ON ALERT. Connecticut State Police walk near the scene of an elementary school shooting on Friday in Newtown, Connecticut. Photo by Douglas Healey/Getty Images/AFP

NEW YORK, USA (Updated) – The suspected gunman who slaughtered staff and children at a US elementary school on Friday, December 14, was 20-year-old Adam Lanza, who also killed his parents, according to initial and sketchy reports from US media.

Police earlier confused him with his brother, 24-year-old Ryan Lanza, whose identity card the gunman was carrying when he went into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

According to US news networks, Lanza killed his father at home before driving to the school. But as the day unfolded and more details became more available, authorities said Adam Lanza began his killing spree at home near the school. It was at home where he shot his mother Nancy in the face.

Earlier, reports said details had yet to be confirmed whether the shooter killed his mother at the school, where she reportedly worked, or whether she was the 28th victim found in a separate location in Newtown. Police did not immediately confirm details of the attack.

At least 27 people, including 20 children, reportedly died in the shooting. If confirmed, the toll would be the second highest death toll in a US school shooting.

In a televised statement, US President Barack Obama cried and said he mourned the dead in the Connecticut school shooting. Hearts "are broken" over the tragedy, he said. – Rappler.com, with reports from Agence France-Presse