Was Adam Lanza Physically Capable Of Carrying Out The Sandy Hook Massacre?

My previous post reminded me of just how often the claim resurfaces that it would have been “physically impossible” for Adam Lanza to carry out the Sandy Hook massacre, with his condition deteriorating more with each retelling. I can only assume that within a couple of years, I’ll be moderating comments arguing that he somehow weighed less than his AR-15 at the time.

What’s often left out of the conversation is how or why the architects of this alleged hoax chose such a frail patsy in the first place. Or why they wouldn’t just lie about his size. Surely, such a powerful group could anticipate this kind of scrutiny, right? Why not choose literally anyone else? These are the kinds of questions conspiracy theorists don’t want you to think about too much, as they might motivate you to engage in actual critical thinking. And they can’t have that, can they?

Adam’s Physical Condition

Let’s start with Adam Lanza’s actual, documented physical condition. As autopsy reports are not directly available to the general public in Connecticut, we must rely on other documents from the final report that reference the autopsy directly:

SHOOTER – AUTOPSY INFORMATION

The autopsy of the shooter was conducted on December 16, 2012, at the OCME. The shooter, age 20, was 72 inches tall and weighed 112 pounds.

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Seventy-two inches is, of course, six feet even. These exact measurements are referenced at least twice more throughout the final report:

On 7/11/13, Detective Jewiss contacted [redacted] via e-mail and advised that the shooter had a documented height of 6’00” and weight of 112 lbs.

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An adult white male, later identified as Adam Lanza (d.o.b. 04/22/1992) #27 [OCME#12-17618] was located just east of the rectangular table and northwest of the hallway entrance door within classroom #10. The shooter was later determined to be approximately 6 feet tall and weighed approximately 112 pounds, according to Dr. Sue Williams of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiners.

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While body mass index (BMI) is somewhat controversial, a height of six feet and a weight of 112 pounds would give Adam a BMI of 15.2. Anything below 18.5 is considered “underweight.” No argument there.

Much has been made of Adam’s anorexia, but according to the “Final Report of the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission”, which included numerous high-ranking psychiatrists, he was only diagnosed with the disorder post-mortem. Of course anorexia involves more than just being underweight; it includes an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of weight. While the experts who diagnosed Adam had access to much more information than the rest of us, this fear and perception were evident in his conversations with one of his few acquaintances…

Mention of Adam’s childhood rarely came up and It was not something that I steered the conversation towards. The times it did come up were related to jokes that were made about Adam’s weight… The joke that revolved around Adam was that he was fat. Obviously from his diet and his stature one can Immediately tell that he was not… To expand on the joke of Adam being fat and how it related to him as a child he told me that when he was young he looked a lot bulkier (in proportion to his height) and had fat cheeks. Adam had kept hamsters so either I or he had likened it to rodents stuffing their cheeks full of food.

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But also in files recovered from one of Adam’s hard drives. One such file, a document titled “tomorrow”, includes the following list on pages three and four:

• You will be FAT if you eat today, just put it off one more day.
• You don’t NEED food.
• Fat people can’t fit everywhere.
• You’ll be able to run faster without all that extra weight holding you back.
• People will remember you as “the beautiful thin one”.
• If someone has to describe you, they’ll say “oh she weighs like 90, 100 lbs”.
• Starving is an example of excellent willpower.
• You will be able to see your beautiful, beautiful bones.
• Bones are clean and pure. Fat is dirty and hangs on your bones like a parasite.
• If you eat then you’ll look like those disgusting, fat, ghetto and trailer-trash hookers on Jerry Springer.
• Anyone can have “inner beauty” but few can earn real beauty, inside as well as out.
• You’ll be able to move as quietly and skillfully as a spider.
• Only thin people are graceful.
• If you slap a fat person you can see a shockwave ripple over their skin. That’s disgusting.
• Do you want people to say “for gods sake get off me you’re crushing me!!!” or “you are sooo light” ???
• I want to walk in the snow and leave no footprints.
• Starve off the parts you don’t need. They’re ugly and they drag you down.
• Nothing cant be fixed with hunger and weight loss.
• Have you ever seen a person NOT notice a walking skeleton.
• Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
• Is food more important that happiness in life? I think not!
• Eating is conforming to everyone else’s expectations.
• Hunger is your friend and it won’t betray you like food.
• Food is mean and sneaky. It tricks you into eating it and it works on you from the inside out making you fat, bloated, ugly and unhappy.
• Thin people look good in ANY kind of clothes.
• Food rots your teeth.
• Puffy cheeks, double chins and thick ankles— aren’t attractive.
• Fatty areas stretch and sag as you get older.
• Ever seen the arms of a fat person wave hello or goodbye?
• Eating little to nothing saves you money!
• Big people sweat more and they smell bad.
• Fat people die earlier.
• You’ll be the envy of all the other girls.
• All of the guys will want you.
• You won’t be exposed to all the chemicals and pesticides they put in food today.

