Graffiti with name of Sandy Hook shooter found at Bradley Hills Elementary in Bethesda 

MoCo police investigating Saturday incident, increase security at school

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April 13, 2026 11:54 a.m.

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Montgomery County police are investigating an incident in which graffiti bearing the name of the man who committed the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School was found Saturday at Bradley Hills Elementary School in Bethesda, according to Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) officials.  

“To be clear, the use of the name of an individual responsible for such a heinous act, one that involved the loss of life of young school children, can only be interpreted as an act intended to intimidate and cause fear within the Bradley Hills School community, and the broader neighborhood and community, too,” MCPS Chief of Schools Peter Moran and Chief of Security and Compliance Marcus Jones said in a Saturday community. “Please know that this despicable act will be met with a substantial and uniform response from multiple divisions of MCPS and the Montgomery County Police Department.” 

On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman killed 20 first graders and six staff members before taking his own life at the school in Newtown, Connecticut. 

According to the MCPS letter, graffiti was discovered Saturday on an existing sign on a fence at the Bethesda elementary school that “included the name of the perpetrator of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting.”  

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After the graffiti was reported, Moran and Jones said in the letter, it was documented and an MCPS building services team began the process of removing it. In the letter, Moran and Jones said the work was expected to be completed on Saturday evening.   

Moran and Jones said the incident was reported to county police and an investigation is underway. County police didn’t immediately respond Monday morning to questions from Bethesda Today about the investigation. 

The graffiti incident comes shortly after a fire that was intentionally set at an outdoor storage shed on the school’s property during the past week, according to the letter. Moran and Jones said the fire is under investigation, but it is unclear whether the two incidents were connected.  

According to the letter, there was to be an expanded police presence Monday at the school.  

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“We understand how both of these incidents are extremely unsettling and concerning for students, families, staff, and neighbors. Please know that school leaders, security team members, and our law enforcement partners are taking this very seriously,” Moran and Jones said in the letter. “Acts like this absolutely do not reflect who we are as a community, and we will fully partner with the police to support their investigation of this incident.”  

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine