. That way you know you can afford them and you won't stress about the credit card bill in January. And yes it IS the thought that counts.
8) Peace on earth and goodwill to all men, blah blah blah! Yes Christmas is a time for goodwill to all, but if you really don't like spending time with certain people (even if they are your family) then don't! Be polite but firm in declining invitations. Spend your time with those you really care about. If there is "no way out" then make it a Buddhist Christmas with this tip. Tell yourself as Buddhists do "this too will pass" as often as needed. It will pass and you will not stress.
9) Christmas day lunch is a meal and it won't be the last time you will ever eat. If you are having people around you do not need more food than if they were coming any other day. If it's a big gathering have everyone contribute a plate. It is not mandatory to eat until you feel like you will "explode".
10) Close down. Many businesses close down over Christmas. You can do the same and simply "cancel" Christmas emerging again when it is all over. Switch off the phone and go away.
11) Be a kid again. Pop crackers, enjoy unwrapping presents and playing with the wrapping paper. Throw stuff around make silly noises. This will make you laugh and you cannot stress when you are laughing.
12) On a more serious note consider having some "purpose" around Christmas. Do some volunteer work? Perhaps reflect on what you can do to better yourself or how you can contribute to your community. If Christmas is your biggest stress there are people far worse off than you.
For virtually all of us there was a time when Christmas meant fun. Somewhere along the line this may have been lost. This year ask yourself what needs to happen for me to enjoy Christmas as much as when I was six years old? Then go and have fun. After all it is Christmas. It only comes once a year.
www.drjoe.net.au
www.drjoetoday.com
Schapelle Corby wipes her tears during a Christmas service at Kerobokan jail in Bali, on Christmas Eve two years ago. Source: AAP
SCHAPELLE Corby's mother has welcomed the discovery of an alleged drug smuggling racket at Sydney Airport, saying she has always suspected corrupt customs officers planted drugs on her daughter.
Eight people, including two Customs officers accused of being ringleaders, have been charged following a two-year investigation into corruption within the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.
Customs officers helped drug mules smuggle illicit substances from overseas, authorities allege, and then escorted them past the normal checkpoints at Sydney Airport.
Schapelle Corby's mother, Rosleigh Rose, says she was not surprised to learn of the alleged racket, saying she has always suspected customs officers were responsible for her daughter's arrest in 2004.
"I just thought it's about time someone's doing a deeper investigation," Ms Rose told the Seven Network.
"We've always asked for it."
Corby, who was arrested attempting to smuggle 4.1kg of marijuana into Bali in a bodyboard bag, has always denied owning the drugs, claiming she was the unwitting courier for a drug gang operating in domestic airports in Australia.
Ms Rose said the Sydney Airport allegations vindicated her family's belief that Corby was set up by corrupt customs officers.
"They were covering up corruption in the airport and they did not give a damn about Schapelle."
As Corby prepares to spend another Christmas behind bars, there have been reports that her health is deteriorating.
She is eligible to apply for parole, but is unable to do so until a recently imposed ban on parole applications is lifted at Bali's notorious Kerobokan jail.
Without parole, she is not due for release until 2017.
Dr Del Weston, 62, and Professor Gavin Mooney, 69, were found dead early yesterday at their remote Hobart home. Source: PerthNow
TRAGEDY: A Police officer at the scene of a double homicide at Mountain River, 20km south-west of Hobart. Source: The Mercury
TRAGEDY: Police attend a double homicide at Mountain River, 20km south-west of Hobart. Source: The Mercury
THE nation's leading health economist and his academic partner are dead after being bludgeoned to death at their idyllic Mountain River property on Wednesday night.
Retired Perth academics Professor Gavin Mooney, 69, and Dr Del Weston, 62, were both found dead with severe blunt force trauma to the head in the lounge room of their secluded Bennetts Road home after their alleged killer rang triple 0.
The 27-year-old charged with the double murder is Dr Weston's son from a previous relationship.
Nicolau Francisco Soares did not enter a plea when he appeared in the Hobart Magistrates Court yesterday afternoon and was remanded in custody.
All three family members are previously from Western Australia, with Prof Mooney and Dr Weston moving to Tasmania to enjoy semi-retirement in September last year.
Their alleged killer arrived in the state three weeks ago for a "fresh start'' according to sources and had been staying at their home.
Police say this was a particularly gruesome crime with the hammer and sledgehammer used to inflict the fatal wounds found next to the bodies.
The alleged killer was waiting in another room when police arrived in the early hours of yesterday morning.
"The only person who really knows what occurred in that house now is the man we have in custody,'' Detective Inspector Peter Powell alleged.
"There was some sign in the room of a disturbance, some furniture overturned.
"But as to who was attacked first or how the altercation commenced, we don't know.''
He said there was no obvious motive at this stage.
"We hope to discover it as we go through the investigation,'' he said.
Police say they found no evidence the son was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time or any serious mental health conditions had been previously diagnosed.
"Certainly we would like to know more about his movements,'' Det Insp Powell said.
"The area where they lived is a remote area and there are no houses close to the location but obviously we're making inquiries in the area to see what people know of this couple and this young man.
"We've been doorknocking down there this morning and making inquiries in the Kingston area too.
Although police asked neighbours not to comment publicly yesterday, it was apparent those living close to the murdered couple were deeply shocked by the horror crime in their peaceful rural street.
The silence was broken only by the sound of police vehicles arriving at the misty scene yesterday morning, with forensics officers visible up the long driveway standing on the porch.
Det Insp Powell said it was a terrible thing to have two double murders within days of each other and both allegedly committed by people known to the victims.
"I think it's really unfortunate timing and we all understand that sometimes in domestic situations, and coming up to Christmas, often families do have issues and stresses on them that sometimes result in these tragedies,'' he said.
The man believed to be responsible for the Hamilton shootings remains in a medically-induced coma in the Royal Hobart Hospital after shooting himself in the head on Sunday.
DAVID KILLICK
Professor Gavin Mooney moved to Tasmania from Western Australia looking for the good life in September 2011 and was in no doubt he had found it.
The nation's leading health economist and his partner, academic Dr Del Weston, were both captivated by the beauty and tranquility of the expansive home they bought in the hamlet of Mountain River, about 30 minutes drive south of Hobart.
The broad deck of their home looks out on the rugged peaks across the scattered homes of the rural residential area and the steep timbered ridges rising up to Collins Bonnet.
The couple had big plans, both were keen to become involved in social justice issues, as they has been in WA where Mr Mooney had helped found the WA Social Justice Network.
They wanted to expand their vegetable garden and their small flock of chickens and enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle of a tree-changer's semi-retirement.
Professor Mooney, an passionate and energetic advocate for those less well off, regularly contributed the benefit of his long experience in the field of health economic to The Mercury's coverage of health issues.
In August he launched the Social Determinants of Health Advocacy Network and was involved in facilitating "Citizens' Juries'' as a more democratic way for people to participate in setting priorities for the heath systems.
Dr Weston did her PhD on the political economy of global warming at Curtin University in Western Australia.
She had been a a visiting Scholar at the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban, South Africa and an Honorary Research Associate at the University of Tasmania in the School of Geography and Environmental Science.
Tony Reidy from TasCoss said Professor Mooney had been a driving force behind the organisation's submission to the state government this year.
"We're really quite devastated. Gavin Mooney was making an enormous contribution to social justice in Tasmania,'' he said.
"He was a real leader in his field. His death is an enormous tragedy for the state.
"He was one of the leaders in our campaign for the government and the community to invest in the social determinants of health.
"It's a tragic development when we see a man like Gavin, with an impeccable background and credentials, come to an end so tragically.
"His contribution and presence will be sorely missed.''
Miriam Herzfeld set up the Social Determinants of Health Advocacy Network with Professor Mooney this year.
She said he and Dr Weston were passionate, caring and giving people who had worked to make a contribution from the moment they arrived in their new home.
"He was absolutely passionate about creating a more equal society and giving everybody the opportunity to lead a healthy and good quality life,'' she said.
"Gavin and Del had been in Tasmania for a short period of time but they'd made an enormous impact.
"He took every opportunity he could to say something about improving health outcomes, and that included mental health outcomes. They both were extremely giving as people.''
Before moving to Tasmania Professor Mooney had been Director of the Social and Public Health Economics Research Group and Professor of Health Economics at Curtin University in Perth.
Starting his career as a trainee actuary in Edinburgh, Scotland, Mr Mooney worked as a health economist for over 35 years, first in the UK, then Denmark and Perth.
In June 2009 he was awarded an Honorary Degree in Social Sciences by the University of Cape Town as one of the founding fathers of health economics.
PERTH motorists have their last chance to fill up today before a Christmas fuel hike.
FuelWatch advises that most petrol stations are expected to hike up their ULP price over 140 cents per litre.