The above is not something Adam personally wrote; it’s a common piece of “thinspiration” often found on “pro-Ana” or pro-Anorexia websites. Here’s a longer version of the above list, found on a “pro-Ana” LiveJournal that was last updated in 2008.

Even without any medical training, the diagnosis seems obvious. However, the notion that someone with anorexia is incapable of strenuous physical activity (and I don’t believe for a second that a brief shooting carried out with an assault rifle qualifies as strenuous) is plainly untrue. In fact, according to a study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, 31-80% of patients with anorexia nervosa engage in “excessive exercise”, and it would be absurd to argue that Adam’s infatuation with the rhythm-based dance game “Dance Dance Revolution” resulted in anything but. From page thirty-two of the State’s Attorney’s report on the shooting:

Yes, you read that right: Adam is reported to have played DDR for four to ten hours a day, six days a week.

The State’s Attorney’s report continues:

This acquaintance is almost certainly the same one quoted earlier, regarding Adam’s perceived struggles with his weight. That same acquaintance also provided some additional insight into the shooter’s DDR obsession and, as a result, his physical fitness:

As the game we were playing was one that required a lot of physical stamina it was also one that was quite good for exercise and weight loss. The joke that revolved around me was that I was too old and my body was too tired to keep up with songs that required the most agility… It was a cause of concern for me because at times he did not seem to properly hydrate or really seemed to maintain the diet that would hold up his body for all the physical activity. However, people who have played the game for very long amounts of time build up a lot of stamina. I had taken years off between the game and did a poor job of exercising so I had lost the majority of the stamina I once had and rarely could keep up with him… One quirk was that physical exhaustion only seemed to affect him when he was really floored, he didn’t realty exhibit any of the other signs (heavy breathing, face flush, etc) until then. This may be related to the reports about how he was not particularly aware of his own physical state In terms of pain, etc… He wore a hat. I don’t remember if he would try to keep it on while playing. I don’t think so. Because it was only natural to start sweating when playing a physically exhausting game, Adam would make trips to the bathroom to wipe his face off. Whenever he came back he would use the window as a mirror and adjust his hair.

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Adam, in an AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) chat with an online friend approximately two years prior to the shooting, also discussed playing so much DDR that he developed a blister:

In addition to the above, I obtained, via the Freedom of Information Act, six videos of Adam playing what appears to be “Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA,” with the following two clearly showing his face (because you just know some goofball is going to try and claim it’s not him):

Here’s another video of him playing DDR at what is unmistakably the AMC theater in Danbury, CT, filmed mere months before the shooting. Somehow, it was posted to YouTube, although they wouldn’t let me upload the preceding two videos for “glorifying violence”:

And that’s just at the local movie theater; Adam also had a home version of the game, as seen in crime scene photos from the Lanza residence:

It’s not documented how often Adam played at home, but circling back to the “tomorrow” document found on one of his hard drives, there is what appears to be a daily schedule on the first two pages that lists DDR as part of his daily routine every single day of the week:

As it was always scheduled for 6:30 AM, in between waking up and showering, hours before any movie theater would’ve opened their doors for the day, this could have only been done at home.

Note that the above document also lists, among far worse things, parkour, gymnastics, the Appalachian Trail, and cross-country skiing—additional physically demanding pastimes—as some of his “desires.” It’s hard to believe that Adam would be interested in pursuing any of these things if his physical condition were even half as bad as conspiracy theorists routinely claim.

While the DDR videos significantly counter the narrative that Adam was too small and weak to walk around a single-story school for a few minutes while wearing heavy pants, they also debunk another common myth regarding Adam’s health: that the noise from the shooting would have been too overwhelming for him. According to his father, Adam was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at age thirteen. While studies have mostly focused on children, it’s possible that up to 70-90% of adults on the spectrum also possess some level of sensory sensitivity. Although sensitivity to loud sounds is common, it is not universal among those with sensory issues.

The final report mentions Adam’s sensory sensitivities only in relation to the taste and texture of foods, the comfort of clothing, and natural light:

There is no mention, and therefore no evidence, of any sensitivity to sound. The DDR videos strongly suggest that even if Adam were sensitive to sound, it was not debilitating enough to prevent the events of December 14, 2012. The sound level of a DDR arcade game ranges from 80 to 100 decibels (dB), comparable to a smoke alarm or factory machinery. While quieter than the 155 to 165 dB of an AR-15 being fired, it is certainly not quiet. Additionally, Adam wore ear protection during the shooting, as documented in the final report:

These earplugs unquestionably came from the empty Peltor “Blasts” package found in Adam’s computer room and is visible in multiple crime scene photos:

These earplugs are described as Peltor as their “highest noise reduction earplug with a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 32dB” and popular among shooting enthusiasts.

