General Chat / Student Goes Apeshit At Virginia Tech

Chief: Gunman kills at least 21 at Virginia Tech

(CNN) -- A lone gunman is dead after police said he killed at least 21 people Monday during twin shootings on the Virginia Tech campus -- the deadliest school attacks in U.S. history.

"Some victims were shot in a classroom," university police Chief Wendell Flinchum said during a news conference in Blacksburg.

Police believe there was only one gunman, Flinchum said. (Watch the police chief explain where bodies were found Video)

Spokespersons for hospitals in Roanoke, Christiansburg, Blacksburg and Salem told CNN that they were treating 29 people from the shootings.

Sharon Honaker with Carilion New River Medical Center in Christiansburg said one of the four gunshot victims being treated there was in critical condition.

"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 killings mark the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, surpassing attacks at Columbine High School in 1999 and at the University of Texas in 1966.

One person was killed and others were wounded at multiple locations inside a dormitory about 7:15 a.m., Flinchum said. Two hours later, another shooting at Norris Hall, the engineering science and mechanics building, resulted in multiple casualties, the university reported. (Campus map)

The first reported shooting occurred at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a four-story coed dormitory that houses 895 students. The dormitory, one of the largest residence halls on the 2,600-acre campus, is located near the drill field and stadium.

Amie Steele, editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, said one of her reporters at the dormitory reported "mass chaos."

The reporter said there were "lots of students running around, going crazy, and the police officers were trying to settle everyone down and keep everything under control," according to Steele. (Watch police, ambulances hustle to the scene Video)

Kristyn Heiser said she was in class about 9:30 a.m. when she and her classmates saw about six gun-wielding police officers run by a window.

"We were like, 'What's going on?' Because this definitely is a quaint town where stuff doesn't really happen. It's pretty boring here," said Heiser during a phone interview as she sat on her classroom floor.
Student reports 'mayhem'

Student Matt Waldron said he did not hear the gunshots because he was listening to music, but he heard police sirens and saw officers hiding behind trees with their guns drawn.

"They told us to get out of there so we ran across the drill field as quick as we could," he said.

Waldron described the scene on campus as "mayhem." (Watch a student's recording of police responding to loud bangs Video)

"It was kind of scary," he said. "These two kids I guess had panicked and jumped out of the top-story window and the one kid broke his ankle and the other girl was not in good shape just lying on the ground."

Madison Van Duyne said she and her classmates in a media writing class were on "lockdown" in their classrooms. They were huddled in the middle of the classroom, writing stories about the shootings and posting them online.

The university is updating its more than 26,000 students through e-mails, and an Internet webcam is broadcasting live pictures of the campus.

The shootings came three days after a bomb threat Friday forced the cancellation of classes in three buildings, WDBJ in Roanoke reported. Also, the 100,000-square-foot Torgersen Hall was evacuated April 2 after police received a written bomb threat, The Roanoke Times reported.

Last August, the first day of classes was cut short by a manhunt after an escaped prisoner was accused of killing a security guard at a Blacksburg hospital and a sheriff's deputy.

After the Monday shootings, students were instructed to stay indoors and away from windows, police at the university said.

"Virginia Tech has canceled all classes. Those on campus are asked to remain where they are, lock their doors and stay away from windows. Persons off campus are asked not to come to campus," a statement on the university Web site said.

Before Monday, the deadliest school shootings came in 1966 and 1999.

In the former, Charles Joseph Whitman, a 25-year-old ex-Marine, killed 13 people on the University of Texas campus. He was killed by police.

In 1999, 17-year-old Dylan Klebold and 18-year-old Eric Harris -- armed with guns and pipe bombs -- killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.

SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2...l.ap/index.html



Latest updates I've heard on the radio say that it's 29 confirmed dead now (11:30 AM Pacific time). Shooter is one of them. Shooter was an Asian American student.