Caltex sites will hit 145c, while Caltex Woolworths, Coles Express, Gull and Peak will charge 144.9c from tomorrow.
The average metropolitan price for ULP will be 143.2c, but about 60 Perth sites will sell below 140c.
FuelWatch recommends filling up today and paying no more than 133.8 cents per litre.
Today's cheapest petrol is 129.9c at Peak Glen Forrest, Gull El Caballo Roadhouse, Gull Causeway in Victoria Park, Gull Atwell, and Gull Yokine.
Tomrrow's cheapest ULP will be available for:
* 132.9c at Better Choice Stratton and Better Choice Roleystone
Tomorrow's average metro price for LPG will be 81.3c per litre.
SIZZLING: Perth beaches will be a popular option for thousands of families on Christmas Day with an expected maximum of 38C. Source: Herald Sun
KEEPING with tradition in the West, the weather gods have again planned a Christmas Day scorcher, with a revised forecast tipping a high of 40C.
The Bureau of Meteorology's week forecast to Boxing Day is consistent with predictions of a warm summer for western parts of WA.
The week leading up to Santa's touchdown will be mostly sunny, with several days in the 30s and a cool change over the weekend.
On Christmas Eve, the mercury will hit a max of 33C, while Boxing Day is set to be a sweltering 39C.
The hottest Christmas Day in Perth on record was 42C in 1968, while the chilliest was 19.7C in 1945.
The average Christmas Day temperature is 32C.
TOMORROW'S FORECAST
Min 17
Max 34
Sunny.
FRIDAY
Min 18
A truck driver has found a woman's body in Maddington, sparking a murder investigation.
GRIM TASK: Police have returned to the dead woman's Maylands flat early today. Picture: Kerris Berrington Source: PerthNow
POLICE have released the name of a woman found dead in Maddington yesterday as they continue to question a man over the gruesome find.
Police have named the victim as 51-year-old Maylands woman Tracey Jane Holloway.
Ms Holloway's body was found opposite a factory at the end of a cul-de-sac on Valencia Way around 6.30am yesterday and police have confirmed they are treating her death as a homicide.
A team of police officers, including Major Crime Squad and forensic officers, are at the scene, although police do not believe the 51-year-old died where she was found.
"Detectives are investigating the woman's death as a homicide," a police spokeswoman said yesterday.
A 57-year-old man from Kelmscott is currently assisting police with their inquires into the matter.
No charges have been laid.
Police are continuing to investigate several sites of interest in relation to the incident.
Police are asking anyone who may have information that can assist with their inquiries to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Businessman and Perth Glory owner Tony Sage in his West Leederville office. The offices of Sage's Cape Lambert Resources were today raided by AFP officers. Picture: Richard Polden Source: PerthNow
THE offices of companies associated with Perth Glory owner Tony Sage have been raided by Australian Federal Police officers.
The West Leederville building containing the Glory's offices, as well as offices for the mining company Cape Lambert Resources, of which Mr Sage is executive chairman, were targeted by the officers in an operation lasting several hours.
In response to questions about Mr Sage, an AFP spokesman said several search warrants were executed on commercial and residential premises in Perth and Sydney today.
"The activity is part of an ongoing investigation in partnership with a number of Commonwealth agencies including the ... ATO (Australian Tax Office) and ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission)," he said.
"The investigation is ongoing, therefore it is not appropriate to make any further comment at this point in time."
This follows a report by The Sunday Times on December 9, which revealed Mr Sage was having his personal tax affairs checked by the ATO.
At the time, the local multimillionaire, whose company Cape Lambert has already been slugged with a $95 million tax bill, emphasised he was "not being singled out'' by the ATO and was just one of 2000 company directors being examined.
"I've been told there are 2000 people and the tax office is going through every annual report, from 2007, 8, 9, 10, with every single director and consultant, in every company in Australia, where people received options in a company, and they're doing a review on all of them,'' he said on December 8.
"I've received no amended assessment, I received nothing from the tax office ... since we found out in April this year that I was being examined.''
Mr Sage said he had been told that because of a backlog it might take 18 months before there was an outcome.
"I can give you 10 names ... that are getting the same thing done and they are a lot more high-profile than I am,'' he said.
At the time, Mr Sage conceded he was stressed about the $95 million tax bill that centres on Cape Lambert's $400 million sale of its namesake Pilbara magnetite project to Metallurgical Corp of China, and its subsequent purchase of the assets of the collapsed group CopperCo.
"We had a meeting Thursday (December 6) with the tax office and we have a very strong argument,'' he said.
"Cape Lambert will fight this to the end.''
He said the ATO had been involved in a "spate of settlements'' with clients in recent months, which he thought was the result of pressure by the Gillard Government to quickly gather revenue to get its budget into surplus.
An ATO spokeswoman was unable to comment or confirm audits because of the Income Tax Assessment Act's confidentiality provisions.
A spokeswoman for Cape Lambert Resources declined to comment about today's raid.
SELL OFF: Andrew Forrest, managing director and chief executive officer of Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. Source: Bloomberg
DEBT-laden Fortescue Metals plans to sell a stake in its prized Pilbara rail and port assets, but the move has raised worries about what the loss of control will mean for it's future growth.
Fortescue has been lauded for taking on giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, when they wouldn't provide access to their train lines, by building its own line and allowing juniors to access it.
However the recent heavy falls in the iron ore price and the company's massive debt of more than $US10 billion ($A9.52 billion) - expected to peak at $US12 billion ($A11.43 billion) - threatened its financial position, forcing it into a series of job cuts and asset sales, with this the latest one.
Chief executive Nev Power said in a statement to the ASX on Monday that the company was in negotiations with ``a small group of selected investors'' about a sale.
The company has provided third party access to its infrastructure to juniors such as Atlas Iron and BC Iron while retaining control over it - something it stands to lose through a sale.
``If they get someone to pay more than what I think they're worth and are not giving up too much control I guess that's a good thing,'' he told AAP.
``But then on the investor side if you are getting no control and paying a bunch of money, then why would you bother.' Fellow iron ore miners such as Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting or Atlas Iron invested enough money it could allow for economies of scale and give Fortescue Metals enough cash to push on with its growth, Mr Hodge said.
Mr Power insisted in Fortescue's statement that ``any sale would only be transacted at full and fair market value and on the basis that the current efficiency of infrastructure and mining operations are not impacted''.
Pengana Capital fund manager Tim Schroeders saw the move as an admission by Fortescue that its current structure was not robust enough to service its debt.
It was too early to tell if its restructuring by selling assets would make it more viable.
The sell-down was also complicated by the fact that Fortescue already provided third party access - in other words what that would mean for pricing and control of train line and port assets.
``This is not supportive of the company's future expansion intentions,'' Mr Schroeders told AAP.
``At the end of the day the conundrum is the same whatever spin you put on it: the company's got too much debt.
``If you are divesting infrastructure assets or selling equity in mines, you are just avoiding the obvious in terms of an equity issue.''
The company resisted pressure from bankers in September to raise equity, preferring debt financing after reports it was in danger of breaching debt covenants.
At 12.40pm Perth time, the company's stocks were 16 cents, or 3.7 per cent, higher at $4.47, which was attributed to a three per cent jump in iron ore prices on Friday to nearly $US130 a tonne.
FAMILY TO SUE: A Perth family wins the right to sue King Edward Memorial Hospital for the brain damage their daughter suffered at birth. Source: PerthNow
A PERTH family has won a year-long legal battle for the right to sue the West Australian government and medical staff at the city's largest maternity hospital over a birth that left their girl with severe brain damage.
The family of eight-year-old Tahlia Burns lodged a civil lawsuit in October last year, claiming damages against the state government, two midwives and a doctor at King Edward Memorial Hospital for negligence and breach of contract and statutory duty.
The writ claimed the management of Tahlia's birth in April 2004, as well as post-natal care and advice led to her suffering brain damage, visual impairment, cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
District Court commissioner Michael Gething had ruled that the claim for damages had taken too long to be lodged and therefore should not go ahead.
But the family appealed against that decision and WA's Supreme Court has ruled they do have the right to sue to the then-health minister, midwives Tracy Bingham and Rosemary Dale and Dr Steven Harding, who were involved in her birth.
``The commissioner erred by dismissing the appellant's application without considering the merits of the application,'' Justice Martin wrote.
``Leave to appeal should be granted, the appeal should be upheld and the commissioner's order should be set aside.''
STILL MISSING: Wayne Drewett was last seen by his wife Joyce on April 14, 2003. Source: PerthNow
A CORONER has found a Romanian man was involved in the death of a Perth businessman who went missing more than nine years ago, along with $1 million in cash he had raised to import a cache of diamonds that didn't exist.
