Peter Lanza is the father of Adam Lanza, who is thought to have taken his own life shortly after carrying out Friday's massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. He released a statement to WFSB television in Connecticut.
"Our hearts go out to the family and friends who lost loved ones and to all those who were injured. Our family is grieving along with all those who have been affected by this enormous tragedy," the statement said.
"No words can truly express how heartbroken we are. We are in a state of disbelief in trying to find whatever answers we can," it continued.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"We, too, are asking why. We have cooperated fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so. Like so many of you, we are saddened and struggling to make sense of what has transpired."
Lanza was divorced from Adam's mother Nancy. Adam lived with his mother in Newtown, and she is thought to have been his first victim before he set off for the school.
The slain mother owned a registered collection of guns, including those used in the attack.
OBAMA TO ATTEND MEMORIAL
President Barack Obama will attend a memorial service on Sunday in Newtown, Connecticut, the site of
Friday's deadly elementary school shooting.
Hours after the shooting, a tearful Obama said he grieved first as a father. In those remarks and later in his Saturday radio address, the president called for "meaningful action" to prevent such shootings, but did not say what it should be.
Obama's visit to Newtown for an inter-faith vigil on Sunday would be the fourth time he has travelled to a city after a mass shooting.
The president had planned to travel to Maine on Wednesday for an event promoting his positions in "fiscal cliff" negotiations, but the White House cancelled that trip because of the shooting.