Total Weight of Guns and Ammunition

Once again, we turn to the final report:

Since the weights could not be determined from the actual evidence, all weights were obtained from firearms related websites. The following is the estimated totals:

Bushmaster XM-15 7.0 lbs
SigSauer P226 9mm 2.15lbs
Glock 20SF 1Omm 1.72lbs
Total: 10.87 lbs

.223 Ammo 301 rounds=8.09 lbs
9mm Ammo 116 rounds=3.05 lbs
10mm Ammo 90 rounds=3.37 lbs
Total: 14.49 lbs

.223 magazine 10 magazines=2.68 lbs
9mm magazine 6 magazines=1 .31 lbs
10mm magazine 6 magazines=1.12 lbs
Total: 5.11 lbs

Total Weight: 30.47 lbs

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At 112 pounds, 30.47 lbs. would be about 27.21% of Adam’s body weight. While it may be difficult to picture someone so thin carrying roughly a quarter of their weight around, even for a brief period, it’s imperative to consider the actual distribution of that weight.

The shooter’s green Eddie Bauer vest held two rifle magazines in the lower pockets and three pistol magazines in the upper breast pockets, totaling about seven pounds. His pants contained two rifle magazines in the cargo pockets, two pistol magazines in the rear pockets, his Glock 10mm in a drop holster, and his Sig Sauer 9mm in the left pocket, adding up to approximately 13 pounds. The only item Adam would have held in his hands was the seven-pound Bushmaster, initially loaded with a double-taped magazine consisting of two thirty-round magazines, seen here with blood visible on the duct tape that held them together:

CW Wade of SandyHookFacts.com also created the following graphic as a visual representation of the above information for an entry in which he covered this same claim ten years ago:

Adam also took a rather disturbing photo of himself in his kitchen in 2010. This photo shows him carrying multiple rifles, including what is likely the AR-15 used in the shooting, and wearing a very similar outfit, complete with what appears to be multiple magazines stuffed into various pockets:

He doesn’t appear to be struggling, even with a second rifle slung around his back.

Total Duration of Shooting

By all accounts, the shooting itself lasted around five minutes:

Hammond stated that she could hear more gunshots being fired. She stated that she heard approximately eight consecutive shots, then a pause, then the sound of the gunman reloading. Hammond stated that she could her the sound of children screaming from the surrounding classrooms. Hammond stated that the shooting lasted for approximately five minutes.

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It was fewer than four minutes from the time the first 911 call was received until the first police officer arrived at the school. It was fewer than five minutes from the first 911 call, and one minute after the arrival of the first officer, that the shooter killed himself.

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In that time, 156 total shots were fired: 154 from the AR-15 and two from the 10mm pistol. Assuming the shooting lasted precisely five minutes (though it likely lasted longer, as the first 911 call wasn’t made until after shots had already been fired), that averages to about one shot every 1.923 seconds. Of these, 98.71% came from the semi-automatic AR-15, which is capable of firing 45-60 rounds per minute, or about 0.75 to 1 shot per second. By this metric, Adam was not engaging in superhuman sharpshooting, contrary to conspiracy theorists’ claims. Additionally, most of the seventeen killed in room eight were tightly huddled together in the small class bathroom, allowing Adam to position himself in front of the door and murder 65.38% of the massacre’s total victims. This is reflected in the bullet mapping included in the final report:

How much strength and stamina are really required to stand in one place and pull a trigger every couple of seconds for a few minutes? The answer is “none.” This is someone reportedly obsessed with a video game that required him to stomp around maniacally for a minute and a half at a time, averaging seven hours a day, six days a week. And that’s without considering the adrenaline rush he surely experienced during the shooting.

Conclusion

Despite Adam’s thin frame and eating disorder, there is ample evidence to suggest that he was more than capable of carrying out the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. On the contrary, the evidence supports his ability to do so. According to one of his few friends, Adam spent an extraordinary four to ten hours a day, six days a week, playing “Dance Dance Revolution,” a physically demanding arcade game that involves dancing. This does not account for time spent on the home version of the game, which is documented in crime scene photos and implied in Adam’s daily schedule. Videos recovered from his hard drives clearly show him playing the game with intense energy and without difficulty. Additionally, individuals with anorexia nervosa are not physically incapacitated; up to 80% engage in “excessive exercise” to further control their weight.

So, which part of the shooting would have been physically impossible for someone who played DDR for an average of forty-two hours a week? Carrying just under 30.5 pounds of weapons and ammunition for roughly five minutes, while moving only a short distance in a single-floor elementary school? Mostly standing in one place and pulling a trigger? Walking from the fire lane to room 8?

Wow, what a hike.

Of course, none of these tasks would have posed a challenge, even for someone who did not engage in vigorous and frequent physical activity like Adam did. As always, the terrible events of that day—specifically their physical demands—have been greatly exaggerated by what amounts to willfully ignorant trolls. The frightening reality is that nearly any adult on the planet possesses at least the physical capability to have murdered those twenty children and six adults, especially since the majority of them were tightly packed into a small bathroom, unwittingly making themselves easy targets.