WA coroner Peter Collins today found that "all roads'' led to the conclusion that Romanian-born Niculae Stoian, known as Nick Stuart, contributed to the death of grandfather Wayne Drewett, whose body has never been found.
Mr Stuart left Australia days after Mr Drewett went missing in April 2003, with evidence given to the inquest hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash left with him.
He has never returned.
WA Police are set to contact their Romanian counterparts, and the coroner's report will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for consideration.
Mr Drewett's disappearance came after he became involved in a deal to import $1 million worth of diamonds into Australia, although police believe the gems never existed.
He has not been heard from since a brief phone conversation the following day.
His pyjamas, lap top and briefcase were later found to be missing from his house, along with keys to his safety deposit box.
The inquest was told the Australian diamond deal bore all the hallmarks of previous scam in Romania in 1996 in which the financier disappeared and was presumed murdered.
The man at the centre of that deal was Mr Stuart, the coroner said.
He frequently talked to Mr Drewett on disguised mobile phones in the days before his disappearance.
The coroner said on April 11, Mr Drewett's safety deposit box had been ``overflowing with cash'' intended for the diamond deal.
Within a week, the cash was gone, as was any sign of Mr Drewett.
Mr Stuart then told friends he needed to fly to Romania urgently because his mother was unwell, selling his car, and trying to send wads of cash to Romania in a cardboard box.
Mr Stuart transferred $12,700 on his departure, declared a further $60,000 on exit from the country, and had a friend collect a bag containing between $100,000 and $200,000, which he later gave to police.
Mr Collins said he had no doubt Mr Drewett was dead, and Mr Stuart was involved, but his cause of death must remain ``unascertainable''.
"There is a substantial body of circumstantial evidence which points compellingly to the fact Mr Drewett has been the victim of foul play,'' the coroner said.
"There is an equally substantial body of circumstantial evidence pointing to the fact Nick Stuart had contributed to Mr Drewett's disappearance and death.''
Mr Drewett's daughter Debra hopes Mr Stuart will be found.
"Hopefully some movement in Romania might help,'' she said. ''Other people lost their money, but my father lost his life.''
A MANDURAH man is facing court after police searched his home and allegedly found cannabis, stolen goods and live marron in the bathtub.
Officers searched the man's Tuckey St home about 2.30pm on Saturday and allegedly uncovered about 290g of cannabis and electrical items believed to have been stolen from a car in Mandurah the night before.
They called in officers from the Department of Fisheries after finding 37 live marron in the bathroom.
The 59-year-old man was charged with possessing a prohibited drug with intent to sell or supply, supplying a prohibited drug, and receiving.
He is due to appear in Mandurah Magistrates Court on December 21.
As hundreds stand outside St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, which was filled to capacity, a couple embrace during a healing service held in for victims of an elementary school shooting. Picture: AP Source: AP
A GUNMAN has shot 26 people - including 20 children - at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, western Connecticut, after killing his mother and then turning the gun on himself. Updates here as they come to hand. All times are AEDT.
1.41am: If you would like to donate to the Sandy Hook Elementary community you can do so here.
1.20am: Should the US limit access to guns? Cast your vote here.
Gun control supporters take part in a candlelight vigil at Lafayette Square across from the White House. Picture: Mandel Ngan Source: AFP
1.08am: Members of the Westboro Baptist Church say they are planning to picket the Sandy Hook Elementary School during US President Barack Obama's visit.
"Westboro will picket Sandy Hook Elementary School to sing praise to God for the glory of his work in executing his judgment," Shirley Phelps-Roper, a member of the church, tweeted.
Names of victims are displayed on a flag in the business area pf Newtown, Connecticut. Picture: Don Emmert
However, members of website Reddit said they would form a silent blockade if the church members decide to picket. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church are infamous for their picketing of the funerals of US service members.
12.39am: The 20-year-old gunman in the shooting reportedly had Asperger's syndrome, but experts have downplayed any connection between the disorder and violence.
"There really is no clear association between Asperger's and violent behaviour," said psychologist Elizabeth Laugeson, an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Read more here.
12.01am: More information starts coming out about the gunman's victims.
James Mattioli, 6
Candles are lit and flowers are left outside of Stratford High School during a candlelight vigil in honour of Victoria Soto, the first-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who was shot and killed while protecting her students. Picture: Jared Wickerham
Those grieving for James Mattioli extend right down to the New York town of Sherrill, where James' mother Cindy grew up.
"It's a terrible tragedy, and we're a tight community," Mayor William Vineall told the Utica Observer-Dispatch. "Everybody will be there for them, and our thoughts and prayers are there for them."
Olivia Engel, 6
Olivia Engel was described by Dan Merton, a longtime family friend, as a lovely child who enjoyed school and who was the teacher's pet.
"She loved attention," he said. "She had perfect manners, perfect table manners."
Jillian Soto, center, thanks the hundreds of people who came out to attend a candlelight vigil in memory of victims including her sister Victoria from the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Picture: AP /The Connecticut Post, Christian Abraham
He said Olivia had planned to make a gingerbread house when she got home from school that day.
Madeleine Hsu, 6
The loss of Madeleine Hsu was described by family friend, Dr Matthew Velsmid, as "the darkest thing I've ever walked into."
Dr Velsmid said he went to the hospital to offer treatment to shooting victims but he said the casualties never came out.
Madeleine was one of three friends that Dr Velsmid's daughter lost in the shooting.
Robbie Parker, father of a victim killed in the Connecticut shooting, has spoken to media. Credit: Fox News
Catherine Hubbard, 6
Catherine Hubbard's parents, Jennifer and Matthew, released a statement following their child's death to give thanks to all who have helped out following the tragedy.
"We are greatly saddened by the loss of our beautiful daughter, Catherine Violet and our thoughts and prayers are with the other families who have been affected by this tragedy," her parents said in a statement. "We ask that you continue to pray for us and the other families who have experienced loss in this tragedy."
Chase Kowalski, 7
Chase Kowalski's neighbour, Kevin Grimes, described a child who was always outdoors, riding his bike. He said he got a visit from Chase last week to tell him that he had competed in and won his first mini-triathlon.
Robbie Parker, the father of six-year-old Emilie who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, fights back tears as he speaks during a news conference in Newtown, Connecticut. Picture: AP/David Goldman
"You couldn't think of a better child," Mr Grimes said.
Charlotte Bacon, 6
Charlotte Bacon's parents JoAnna and Joel and moved to Newtown, Connecticut four or five years ago. She apparently had begged her mother on the day of the shooting to wear her new pink dress and boots to school. Charlotte's brother Guy also attends the school but was not hurt.
Charlotte's uncle John Hagen told Newsday that his niece " was going to go some places in this world."
Noah Pozner, 6
This photo posted to the Emilie Parker Fund Facebook page shows a family photograph taken of the six year-old. Picture: AP Photo/Emilie Parker Fund
Noah Pozner was described by his uncle, Arthur Pozner, as "extremely bright."
His family had moved Noah, his twin sister and their 8-year-old sister to Newtown because they felt that New York couldn't compare with the education and safety that the Connecticut town had to offer.
"At this stage, two out of three survived. ... That's sad," Mr Pozner said.
11.45pm: The front page of the Sunday New York Times paid tribute to the victims of the massacre, with their names appearing in a simple design.
Massacre victim Dylan Hockley moved to the US from England two years ago. Picture: Facebook
11.06pm: During a concert in New Jersey on Saturday night, the Rolling Stones took a moment to acknowledge the victims of the shooting. "We just wanted to send our love and condolences to all the people who lost loved ones in the tragedy in Connecticut," Mick Jagger said early on in the concert as the audience applauded. Jagger noted the entire world was feeling the pain of the stunned nation.
10.21pm: World leaders have expressed shock and horror at one of the worst school shootings in history.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II sent a message to President Barack Obama in which she said she was "deeply shocked and saddened" to hear of the shootings.
"The thoughts and prayers of everyone in the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth are with the families and friends of those killed and with all those who have been affected." Read more here.
10.08pm: Saturday Night Live made a rare departure from its comedic opening to pay tribute to the children and adults killed at a Connecticut elementary school.
Noah Pozner, 6, was one of the victims in the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting.
Not known for treating anything seriously or tenderly, the show made a fitting exception during the first moments of its show. Rather than the usual comedic sketch, a children's choir appeared on camera and angelically sang Silent Night, with the touching refrain, "Sleep in heavenly peace."
Then the members of the New York City Children's Chorus shouted out the show's time-honoured introduction: "Live from New York, it's 'Saturday Night!'"
It was the night's sole reference to the tragedy and struck just the right tone.
Donna Soto (right), mother of Victoria Soto, the first-grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who was shot and killed while protecting her students, mourns with her daughter Karly (second from right), daughter Jillian (far left) and son Matthew Soto (second from left), at a candlelight vigil at Stratford High School. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
9.11pm: A petition posted on the White House's official online forum calling on the Obama Administration to limit access to guns, has topped 113,076 signatures.
