CBS: Lanza wanted to out-do Breivik

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NEWTOWN, Conn., Feb. 18 (UPI) -- The Newtown, Conn., massacre gunman was influenced by violent video games and a desire to out-do Norway's most notorious mass killer, sources told CBS News.

Law enforcement sources told the network Adam Lanza, 20, wanted to exact a higher death toll than Norwegian Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in 2011. Lanza killed his mother at their home before heading to Sandy Hook Elementary School, where he killed 20 children and six adults Dec. 14 before taking his own life.

The network's sources said evidence indicates Lanza likely was acting out the fantasies of a video game, with each victim's death amounting to some kind of "score."

While authorities have not said what they believe Lanza's motive was, CBS sources said investigators found evidence he was obsessed with Breivik and came upon what they called a "trove" of violent video games in the basement of Lanza's home. The sources said Lanza spent countless hours in a darkened gaming room playing the games.

CBS reported Monday Connecticut State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance said, however, the investigation into Lanza's motive was not complete and any statements about the shooter's intent are speculation.

CBS said two officials knowledgeable about the Newtown investigation said Lanza, who also practiced shooting real guns at nearby gun ranges with his mother, picked Sandy Hook because it was the "easiest target" with the "largest cluster of people."