Sandy Hook report does not link perpetrator's actions to video games
A report on the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting has detailed the gaming habits of the perpetrator, but did not draw any links with his appalling actions.
GamePolitics reports that the investigation found "the shooter acted alone and was solely criminally responsible for his actions of that day".
The Connecticut State Attorney summarised the report's findings, placing responsibility solely on the shooter's shoulders without nominating an explicit motive.
“The shooter had significant mental health issues that, while not affecting the criminality of the shooter’s mental state for the crimes or his criminal responsibility for them, did affect his ability to live a normal life and to interact with others, even those to whom he should have been close. Whether this contributed in any way is unknown," the report said.
"The shooter did not recognise or help himself deal with those issues. He had a familiarity with and access to firearms and ammunition and an obsession with mass murders, in particular the Columbine shootings.”
You'll notice the summary makes no mention of video games as a possible cause, despite political and media talk about a link in the wake of the tragedy. The perpetrator did indeed play video games, including regular weekend sessions of Dance Dance Revolution lasting between four and ten hours.
His collection of games included Dynasty Tactics, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts 2, Onimusha, Dynasty Warriors, The Two Towers, Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, Call of Duty: Finest Hour, Dead or Alive 3, Halo, Halo 2, Lego Star Wars, MechAssault, Mercenaries, MGS2 Substance, Panzer Dragoon ORTA, PSO, Shenmue II, Spiderman, Splinter Cell 2, Splinter Cell-CT, Star Wars Battlefront, Star Wars Republic Commando, Tenchu: Return from Darkness, The Return of the King, Worms Forts Under Seige, Left for Dead, Metal Gear Solid, Dead Rising, Half Life, Battlefield, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Shin Megami Tensei, Dynasty Warriors, Vice City, Team Fortress and Doom. He was also said to be a fan of Super Mario Bros., Phantasy Star Online, Paper Mario, Luigi’s Mansion and Pikmin.
The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary occured in December 2012, and resulted in the deaths of 27 children and staff. The full report has been made available to the public.