At least 18 children among the 27 killed in elementary school shooting

According to preliminary reports, at least one gunman opened fire inside of an office at Shady Hook Elementary at around 9:40 a.m. Friday. Police have verified that the suspected shooter has been found dead on the scene while other reports, still unverified, cite the possibility of a second shooter. Police have a second person in custody but have not confirmed any charges.

At least two weapons have been recovered from the slain gunman. The age and identity of the deceased have yet to be made public, although federal sources speaking on condition of anonymity claim one of the assailants was a 20-year-old man with ties to the school. CNN has identified one of the gunman as a local named Ryan Lanza.

Multiple media outlets are reporting that the school’s principal and psychologist are among the dead. An early afternoon press conference has been scheduled to update the public.

Both state and local police are still on the scene at Shady Hook and the superintendent has ordered all schools in the district, both public and private, to be placed on lockdown. Lt. J. Paul Vance of the state police department said that both on-duty and off-duty officers responded to the emergency.

Shady Hook, around 12 miles from the town of Danbury, CT, normally has around 600 students in grades kindergarten through four.

Mark Boughton, mayor of Danbury, tells CNN three victims have been sent to a hospital in his city in “very serious” condition, though he declined to comment on their age or identity.

Upon being appointed as principal of Sandy Hook in 2010, Dawn Hochsprung told the Newtown Bee, "I don