Unconfirmed reports say that he was looking for his girlfriend, who'd broken up with him recently, but that's from other students who told the reporter (has not been confirmed by police).

This is crazy.

This is crazy. The number is up to 31 now, including the gunman. Wow. It's hard to believe one person can kill that many people. I thought Columbine would be just about as bad as it would get, but I guess I was wrong.

Edited by DragonInferno, 16 April 2007 - 01:51 PM.

Wow... I almost went there. I was recognizing lots of places that I've been that they're showing on the news right now. Very sad stuff, I feel for the families of everybody that's been involved.

Wow... I almost went there. I was recognizing lots of places that I've been that they're showing on the news right now. Very sad stuff, I feel for the families of everybody that's been involved.

Ever seen Final Destination?

word.

words can't describe.

Scary, very scary and the numbers keep going up, it's on 33 atm... Really freaks me out coz at the time of the shooting I was sitting in a college classroom just like they were, same thing when Columbine happened. Going to school should not feel like playing Russian Roulette.

^You've been in college for 8 years? :S

No, I was saying I was in High School at the time of Columbine. I have only been in college 5 years

Scary, very scary and the numbers keep going up, it's on 33 atm... Really freaks me out coz at the time of the shooting I was sitting in a college classroom just like they were, same thing when Columbine happened. Going to school should not feel like playing Russian Roulette.

One campus shoot-up does not make going to college like Russian roulette.

Don't let the cable news outlets scare you too much, otherwise you might start watching them all the time.

I know a large amount of people at that school.

Luckily no one I know was injured/killed.

A friend of mine, her RA was in one of the classrooms that was shot at and she had jump out of the window...

Wait, was she the person who:

"It was kind of scary," he said. "These two kids I guess had panicked and jumped out of the top-story window and the one kid broke his ankle and the other girl was not in good shape just lying on the ground."

?

I don't know for sure right now, I'll have to talk to her again.

If the killer actually shot into the class/came in and shot then yes, probably highly likely.

Reports say that the killer did shoot into and try to get into a class at least once (he entered a room, fired on everyone, left; students barricaded the door, and he tried to get back in, shooting through the door twice).

Anyway, current death toll: 33, including the gunman.

This was kinda freaky for me, being here at Virginia Beach. Yes, I know they're a distance away, but it's still kinda odd. Just got back from a walk down the street and one of the hotel signs said, "VA. Tech, our hearts are with you." and pretty much every resturaunt TV was showing CNN, which was showing this.

i blame the music.
and/or video games.

My prayers go out to all those hit by V-Tech, in order to send support to the victims of the V-Tech dorm I am going to start a chain of sigs to show support for those at V-Tech by putting inspirational quotes about hope for the victims and those affiliated with them. Anyone who wants to follow it will surely be apprechiated. They can be any source as long as it is inspirational. Place the color as blue to confirm if it is for them.

I read in another article that the gunman entered the German classroom at Norris Hall and immediately shot the professor in the head before firing upon the students. That's what got me. Just imagine sitting in a class one moment then the next your professor has a bullet in his head.

I agree with Blitz; words cannot describe this.

This tops the 'terrorism' incident on our campus by far. (powdered sugar is not anthrax)

Scarry stuff, definately. I can't even imagine. If I lived there I would probably want to go home for a week to regain composure.

So after going through the day talking to most everyone, several of my friends lived in the dorm that the initial shooting happened. One person actually saw one of the gunfights apparently, and yes, the RA was the one that you were describing Corkscrewed.

My prayers go out to all those hit by V-Tech, in order to send support to the victims of the V-Tech dorm I am going to start a chain of sigs to show support for those at V-Tech by putting inspirational quotes about hope for the victims and those affiliated with them. Anyone who wants to follow it will surely be apprechiated. They can be any source as long as it is inspirational. Place the color as blue to confirm if it is for them.

Our freedoms were not under attack in this situation sir, the patriotism is a tad unnecessary.