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| -Lurid Crime Tales- | |
| Gunman Kills 21 at Virginia Teach | |
| 2007-04-16 | |
"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," said university president Charles Steger. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified." The university reported shootings at opposite sides of the 2,600-acre campus, beginning at about 7:15 a.m. at West Ambler Johnston, a co-ed residence hall that houses 895 people, and continuing about two hours later at Norris Hall, an engineering building. One student was killed in a dorm and the others were killed in the classroom, Virginia Tech Police Chief W.R. Flinchum. After the shootings, all entrances to the campus were closed and classes canceled through Tuesday. "There's just a lot of commotion. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on," said Jason Anthony Smith, 19, who lives in the dorm where shooting took place. Aimee Kanode, a freshman from Martinsville, said the shooting happened on the 4th floor of West Ambler Johnston dormitory, one floor above her room. Kanode's resident assistant knocked on her door about 8 a.m. to notify students to stay put. "They had us under lockdown," Kanode said. "They temporarily lifted the lockdown, the gunman shot again." "We're all locked in our dorms surfing the Internet trying to figure out what's going on," Kanode said. Madison Van Duyne, a student who was interviewed by telephone on CNN, said, "We are all in lockdown. Most of the students are sitting on the floors away from the windows just trying to be as safe as possible." | |
| Posted by:Bobby |
| #26 What are you talking about 'Mad eye spith'? You saying this wouldn't happen in the UK because we've been disarmed? The only people in this country who have guns other than the army and cops are criminals. And they have no problem about shooting up parties and suchlike, do they now? |
| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2007-04-16 20:39 |
| #25 Except maybe in Scottish nursery schools, like Dunblane. |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2007-04-16 20:25 |
| #24 Now they should be LOUDLY reminded that because students and faculty COULDN'T be armed with LEGAL weapons, they DIED. Posted by Anonymoose NO - This does NOT happen in the UK in the same way as the US WHY - Country wide gun control |
| Posted by: Mad Eye Spith1132 2007-04-16 20:01 |
| #23 Skynews says he was an "Asian"; another Japanese student unhappy with the results of WWII, no doubt. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-04-16 18:46 |
| #22 Okay, AP is saying that the same guy killed the one person in the dorm and committed the massacre in Norris Hall (as of 6:45 pm EDT). Still no name, still no explicit reason for the connection. |
| Posted by: Jonathan 2007-04-16 18:45 |
| #21 I give the Blacksburg cops some credit; they suck at protecting students, but they're doing a fine job of protecting the identity of the killer. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2007-04-16 18:34 |
| #20 Two years ago, VT banned LEGAL guns from campus: http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/xp-21770 Now they should be LOUDLY reminded that because students and faculty COULDN'T be armed with LEGAL weapons, they DIED. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-04-16 18:22 |
| #19 That's what it sounds like. The odds of there being two completely unrelated lone gunmen operating on opposite sides of campus have got to be astronomical against. I suspect either a couple of guys working together, or the one guy who really planned this thing out. I wonder how long until there are composites drawn up from talking to the two sets of victims. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2007-04-16 17:36 |
| #18 e-Larson, this thing about chaining the doors closed is bothering me. It's the kind of thing that gives me the impression of premeditation. What you say may have indeed been the shooter's plan: wound a bunch of people on one side of campus, hole up somewhere with your stash of guns, ammo, vest, and chains, then go to the real target. This guy thought this out. |
| Posted by: Jonathan 2007-04-16 16:50 |
| #17 Listening to the press conference - they don't have any idea how many shooters or what happened. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-04-16 16:50 |
| #16 The best way to prevent mass shootings would be to allow students concealed weapons permits. The old joke about Columbine was that if it had happened in East LA - the shooter would have been gunned down before he could have finished saying, "on the floor". |
| Posted by: Angaiger Tojo1904 2007-04-16 16:41 |
| #15 We need to rethink security in some areas. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2007-04-16 15:58 |
| #14 (sorry should have been "lone gunman" -- not to be confused with the 3 jamokes from The X-Files) |
| Posted by: eLarson 2007-04-16 15:51 |
| #13 The lone gunmen shot up a dorm, but wounded a lot of people--lot's for the police to do and talk to there--then sauntered across campus, allegedly chained a door shut (?!) and then started the killing in earnest, secure in the notion that the police were busy at the first scene? |
| Posted by: eLarson 2007-04-16 15:50 |
| #12 Gunman reported by a FBI man on the scene to be a loan ASIAN gunman. Now we need a def of ASIAN. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-04-16 15:26 |
| #11 Gish i wonder if the shooter violated any gun control laws? If not we need some. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2007-04-16 15:17 |
| #10 stop talking gun control. my point on that is that if someone wants too get a gun they will find a way too. remember the old saying guns don't killl ppl , ppl do |
| Posted by: sinse 2007-04-16 15:16 |
| #9 Note that Virginia Tech is a "gun free zone" and the university prohibits guns on campus. |
| Posted by: DoDo 2007-04-16 14:55 |
| #8 Jihad Syndrome If so then gun control seems a good option Not in UK - only boomers Actually, although university students can be every known sort of idiot, plus the novel varieties they make up on the spot, in this kind of situation a couple of armed students going after the gunmen would end the problem toot sweet... or at least the campus police. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-04-16 14:35 |
| #7 Jihad Syndrome If so then gun control seems a good option Not in UK - only boomers |
| Posted by: Mad Eye Spith1132 2007-04-16 14:19 |
| #6 At 1:45 pm (EST) Drudge is reporting 32 dead. More expected. Sudden Jihad Syndrome? Unknown. BUT, if so, expect a response. |
| Posted by: Mark Z 2007-04-16 13:49 |
| #5 "Teach"?? REWRITE! |
| Posted by: mojo 2007-04-16 13:44 |
| #4 3dc, glad to see I'm not the only one confused by the reports.. |
| Posted by: IG-88 2007-04-16 13:40 |
| #3 2 killers first one killed 1 wounded 21 2nd killed 21 (if I understand the reporter right and the story keeps changing) |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-04-16 13:16 |
| #2 Guns America... this |
| Posted by: Mad Eye Spith1132 2007-04-16 12:58 |
| #1 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Over. |
| Posted by: Anon4021 2007-04-16 12:56 |