Briefing reporters in Newtown, Connecticut State Police Lieutenant Paul Vance said police have uncovered "very good" evidence that should help determine why a gunman forced his way into an elementary school and killed 20 children in one of the worst shooting rampages in U.S. history. Rough Cut (no reporter narration)
Posted on the government's We The People web page, the petition aimed to get 25,000 names to earn the right to a formal response from the US government.
7.50pm: Overcome with grief, the people of Newtown have pulled down some of their Christmas decorations. Signs around town read, 'Hug a teacher today,' ''Please pray for Newtown' and 'Love will get us through.'
A handwritten sign captures the feeling in grief-stricken Newtown. Source: AFP
Firefighters pay their respects at a makeshift memorial near the school. Source: AFP
6.50pm: After Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday morning, police continue to search for a motive as more details of the tragedy emerge.
A couple leaves after paying tribute to the victims of the school shooting. Picture: AFP /Emmanuel Dunand
Police received the first report of the shooting around 9.30am.
The assault lasted about 20 minutes before Lanza took his own life.
As of now, police have not found any connection between the shooter and the school, reports the Washington Times Reporter.
6.20pm: The Herald, a daily South Carolina newspaper, has issued an apology after prominently featuring an advertisement for a gun sale adjacent to a story about Friday's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Huffington Postreports.
The advertisement, for Nichols Store in Rock Hill, S.C., features images of several Smith & Wesson handguns and an AR-15 assault rifle.
Police say the gunman who slaughtered 26 people at a US school forced his way into the building.
5.45pm: The shocking school shooting has prompted Queensland to question it's gun policy.
In August, the Newman government initially announced a six-member panel, comprised of pro-gun lobbyists and gun shop owners, to look at ways to cut red tape faced by gun owners when renewing licences.
Today Premier Campbell Newman insisted the state is not making it easier to own guns, as part of its review of gun licensing.
5pm: Shattered families and grieving residents are struggling with grief after the mass Connecticut school shooting.
The 'shy' gunman did not say a word when he entered one classroom and shot a teacher as children looked on.
A day after a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut's medical examiner told reporters, "This is probably the worst I have seen." Sarah Irwin reports
4.15pm: Police in Alabama have killed two suspects following separate shooting incidents 75 miles apart that left three other people dead and several injured, including two officers.
3.55pm: Gunman Adam Lanza reportedly blasted his way into Sandy Hook Elementary school, The New York Times reports.
Kitted out in combat gear, the 20-year-old shot his way into the school overpowering its security system which required visitors to be buzzed in.
Police were confronted by an eerie silence when they entered the school armed with rifles, the paper said, as victims lay either dead or dying while other students were quietly hiding, under instructions from their teachers.
Meanwhile authorities said they will conduct autopsies on the shooter and his mother in the hours ahead. All other post-mortems have been completed.
A younger photo of Adam Lanza, the suspect involved in the shooting of 26 people. Picture: Screen grab from ABC
3:30pm: Mother Diane Licata described how her six-year-old son Aiden ran past the shooter in his classroom doorway to escape after seeing his teacher gunned down.
"They heard noises that he described as initially they thought were hammers falling. Then they realised that it was gunshots," she said.
"And ... Aiden's teacher had the presence of mind to move all of the children to a distance away from the door on the side of the room furthest away from the door and that's when the gunman burst in, did not say a word.
"No facial expressions. And proceeded to shoot their teacher."
Ryan Lanza, the 24-year-old brother of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter Adam Lanza, is escorted by police into a cruiser in Hoboken, N.J. Picture: WCBS-TV
3:15pm: The bodies of 20 children and six adults shot dead in the US state of Connecticut have been removed from the blood-soaked school as police search for a motive in the massacre.
The formal identification of the victims in one of America's worst mass shootings has marked a new chapter for the horrified small town residents of Newtown, where a 20-year-old man walked in with at least two powerful pistols and killed everyone he could find in two rooms of the Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Authorities were able to "positively identify all of the victims" and formally notify their families, said Connecticut State Police spokesman Lieutenant Paul Vance.
The removal of bodies, which were initially left for investigators, "has been accomplished," he said on CBS television. "That was done overnight.
2:54pm: Sandy Hook Elementary will be closed next week - some parents can't even conceive of sending their children back, Leidlein said - and officials are deciding what to do about the town's other schools.
Asked whether the town would recover, Maryann Jacob, a clerk in the school library who took cover in a storage room with 18 fourth-graders during the shooting rampage, said: "We have to. We have a lot of children left."
2:29pm: President Obama is expected to meet with the families of the 26 victims when he travels to Newton later today.
He is also tipped to make an appearance on TV's Meet the Press.
2.10pm: British victim Dylan Hockley, 6, reportedly lived across the street from suspected gunman Adam Lanza, it has emerged.
1.15pm: Fox has pulled new episodes of Family Guy and American Dad that were to air on Sunday to avoid potentially sensitive content.
The scheduled episode of Family Guy had Peter telling his own version of the nativity story. The American Dad episode told the story of a demon who punished naughty children at Christmas. Both series plan to substitute reruns.
Actor Jamie Foxx said Hollywood should take some responsibility for such violence as he promoted Quentin Tarantino's upcoming, ultra-violent, spaghetti Western-style film about slavery, Django Unchained.
In an interview, Jamie Foxx said actors cannot "turn their back'' on that fact that movie violence can influence people.
1.01pm: A SIX-YEAR-OLD boy from Britain was one of the victims of the school shooting.
Dylan Hockley and his family had only moved to the US from Hampshire two years ago.
12.30pm: Authorities in California's Orange County said shots were fired at a mall in Newport Beach on Saturday evening. One man was in custody.
Shoppers at a Nordstrom at Fashion Island mall told NBC4 that they were on lockdown, but they were beginning to let "out the back" of the store. A shopper at Macy's said they heard 10 shots fired.
11:09am: While leaders call for prayer and reflection, a petition posted on the White House's official online forum calling on the Obama Administration to limit access to guns, has already attracted nearly 100,00 signatures.
Posted on the government's We The People web page, the petition states that gun control laws should immediately be introduced into congress.
"The goal of this petition is to force the Obama Administration to produce legislation that limits access to guns. While a national dialogue is critical, laws are the only means in which we can reduce the number of people murdered in gun related deaths," the petition states.
"Powerful lobbying groups allow the ownership of guns to reach beyond the Constitution's intended purpose of the right to bear arms. Therefore, Congress must act on what is stated law, and face the reality that access to firearms reaches beyond what the Second Amendment intends to achieve."
The online petition has attracted 99, 989 signatures. Any submission posted on that web page with more than 25,000 names earns the right to a formal response from the US government.
11:01am: US President Barack Obama whose emotional press conference yesterday echoed the shock and grief of many Americans, will attend an interfaith prayer service in Newtown.
The White House has announced that the president will join a interfaith vigil being held in the the Connecticut town at 7pm, Sunday, local time.
10:42am: Police remain tight-lipped about what may have triggered the second-deadliest school shooting in US history, though state police Lt. Paul Vance said investigators had found "very good evidence ... that our investigators will be able to use in painting the complete picture, the how and, more importantly, the why." He would not elaborate.
However, another law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators have found no note or manifesto from shooter Adam Lanza of the sort they have come to expect after murderous rampages such as the Virginia Tech bloodbath in 2007 that left 33 people dead.
10:20am: Nancy Lanza's brother James Champion, a law enforcement officer in New Hampshire and uncle of the shooter, didn't deliver a statement as expected. Instead, the sheriff of Rockingham County, New Hampshire, delivered a statement on the Champion family's behalf:
"The family of Nancy Lanza share the grief of a community and the nation as we struggle to comprehend the tremendous loss that we all share. Our hearts and prayers are with those who share in this loss: their families, teachers, staff and the students of Sandy Brook Elementary school, the first responders, and to all others touched by this tragedy. On behalf of Nancy's mother and siblings, we reach out to the community of Newtown and express our heartfelt sorrow for the incomprehensible and profound loss of innocence that has affected so many.
"The family requests that you respect their privacy during his time of anguish and loss."
The chief of police in Kingston, New Hampshire, said that Nancy Lanza lived in Kingston for a good part of her life and was a "very, very kind, considerate, loving young lady."
"She was very involved in the community and very well respected."
Police meanwhile have found more evidence at the house that Nancy shared with her son Adam, CNN reports.
10:10am: Connecticut Govenor Dannel P. Malloy has paid tribute to"the innocent little boys and girls" who were "taken from their families far too soon."
