NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) -- The massacre of 26 children and adults at a Connecticut school is inspiring soul-searching worldwide even as it raises more basic questions about the gunman's motive.

Authorities say 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot his mother, drove her car to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, and shot 20 children, six adults and himself.

Those who knew Lanza describe him as brilliant but remote. A law enforcement official says Lanza is believed to have suffered from a personality disorder.

An official says investigators believe Lanza attended the school several years ago but appeared to have no recent connection to it.

Reaction to the shooting has been swift in emotional from Newtown to the corners of the world, including China and Australia.

AP-WF-12-15-12 0803GMT

• Conn. School Shooting