Story highlights
NEW: The criminal investigation into the shooting may take until June or longer
The panel must meet a March 15 deadline for its initial report
Gov. Malloy is expected to use the panel's recommendations in drafting gun violence initiatives
It may be June or later before authorities investigating last month’s Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting decide whether they will pursue criminal charges in the massacre, which killed 27 people, including 20 young children.
Danbury State’s Attorney Stephen J. Sedensky, who heads up the criminal investigation, said Thursday that “no such prosecution currently appears on the horizon.”
But he added that “all leads need to be investigated and evidence examined before final decisions and statements are made.”
Sedensky’s statements came during the first meeting of a special advisory commission tasked by Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy to review state laws after the shooting.
“We live in a society that has destigmatized violence, but has refused to destigmatize (mental health) treatment,” said Malloy, who emphasized the need for greater scrutiny of policies that may have contributed to the deadly December 14 incident.
The first-term Democrat set up the 16-member panel of experts last month and appointed Hamden, Connecticut, Mayor Scott Jackson to head up the commission.
Connecticut governor orders review of gun laws
“We are here because of a tragedy,” said Jackson, who is tasked with devising recommendations to address gun control, school safety and the state’s mental health policies.
The panel must meet a March 15 deadline for its initial report, which Malloy is expected to use in drafting initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence. The group includes experts who reviewed policies after mass shootings in Colorado and at Virginia Tech.
Last month, 20-year-old Adam Lanza broke into Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, and fired an AR-15 assault rifle on students and staff before taking his own life.
