Blacksburg, VA - School Shooting 4/16/07

[GFD70 4]

Date: 4/16/07

Time: Ongoing

Location: Virginia Tech.

Departments:

Description: Anywhere from 20-30 killed; confirmed shootings at multiple buildings on campus.

Links:http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266310,00.html

Writer:GFD538

BLACKSBURG, Va. —  At least 22 are dead after a shooting at Virginia Tech University Monday morning, the campus police chief said.

Police said there was only one shooter and he is now dead. They are unsure if the shooter was a student.

"Today the university was struck by a tragedy we consider of monumental proportions," Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said during a press conference shortly after noon. "I cannot begin to convey my own personal sense of loss over this senseless, incomprehensible, heinous act."

A spokeswoman at Montgomery Regional Hospital said 17 students were being treated there for gunshot wounds, and Carilion New River Valley Medical Center in Christiansburg reports that four people with gunshot wounds were being treated there. Carilion spokeswoman Sharon Honaker said one was in critical condition and three others were stable.

Judith Chambers, a spokeswoman at Montgomery Regional Hospital, said victims are being treated for gunshot wounds and other injuries. The conditions vary and some are in surgery, she said.

School officials planned a noon EDT press conference Monday.

"Police have one shooter in custody and as part of routine police procedure, they continue to search for a second shooter," the school's Web site read Monday. "All people in university buildings are required to stay inside until further notice. All entrances to campus are closed."

The school's Web site confirmed the shooting at opposite ends of the 2,600-acre campus at West Ambler Johnston, a residence hall, and reported "multiple victims" at Norris Hall, an engineering building.

Local FOX affiliate WFXR-TV in Richmond reported that one shooting occurred between 7:15 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. at West Ambler Johnston, and another at 10 a.m. at Norris Hall.

Virginia Tech student Blake Harrison said he was on his way to class near Norris Hall when he saw chaos.

"This teacher comes flying out of Norris, he's bleeding from his arm or his shoulder ... all these students were coming out of Norris trying to take shelter in Randolph [Hall]. All these kids were freaked out," Harrison said.

The students and faculty were barricading themselves in their classrooms after what one person described as an Asian student wearing a vest opened fire.

The shooter was "wearing a vest covered in clips was just unloading on their door, going from classroom to classroom … they said it never seemed like it was going to stop and there was just blood all over," Harrison said.

Matt Merone, a campus senior, was on his way to campus Monday morning when he saw a police officer grab a male student who was bleeding from his stomach area and put him into a vehicle, which whisked him away. He told FOX News that his roommate saw the first shooting.

Police are on the scene and are investigating along with the FBI. All classes have been canceled, according to the campus newspaper, The Collegiate Times, and students and faculty have been told to stay inside. Tuesday classes have also been canceled. Faculty and staff on the Burruss Hall side of the campus drillfield are being released and asked to go home effective immediately. Faculty and staff on the War Memorial Hall side of the drillfield are asked to leave at 12:30 p.m.

The campus newspaper also reported that because of serious wind, helicopters cannot be used to transfer the injured. Ambulances are apparently being used to transport the victims to Montgomery Regional Hospital.

The university community is urged to be cautious. Anyone who observes anything suspicious or has information about this case is encouraged to contact the Virginia Tech Police at (540) 231-6411.

"There are police driving throughout the neighborhoods with a loudspeaker saying, 'This is an emergency, everyone stay inside, we're looking for suspicious activity," Brittany Sammon, a senior Virginia Tech student staying at an apartment off campus, told FOX News on Monday. "There's no one outside at all, there's no traffic, there's nothing … everyone's doing what they said."

Sammon, who has a brother and roommate confined to their buildings on campus, said she first got the e-mail from the school regarding the shooting at 9:30 a.m. Monday.

"It was just very short and brief and kind of scary, because it didn't have any details at all in it," she said. "It's definitely nerve wracking."

The West Ambler Johnston dorm, commonly known on campus as West AJ, houses about 895 students and is located near West End Market and Dietrick Dining Center.

Virginia Tech has the largest full-time student population in Virginia, with more than 25,000 students. It consists of eight colleges and graduate school and offers 60 bachelor's degree programs and 140 master's and doctoral degree programs.

The main campus includes more than 100 buildings located on 2,600 acres, and includes an airport.

Last August, the campus was closed when an escaped jail inmate allegedly killed a hospital guard and a sheriff's deputy involved in a massive manhunt. The accused gunman, William Morva, faces capital murder charges.

On April 13, the campus closed three of its academic halls after they received a letter stating that explosive devices were in the building. Classes were canceled for the remainder of the day. A bomb threat was also made against Torgerson Hall on April 2.

"For some reason, this just seemed a little different … it was more than just a sick joke someone was playing," one student told FOX News about those bomb threats.

This is a developing story. Please refresh your page for updates

Edited April 16, 2007 by GFD538