Gunman kills at least 21 at Virginia Tech

[lily]

This is truly sad. There are so many conflicting stories I don't know what to believe. I just wish for once, the newscasters would just step back a minute and get their stories straight. I honestly don't see the need to "phone interview" anyone with a cell phone, when it's clear that some of them just want to get their name on the news.

[Alonzo]

Maybe not the world, but certainly the worst we've seen in america for a long time. Unfortunately all we ever do is beef up security, instead of improving the reach of mental health services to prevent things like this.

[BoogyMan]

As I am posting this the news just increased the number of fatalities to 32. It is truly terrible day in Virginia.


Source: Link (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/16/vtech.shooting/index.html??2)

(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 worst school shooting incident 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.

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

The Associated Press quoted officials saying more than 20 people were wounded. A hospital spokeswoman told AP that 17 Virginia Tech students were being treated for gunshot wounds and other injuries.

Sharon Honaker at the Carilion New River Valley Medical Center in nearby Christiansburg, Virginia, told CNN that four patients had been transported there, one in critical condition.

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. (Watch police, ambulances hustle to the scene )

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.

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 )

"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. (Watch the police chief explain where bodies were found )

"A gunman is loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows," read a warning from the university.

"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.

[Labrocca]

Everyone paying attention to this? Gonna be big news for a few days that's for sure. So far ...32 dead and they are still counting bodies. This is the worst rampage in the world. That's a seriously high body count. The shooter should have been a soilder not a student. No other big details yet but I am sure this will be big.

[Drocket]

This is truly sad. There are so many conflicting stories I don't know what to believe. I just wish for once, the newscasters would just step back a minute and get their stories straight. I honestly don't see the need to "phone interview" anyone with a cell phone, when it's clear that some of them just want to get their name on the news.

This reminds me, yet again, why I hate the 24 hour news channels so much. They need to learn the magic of the phrase, "In other news..." Any time there's even a marginally big story, they spend hour after hour after hour after hour talking about it, even when they don't have even 2 minute's worth of information on the story. They just sit there and make shit up - I'm sorry, "speculate" - about what happened. They'll spend a half-hour showing a news conference that doesn't really have anything new to add, then another hour talking about how the news conference didn't have any new information. They interview experts who's qualifications for being an expert are, shall we say, questionable.

It's a big news story, and yes, people want to know about it, but COVER OTHER THINGS TOO. If/when you get more information, feel free to break in, but in the meanwhile, keep covering other stories and just give us a 5 minute recap at the top of each half-hour. Mm-kay?

Sorry, I got off on a little rant there :P

[Elrathin]

No kidding Drocket. Throughout the day I flipped through some news channels and I swear I was listening about a different shootout each time it seemed with the difference of information out there they were reporting.