While many were searching for answers to the tragic mass shooting, he said it was important for the community to focus right now on "courage, love and compassion". The governor's comments came as it emerged that all six of the adult victims killed in the shooting were female.
In a reference to America's controversial gun culture, he also said there will be soon come a time for Americans to discuss "the public policy issues" which the tragedy had raised.
9:55am: Local clergymen are out in force as the community struggles to come to terms with this tragedy.
Few of those preachers have expressed outrage like Reverend Henry Brown from Hartford, Connecticut's main city.
"I hate to say this, but this isn't going to be the last time," said Brown, a member of Mothers United Against Violence who questioned whether America's elected politicians have the courage to enact tougher gun laws.
"It's all right in America for everyone to have a gun -- but if it's alright for everyone to have a gun, then why are we here today?" he asked. "Something is wrong with that picture... People don't need guns."
9:40am: The father of six-year-old victim Emilie Parker has described his daughter as "beautiful and always smiling". Bobby Parker spoke of his love for his daughter, the eldest of three girls. The family had only moved to Newtown eight months ago.
9:20am: Reports have emerged suggesting the victims were shot multiple times by Adam Lanza.
8.30am: Connecticut State Police have released the names of the 26 victims shot and killed in the primary school massacre.
All 20 of the child victims - 12 girls and eight boys - were aged six and seven.
Here are the names and ages provided by police:
Charlotte Bacon, 6;
Daniel Barden, 7;
Rachel Davino, 29;
Olivia Engel, 6;
Josephine Gay, 7;
Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 6;
Dylan Hockley, 6;
Dawn Hochsprung, 47;
Madeline F. Hsu, 6;
Catherine V Hubbard, 6;
Chase Kowalski, 7;
Jesse Lewis, 6;
James Mattioli, 6;
Grace McDonnell, 7;
Anne Marie Murphy, 52
Emile Parker, 6;
Jack Pinto, 6;
Noah Pozner, 6;
Caroline Previdi, 6;
Jessica Rekos, 6;
Avielle Richman, 6;
Lauren Russeau, 30;
Mary Sherlach, 56;
Victoria Soto, 27;
Benjamin Wheeler, 6;
Allison N. Wyatt, 6
8.20am: Lieutenant Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police has denied earlier reports that alleged gunman Adam Lanza was involved in an altercation at the school earlier this week.
One of the mysteries on which investigators will focus is why Nancy Lanza would have procured so many high-powered weapons. The Sig Sauer and the Glock are top-of-the-range guns used widely by police forces across the US.
It has emerged that Nancy Lanza mother was not a teacher at the school despite early reports.
8.10am: Post-mortems have been carried out on the Sandy Hook massacre victims and all the victims have been removed from the school, police said.
The full list of the victims has not yet been released.
7.50am: Connecticut medical examiner Wayne Carver has revealed most of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary school Massacre were killed with a Bushmaster assault rifle.
The doctor, who told a media conference the aftermath of the massacre was "the worst thing I have even seen'', said the victims suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
The rambling media conference has caused a storm on social media with the doctor being slammed for inappropriate laughing and joking with the media.
7.40am: A police source has said that alleged gunman Adam Lanza was involved in some kind of trouble at Sandy Hook Elementary School earlier this week.
The source said the altercation was between Lanza and four adults, and occurred on Thursday, the day before the shooting.
Three of those adults, the source added, were killed during Friday's shooting.
The source was unable to say whether the disagreement took place inside or outside the school, but said that it apparently had something to do with him trying to enter the school.
7.25am: NBC Connecticut reports that alleged gunman Adam Lanza tried to buy a rifle at a Dick's Sporting Goods in Danbury, Connecticut, just days before the shooting but was rebuffed because the state has a waiting period for gun sales.
Store employees are currently searching their store surveillance cameras.
Police say the suspect had access to at least six guns.
6.38pm: Adam Lanza's mother was a gun enthusiast who had an extensive gun collection and took her troubled son to shooting ranges,The New York Post is reporting.
"She'd take them to the range a lot. Nancy was an enthusiast - so much so that she wanted to pass it on to her kids,'' said her former landscaper, Dan Holmes.
"She took her two sons to the gun ranges quite a bit to practice their aim. She was a really great shot from what she told me. Whenever I finished work and went inside to chit-chat, she spoke often about her fascination with firearms. Nancy had an extensive gun collection and she was really quite proud of it.''
CNN is reporting that three weapons were found with the killer: two handguns and a rifle, all registered to his mother.
6.31am: An Oklahoma high school student is in custody on charges he plotted to bomb and shoot students at the Bartlesville High School auditorium on the same day 26 people were shot and killed at an elementary school in Connecticut
Police arrested 18-year-old Sammie Eaglebear Chavez about 4.30 am on Friday after learning of the alleged plot.
An arrest affidavit says Chavez tried to convince other students to help him lure students into the auditorium, chain the doors shut and start shooting. The Tulsa World reports that authorities say Chavez threatened to kill students who didn't help.
The Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise reports Chavez planned to detonate bombs at the doors as police arrived.
6.09am Parents tried to process the deaths of their loved ones by trying to imagine their final moments, a Newtown pastor told TODAY.
Robert Weiss is pastor of St Rose of Lima Catholic Church. He said several parents of children who were murdered by gunman Adam Lanza at Sandy Hooke Elementary School came to him for consolation.
"Many of the questions are just wondering what were the last moments of these people's lives like," he said. "They were wondering did the child even know what was happening, were they afraid, did they see something coming? And of course no one can answer that question because there were no survivors, so these parents are left with those unanswered questions in addition to just why this had to happen, why to their child?"
One murdered girl was going to be an angel in the church's Christmas pageant, and another was due to make her first Holy Communion. A 5 year-old had been excited about scoring her first soccer goal.
While one mother was talking to the pastor her phone buzzed with a reminder. It was a set alarm, telling her to pick her child up from Cub Scouts.
"She ... realised that was never going to happen again," Mr Weiss said. "The emotions of yesterday were just absolutely overwhelming."
5.47am A former pupil at Sandy Hook Elementary School has written a heartfelt column in The Atlantic asking how this tragedy could have happened.
He said he loved growing up in Newtown and hopes it will be remembered for more than just this massacre.
"There is more to my hometown than one horrific shooting, and I want people to know that. I want them to know about the Labor Day Parade and the General Store sandwiches, about Newtown High School soccer and the $2 movies at Edmond Town Hall, about how we put a giant flagpole in the middle of a busy four-way intersection that everyone seems to both love and hate at the same time."
Newtown was previously famous as the birthplace of Scrabble (originally produced by local man James Brunot), and is the current home of The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins.
5.33am Mass killer Adam Lanza, 20, had an argument with four staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the day before he returned and killed 20 children, six adults and himself, NBC News is reporting.
Three of those four staff members were among the victims on his return.
The fourth member of staff was not at school that day and is being interviewed by federal and state investigators.
NBC also said Lanza had four handguns on him when he stormed the school - and a rifle was found in the car he drove to Sandy Hook.
NBC did not report what was the subject of the argument between the shooter and the staff.
5.05am We are still waiting on the official list of the dead, which will be delivered to the media by the police medical examiner once identification has ended and families have been informed.
In the meantime, here are the stories of five of the adults and four of the children who died in the tragedy.
CNN report that the gunman had tried to buy a weapon a few days before the shooting, but was turned down under the state's strict (for America) gun laws because he did not have the correct paperwork.
4.45am The New Haven Register is reporting new details of the killer's arrival at the school when he began his shooting spree.
According to the Register, Adam Lanza got out of his vehicle in front of the school, shot out the glass next to the main entrance, and then went inside the building.
He began firing at staff members and students with a rifle and a pistol, then proceeded to classrooms where he continued shooting.
4.32am Library clerk Mary Ann Jacob told 18 confused and crying fourth-graders that they were hiding in a storage room for "a drill".
But she knew it was a shooting because she had already called the school office after a strange noise came over the school intercom.
"We were, like, this close together. There were crayons and paper in the storage room, so we tore some (paper) off and gave them clipboards and had them colour."
"They were asking, 'What's going on?' We said, 'We don't know, our job is to stay quiet, it may be a drill, but we're just going to stay here.'"
Sandy Hook Elementary School library clerk Mary Ann Jacob speaks to the press in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 15, 2012. Squeezed into a library storage room with 18 crying and confused fourth-graders, Jacob thought it appropriate to tell a lie in the interests of survival. "We told them it was a drill, so they knew what to do," Jacob told reporters, a day after 20 children and six adults were slain in one of the worst school shootings in US history. AFP PHOTO/Robert MACPHERSON Source: AFP
4.23am Town officials in Connecticut told Associated Press the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary was killed while lunging at the gunman as she tried to overtake him.
Board of Education chairwoman Debbie Liedlien says administrators were coming out of a meeting when the gunman forced his way into the school and ran toward him.
