The long anticipated final report of the governor’s Sandy Hook Advisory Commission may be delayed until after the second anniversary of the Newtown school shooting.
Hamden Mayor Scott Jackson, who chairs the commission, said since the Child Advocate’s office is close to issuing its report, which “likely includes information of value to the commission,” it might be best to wait.
“It is my opinion that we should continue to move forward, but not finalize anything until we see that report,” Jackson said Friday.
The Sandy Hook Advisory Commission has been waiting for the Child Advocate’s office to finish its report, which delves into the life of the gunman, Adam Lanza.
Assistant Child Advocate Faith Vos Winkel said Friday that her agency is still two and a half weeks away from a public release of the report.
The Child Fatality Review Board requires the Child Advocate’s office to conduct an investigation and focus on the “mechanism” for the death of the 20 children, which in this case “would be the shooter.”
The report seeks to offer a “greater understanding of the life of the shooter,” to prevent murderous future acts and inform prevention initiatives, Vos Winkel said Friday.
Jackson said it’s likely there’s information of value included in the Child Advocate’s report that the commission currently does not have access to. The commission has spoken privately with the gunman’s father to obtain as much information as they could about his son’s mental health, but Peter Lanza didn’t necessarily have all the records the commission sought.
The state police report released last December detailed some of Lanza’s visits to the Yale Child Studies Center where he was evaluated by Dr. Robert King and later by Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Kathleen Koenig.
The commission, which has been studying the state’s response to the massacre of 20 first-graders and six adults, is attempting to develop recommendations regarding mental health services, school security, and gun control.
As part of that process its been talking to victims families and debated Friday about when it would be appropriate to hold a public hearing to solicit even more information from the Newtown community.
But the commission decided that anything between Nov. 14 and the end of December would not be appropriate due to the proximity of the second anniversary.
“We’re approaching an anniversary and for many people in Newtown that anniversary starts well before 12.14,” former Rep. Chris Lyddy of Newtown said.
Jackson said since they don’t have direct access to the victims families it’s unclear if all the families who wanted to speak to the commission have been able. He said these are families who have likely been bombarded with information and “if they missed that one piece of paper on Town of Hamden stationary, they have the potential to be left out.”
He said he wants to make sure “everyone who was directly impacted by this tragedy who wants to participate in our process knows that they can.”