Jeff Capeci is chairman of the town's Legislative Council. Asked whether Mrs Hochsprung is a hero, he says, "From what we know, it's hard to classify her as anything else."
Mrs Hochsprung had worked at the school for two years. Both Ms Liedlien and Mr Capeci say she immediately became a beloved figure. Ms Liedlien says "it's so sad to lose somebody like her" and that residents are feeling "a deep sense of loss" over her death.
3.42am Lauren Rousseau, 30, was a teacher killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary school, Newstimes.com reports.
Devastated friends say she was having "the best year of her life" after landing her first full-time teaching job only months ago.
Lauren Rousseau, 30, a teacher killed in the gun massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Picture: Facebook.com Source: Supplied
Meanwhile, CNN is reporting that three weapons were found with the killer: two handguns and a rifle, all registered to his mother.
3.20am The last murder in Newtown was a decade ago, a police spokesman told a New Times reporter.
Police officers stand at the entrance to the street leading to the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Picture: Getty Images/AFP Source: Getty Images
Lt. J Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police conducts a news briefing in Newtown. Picture: AP Source: AP
3.02am Sandy Hook teacher Kaitlin Roig has told ABC News about the harrowing experience of trying to protect her class as the shooting began.
When gunfire rang out, she gathered her kids together - their classroom had a big, exposed and thus dangerous window - and rushed them into the small bathroom. She pulled a bookcase across the doorway, closed the door and locked it from the inside.
"I told them to be quiet. I told them to be absolutely quiet," Ms Roig said. "I said there are bad guys out there now and we have to wait for the good guys."
Kids would cry. Ms Roig would cup their faces in her hands and try to comfort them. "It is going to be OK. Show me your smile," she recalled saying.
"I'm thinking in my mind, we're next," she told ABC. "I wanted them to know that someone loved them and I wanted that to be one of the last things they heard, not the gunfire in the hallway.".
2.25am Police are hopeful that evidence will "paint a complete picture about how and why this occurred".
An injured school employee "is doing fine and will be instrumental in this case".
And that's it, until we hear from the medical examiner - who will also release the list of the deceased - and the school superintendent.
2.18am "Every crack and crevice" of the school, and the Lanza home are still being searched for evidence.
A medical examiner is finishing their work and will then come to give details of the victims.
The shooter forced his way into the school, Lt Vance says - he was not let in.
2.16am The press conference has begun. A list of victims is about to be released. All families have asked their privacy be respected.
"They are going through a very difficult and trying time," says Lt Paul Vance
"This is an extremely heartbreaking and difficult thing for them to endure."
2.12am: State police have put out a press release about the shooting.
It runs through the timeline of the massacre and the police response, from the first 911 call through to the forensic aftermath.
The families of the victims "have requested no press interviews and we are asking that this request be honoured.
Meanwhile, another victim has been named: six year-old Emilie Parker. The updated list of victims, as the names come in, can be found here.
Emilie Parker was killed in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Picture: Facebook / Parker family Source: Supplied
1.36am All 28 victims have now been identified, according to NBC - which may account for the delay in the official press conference which was expected to name at least some of the dead.
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan reports from Newtown that a truck full of bouquets has pulled up at the firehouse where families of the dead children had gathered before making the sad journey to the school to identify their loved ones.
Sandy Hook firefighters hang bunting on their firetruck, the day after the massacre of children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary school. Picture: AP Source: AP
1.18am A longtime family friend told the New York Daily News that the killer, Adam, had a condition "where he couldn't feel pain."
"A few years ago when he was on the baseball team, everyone had to be careful that he didn't fall because he could get hurt and not feel it," said the friend. "Adam had a lot of mental problems."
Friends and officials have told the media that Adam Lanza suffered from a personality disorder similar to autism or Asperger's Syndrome.
However mental health experts have pointed out that autistic people are no more likely to commit violent crime than people without autism.
"Should the shooter in today's shooting prove to in fact be diagnosed on the autism spectrum or with another disability, the millions of Americans with disabilities should be no more implicated in his actions than the non-disabled population is responsible for those of non-disabled shooters," said an open letter from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
1.02am A letter from the Pope was read to last night's vigil in Newtown, and at a mass for the dead.
Pope Benedict XVI sent his condolences to the community.
The pope "has asked me to convey his heartfelt grief and the assurance of his closeness in prayer to the victims and their families, and to all affected by the shocking event," Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone said in the letter.
"In the aftermath of this senseless tragedy he asks God our Father to console all those who mourn and to sustain the entire community," the letter said.
12.48am We are still waiting for this morning's press conference in Connecticut.
A CNN reporter says bells have rung out across Newtown, and families have again gathered at the town's church to seek comfort in their faith and in each other.
The bodies of 20 young children and six adults massacred by the gunman have finally been removed from the blood-soaked school, police told AFP.
The formal identification of the victims marked a new chapter for horrified residents of Newtown.
"By early this morning, they were able to positively identify all of the victims and make formal identification to all of the families of the victims," said Connecticut State Police spokesman Lieutenant Paul Vance.
The removal of bodies, which were initially left for investigators, "has been accomplished," he said on CBS television. "That was done overnight."
11.55pm The police are about to start releasing the names of the dead, in a press conference due to start any minute on a cold morning in Newtown.
Around the town, many are creating makeshift tributes to the lost. Local New York Times writer Emily Rueb posted this picture, of a simple farewell message in the window of the Blue Colony Diner.
A makeshift tribute to the dead, in the window of Newtown's Blue Colony Diner. Picture: rueby.tumblr.com Source: Supplied
11.20pm The first names of the 20 children murdered by Adam Lanza have been identified. The two girls and boy were all six-years-old.
Ana Marquez-Greene, aged six, died in hospital after being shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Picture: Twitter Source: Supplied
10:52 pm Slain Sandy Hook principal Dawn Hochsprung was always ready with a smile and "passionately" dedicated to the children of her school, shocked community members have said.
Hochsprung, who had just enrolled in a PhD program in education, was shot dead by alleged shooter Adam Lanza.
"She was really nice and very fun, but she was also very much a tough lady in the right sort of sense," Tom Prunty, a friend with a niece at the primary school, told CNN. "She was the kind of person you'd want to be educating your kids. And the kids loved her.
"Even little kids know when someone cares about them, and that was her," he said.
10:33pm The shooter in the Sandy Hook massacre, Adam Lanza, had a form of autism but was seen as "a genius" by neighbours, CNN reports.
A family member told law enforcement officials Lanza had a mild form of autism. Police said he had no prior criminal record.
"You could definitely tell he was a genius," Lanza's high school classmate Alex Israel told CNN, adding she hadn't talked with him since middle school. "He was really quiet, he kept to himself."
Other former classmates and neighbours, who are shocked by the tragedy, described him as "a nice kid, very polite".
A woman comforts a young girl during a vigil service for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Conn. (AP Photo/Andrew Gombert, Pool) Source: AP
9.32pm David Connors, the father of three triplets at the school, said at a vigil that his children were taken into a closet during the lockdown.
"My son said he did hear some gunshots, as many as 10," he said. "The questions are starting to come out. 'Are we safe? Is the bad guy gone?'"
Tracy Hoekenga said that she was paralyzed with fear for her two boys, fourth-grader C.J. and second grader Matthew.
"I couldn't breathe. It's indescribable. For a half an hour, 45 minutes, I had no idea if my kids were OK," she said.
9.01pm Parents are reportedly to be called in one by one to positively identify the bodies of children inside Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Reuters deputy social media editor Matthew Keys tweeted the news saying he heard it on WNBC.
8.33pm Monsignor Robert Weiss after a vigil at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, said that six or seven kids who had attended the church were among the 20 children who died.
"I think the families are very broken," he said. "I'm sure that they're still wondering and questioning. I think some of them are still hoping that this really didn't happen. The rough days are just ahead of them."
7.05pm Victoria Soto has been revealed as one of the teachers who died in the line of fire as she saved her students in the Connecticut shooting. Mary Sherlach has also been identified as the psychologist who was killed in the shooting with principal Dawn Hochsprung.
6pm Sandy Hook Elementary School and Nancy Lanza's home are still in lockdown, being treated as crime scenes, while a police investigation continues and the medical identification of the victims is underway.
5.50pm Details have emerged about Adam Lanza's family life, from a former nieghbour who spoke to the Washington Post. His parents, Nancy and Peter Lanza, separated about a decade ago, and his mother, raised their sons, Adam and Ryan Lanza, according to Ryan Kraft.
Kraft recalled their divorce had an impact on him. When Nancy would go out to dinner with friends, she sometimes relied on Kraft to watch Adam Lanza, who was too boisterous for Ryan Lanza to manage.
"He would have tantrums," Kraft said. "They were much more than the average kid [had]." Yet he was not prone to violence, Kraft said.
"The kids seemed really depressed" by the breakup, Kraft said.
5.38pm The US premiere of the Tom Cruise action movie Jack Reacher has been postponed following the deadly Connecticut school shooting. Paramount Pictures said "out of honour and respect for the families of the victims'' the premiere won't take place on Saturday in Pittsburgh, where Jack Reacher was filmed.
4.58pm Children who were evacuated from the school are being comforted with their parents at a firehouse where, outside, an American flag flies at half-staff.
Sign our legacy book for victims of the Connecticut shooting.
Counselors such as Rabbi Shaul Praver are helping them cope with the event, which has left them grief-stricken. Some suffered from "terrible anxiety," Praver told CNN.
"My heart is in a million pieces for those families," said mother Lynn Wasik. "Who could do something like this? It's just sickening."
4.15pm Police radios crackled with first word of the shooting at 9.36am. "Sandy Hook School. Caller is indicating she thinks there's someone shooting in the building," a Newtown dispatcher radioed.
Follow the audio of Police and first responders as they communicate from the scene of a mass shooting in Connecticut. CBS News
3.32pm Aimee Seaver, the mother of a first-grade girl at Sandy Hook, told CNN's Anderson Cooper that her children are having trouble coping.
"It's a very rough night here," she said.
"When your first-grader goes to bed and says, 'Mommy, is anyone from my class last year – are they all OK?' and you look at them and say, 'I'm not really sure,' it's a rough night to tell that to your seven-year-old."
How parents can talk to their children about the shooting.
3.28pm Janet Vollmer, a kindergarten teacher at the school, says she locked her classroom doors and - to keep her students calm - read them a story.
Vollmer, her 19 students and the adult helpers in her classroom were not injured, CNN reports.
"You could hear what sounded like pops, gunshots. Of course, I'm not going to tell that to five-year-olds, so I said to them, 'We're going over in a safe area,'" Vollmer told CNN's Anderson Cooper.
"And we read a story and we kept them calm, did a lockdown drill, closed the doors, locked (them), covered the windows, and kept the children with us."
3.24pm A photo of Dawn Lafferty Hochsprung, principal at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown has emerged.
2.58pm People have gathered for a prayer vigil at St Rose Church following an elementary school shooting in Newtown.
Others have gathered outside the White House in Washington, D.C., to participate in a vigil.
2.25pm: As the small community of Newtown held a vigil for the victims of the shooting, incredible tales of bravery by teachers emerged.
Music teacher Maryrose Kristopik was hailed a hero for barricading 15 children inside a closet as killer Adam Lanza stood outside.
Other teachers were also hailed for their calm response as gunshots reverberated around the school.
1.20pm: Alex Israel, who was a classmate of gunman Adam Lanza, described the killer as a "quiet loner" who was "fidgety" and "kept to himself".
Speaking to CNN's Piers Morgan, Ms Israel said Lanza was a highly intelligent student - "above the rest of us".
But she said he was never violent.
12:40pm: A classmate of gunman Adam Lanza described him as "just a kid - just a normal kid."
CBS interviewed the unnamed man on the streets of Newtown, and he said there was nothing about Lanza to suggest the 20-year-old would kill.
"I'm still in shock," the man said.
It's also emerged that the weapons used in the massacre were registered to Nancy Lanza, who was found dead in her home - making her the 28th victim of the shooting spree.
12:25pm: The sounds of the shooting were broadcast over the school's PA system.
Theodore Varga said he was in a meeting with other fourth-grade teachers when he heard the gunfire, but there was no lock on the door.
He said someone turned on the public address system so that "you could hear the hysteria that was going on. I think whoever did that saved a lot of people. Everyone in the school was listening to the terror that was transpiring.''
Also, a custodian went running around, warning people there was a gunman in the school, Varga said.
"He said, 'Guys! Get down! Hide!''' Varga said. "So he was actually a hero.'' The teacher said he did not know if the custodian survived.
11.48am: ABC news in America has obtained a younger photo of Adam Lanza.
According to AP, his brother Ryan Lanza has been extremely cooperative during questioning with police, who is believed to have revealed that Adam suffers from a personality disorder and is "somewhat autistic".
11:44am: Latest reports say Adam Lanza, 20, was carrying a .223 rifle and two handguns when he entered the Sandy Hook Elementary school shortly after 9.30am local time (1230am AEDT) and started gunning people down - after he had killed his mother Nancy, 52, at her nearby home.
Witnesses say he was going from room-to-room shooting people after first killing the principal Dawn Hochsprung and psychologist execution-style in the main office.
10:50am: A body found at the house of alleged gunman Adam Lanza, is his mother, Nancy, who was a teacher at the school.
Lanza's were separated. It is understood the father is being interviewed by police but is not a suspect.
10.37am: A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation of the Connecticut school massacre says the brother of the gunman has been ``extremely cooperative'' and is not under arrest.
The official told The Associated Press that Ryan Lanza, of Hoboken, New Jersey, is still be being questioned but is not in custody and is not believed to have any connection to the school killings.
But American television showed images of Ryan Lanza in handcuffs with police officers.
10.33am: More eyewitness reports continue including one 9-year-old who said he was in the gymnasium when the shooting erupted.
"We were in the gym, and I heard really loud bangs," said the boy, as he stood shivering and weeping outside the school with his father's arms draped around him, The New York Times reports.
"We thought that someone was knocking something over. And we heard yelling, and we heard gunshots. We heard lots of gunshots. We heard someone say, 'Put your hands up.''I heard, 'Don't shoot.'
"We had to go into the closet in the gym. Then someone came and told us to run down the hallway. There were police at every door. There were lots of people crying and screaming."
10.03am: The Governor of Connecticut, Dan Malloy, has told a press conference: "Evil visited this community today."
"Earlier today, a tragedy of unspeakable terms played itself out in this community. You can never be prepared for this kind of incident. What has happened will leave a mark on this community. The perpetrator is dead, as is the person the perpetrator lived with," Mr Malloy said.
10:00am: CNN reports that the school had only recently upgraded its security system, including visual monitoring.
9.48am: Eight-year-old Sofia Lebinski has told Fox News of the terror of being in a classroom during the shooting.
"I felt scared," the young girl said, adding "everyone was shaking."
Sofia told how after her class heard the first gunshots their teacher - Miss Martin - locked the door and called 911.
"We heard big bangs, like gunshots," Sofia said.
"Miss Martin locked the door and told us to go the corner and she called police and they came."
9.25am: A young boy tells US television he heard bullets going past him before a teacher pulled him into a classroom.
"It sounded like someone kicking the door," the boy said.
A mother is interviewed thanking her child's teacher for saving her life.
A person walks into the information center at a rest stop in Danbury near the Connecticut-New York state line, where a U.S. flag is raised half-staff in honor of the people killed when a gunman opened fire inside a Connecticut elementary school, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Source: AP
9.20am: A tentative timeline of events has been put together based on police statements and witness accounts.
CNN reports that at 9.30am local time (12.30am AEDT) the school principal, vice-principal, school psychologist and other staff were in a meeting.
At 9.40am, the gunman - dressed in black camouflage gear and military vest and armed with at least two weapons, entered the building. Almost immediately witnesses reported hearing heard shots.
At 9.41am, calls began coming into 911. The principal, vice-principal and psychologist go to investigate. Others hear more shots and shouts.
By 9.45am, children are being led to safety outside in various parts of the school. Police arrive at around 9.50am but by then the shooting had ceased.
9.03am: Reports that the school principal, psychologist and four other adults were among the dead.
Connecticut State Police spokesman Lieutenant Paul Vance says police did not discharge their firearms.
8.55am: Police say there were very few non-fatal injuries reported, indicating that once targeted, there was rarely any chance of escape, and that the gunman was unusually accurate in his fire.
Lieutenant Paul Vance said the majority of killings "took place in one section of the school, in two rooms.''
The gunman was reported to be carrying at least two handguns.
Local media reported that the shooter began in the kindergarten section where he killed his teacher mother and her class, then moved on.
The child victims were reported to be aged between five and ten.
People gather for a vigil outside the White House in Washington, DC, following the Connecticut elementary school shooting, December 14, 2012.AFP PHOTO/MLADEN ANTONOV Source: AFP
8.06am: A father has told of his six-year old son's dramatic escape from a room when the gunman burst in and opened fire.
Robert Licata said his six-year-old son was in class when the gunman burst in and shot the teacher.
"That's when my son grabbed a bunch of his friends and ran out the door,'' he said.
"He was very brave. He waited for his friends.''
Licata said the shooter didn't say a word.
7.55am: A law enforcement official said the suspect, now confirmed as Adam Lanza, was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and that his older brother was being held for questioning as a possible second shooter, AP reported.
The law enforcement official said the boys' mother, Nancy Lanza, worked at the school as a teacher and was presumed dead.
State police said 18 children were found dead at the school and two later were declared dead, and six adults were found dead at the scene.
They said the shootings occurred in one section of the school but did not give details. Police also said another person was dead at a second scene.
The law enforcement official also said Ryan Lanza's girlfriend and another friend were missing in New Jersey. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the source was not authorized to speak on the record about the developing criminal investigation.
Mourners gather inside the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church at a vigil service for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that left at least 27 people dead, many of them young children, in Newtown, Connecticut, USA, 14 December 2012. AFP PHOTO / Pool / Andrew GOMBERT Source: AFP
According to the official, the suspect drove to the scene in his mother's car.
Three guns were found - a Glock and a Sig Sauer, both pistols - and a .223-caliber rifle.
The rifle was recovered from the back of a car at the school, and the two pistols were recovered from inside the school.
7.18am: A tearful President Barack Obama makes live address to the US on the shooting, saying the nation will have to "come together to deal with this".
"Our hearts are broken today,'' he said, wiping his eyes during brief comments to reporters in one of the most emotional public moments of his presidency.
He said the children killed were 5 to 10 years old. He said the nation had been "through this too many times'' with recent mass shootings and has to come together to take meaningful action, "regardless of the politics.''
"We have endured too many of these tragedies over the years," Mr Obama said.
Wiping tears from his eyes, Mr Obama said he was speaking as a father.
He says US leaders must "take meaningful action'' regardless of politics in response to the mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school.
The president teared up, at times using an index finger to wipe at the corner of his eyes, as he addressed the nation from the White House.
He also paused repeatedly as he struggled to keep his composure while speaking of the children - ages 5 to 10 - who had died and the life milestones they now would miss.
He said, quote, "Our hearts are broken.''
Shortly before speaking, Obama ordered that US flags be flown at half-staff on public grounds through Tuesday.
People gather for a prayer vigil at St Rose Church following an elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, December 14, 2012. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel DUNAND Source: AFP
7.10am: Police say gunman's mother was a teacher at the school and she was among the victims.
6.56am: A chilling account from a child at the school, told to the BBC by hairdresser Marcey Benitez:
"They heard shots, their teacher locked the door and threw the children in the closet. The man was kicking the door, saying 'let me in', they kept quiet, then police came."
Meanwhile, a neighbour at the nearby home police attended - where reportedly the body of a woman was found - says two brothers lived in the house, and they were "trouble".
6.50am: More eyewitnesses from the scene:
6.47am: A young child told CNN "there was like police officers down on the roof and in the hallways. They didn't really tell us anything.
"Everybody was like crying and stuff."
NBC, and a New York Times reporter, have reported that the gunman's mother was a kindergarten teacher at the school.
6.37am: There is still plenty of doubt over the identity of the shooter, despite several media sources giving a name. A man named Ryan Lanza, who lives in New Jersey and in Newtown, took to Facebook saying forcefully "it wasn't me".
6.30am: An eyewitness told CNN she was at the school and heard a "pop pop pop" in the hall.
The principal, vice principal and school psychologist went out to see what was happening.
Only the vice principal came back into the room, on his hands and knees and bleeding from his leg.
A parent of a student at the school, whose child was not shot, spoke to Associated Press:
"I could try to explain it, but I'm sure I would fail. There's no words that I could come up with that would even come close to describing the sheer terror of hearing that your son is in a place, or your child's in a place, where there's been violence. You don't know the details of that violence, you don't know the condition of your child and you can't do anything to immediately help them or protect them. It is a powerless and terrifying experience."
6.23am: The Connecticut Post is reporting that the death toll has risen to 29, including 22 children.
6.15am: CNN has identified the shooter as a man named Ryan Lanza.
Here is a timeline of the worst shooting massacres in the US.
President Obama and the state governor are said to be giving statements soon.
6.11am: A home nearby in Newtown was searched by police. Locals told Fox News a body was found inside the home, and there is unconfirmed speculation it is the body of the mother of the shooter.
Meanwhile, though the president said today was not the day to talk about gun control, Twitter is showing no such restraint.
"27 SHOT dead by GUN at CT elementary school, 14 r kids, & if I say our lawmakers & gun laws are killing us I'll be told now ain't the time," New Yorker staff writer Philip Gourevitch wrote.
"We know 27 people were shot and killed, including 18 kids. If this is not time to discuss gun control, when is??" tweeted progressive radio host Bill Press.
"If any other plague was leaving piles of dead bodies all over the country, including children, our country would figure it out," said New York Times media columnist David Carr.
6.05am: Several news sources are reporting that the shooter was a 20 year-old man "with ties to the school."
This appears to be the nation's second-deadliest school shooting, exceeded only by the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007. At Virginia tech the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people and wounded many more, before committing suicide.
5.51am: State police spokesman Lt Paul Vance did not say that officers had confronted the gunman - which may suggest he was already dead when police arrived.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said today is not the day to discuss gun control.
"I think that day will come, but today's not that day, especially as we are awaiting more information about the situation," Mr Carney told reporters.
5.45am: The governor is on his way later and will give more information then, police say. Families of the deceased are being notified, and no more information on the dead - including the number - will be given at this time.
The public is no longer in danger. They are pursuing search warrants in the area, and in another state.
No questions were taken. That's all the information from the first press conference.
5.43am: A police press conference is under way. The first 911 call came at 9.30am, the officer says.
Both students and staff are among the dead.
The shooter is deceased inside the building.
5.42am: Mergim Bajraliu, 17, heard the gunshots echo from his home and raced to check on his 9-year-old sister at the school. He said his sister, who was fine, heard a scream come over the intercom at one point. He said teachers were shaking and crying as they came out of the building.
"Everyone was just traumatised," he said.
Richard Wilford's 7-year-old son, Richie, is in the second grade at the school. His son told him that he heard a noise that "sounded like what he described as cans falling."
The boy told him a teacher went out to check on the noise, came back in, locked the door and had the kids huddle up in the corner until police arrived.
"There's no words," Mr Wilford said. "It's sheer terror, a sense of imminent danger, to get to your child and be there to protect him."
5.40am: The White House says President Barack Obama has "enormous sympathy for families that are affected" by the shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut.
Mr Obama was briefed on the shooting on Friday morning (about 0500 AEDT on Saturday).
Spokesman Jay Carney said the White House would "do everything we can to support state and local law enforcement".
Mr Carney would not confirm any details about the shooting. Officials with knowledge of the incident said 27 people, including 18 children, were killed.
The president was first informed about the incident by his counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, and will continue to receive regular updates throughout the day
5.38am: A second person is reportedly being questioned over the shooting, though their connection to the shooting is unclear.
Meanwhile a home in Newtown is being searched in connection with the shooting.
The shooting is said to have begun in the principal's office, and the start of the attack was heard across the school over the intercom system.
5.24am: A law enforcement official tells AP the attacker in the Connecticut school shootings is a 20-year-old man with ties to the school.
The official said that a gun used in the attacks is a .223-caliber rifle. The official also said that New Jersey state police are searching a location in that state in connection with the shootings, said by an official in Connecticut to have left 27 dead, including 18 children.
5.20am: One report says an entire kindergarten class is unaccounted for, and "may have been gunned down".
5.16am: Police converge on the home of the shooter, who was reportedly the father of one of the students at the school.
The shooter was dressed in black combat gear and a military vest, and had two guns. One of the weapons recovered from the scene included a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
According to some reports a second person is in custody in connection with the attack.
Previously:
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still under way. Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity for the same reason, said the gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown was killed and apparently had two guns.
Stephen Delgiadice said his 8-year-old daughter heard two big bangs and teachers told her to get in a corner. His daughter was fine.
"It's alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America," he said.
The superintendent's office said the district had locked down schools in Newtown, about 60 miles northeast of New York City. Schools in neighbouring towns also were locked down as a precaution.
A dispatcher at the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps said a teacher had been shot in the foot and taken to Danbury Hospital. Andrea Rynn, a spokeswoman at the hospital, said it had three patients from the school but she did not have information on the extent or nature of their injuries.
State police said Newtown police called them around 9:40 a.m. A SWAT team was among the throngs of police to respond.
A photo posted by The Newtown Bee newspaper showed a group of young students - some crying, others looking visibly frightened - being escorted by adults through a parking lot in a line, hands on each other's shoulders.
Mergim Bajraliu, 17, heard the gunshots echo from his home and raced to check on his 9-year-old sister at the school. He said his sister, who was fine, heard a scream come over the intercom at one point. He said teachers were shaking and crying as they came out of the building.
"Everyone was just traumatised," he said.
The White House said President Barack Obama was notified of the shooting.
