BREAKING: At least 22 dead in US campus shootings rampage
Pastor Dale Morgan
At least 22 dead in US campus shootings Rampage*
POSTED: 1632 GMT (0032 HKT), April 16, 2007
Story Highlights
• NEW: Police chief says at least 22 people are dead, some of them students
• University reporting that a suspected shooter is in custody, another
sought
• AP: 1 dead, 1 wounded in first reported shooting on Virginia Tech campus
• Student describes situation as "mayhem"; says 2 students jumped from
window
(CNN) -- The Virginia Tech Police Chief said at least 20 people were
killed in twin shootings on the Blacksburg campus Monday morning.
"Some victims were shot in a classroom," Chief Wendell Flinchum said,
adding that the gunman was dead.
President Charles Steger called the shootings "a tragedy of monumental
proportions."
A hospital spokeswoman told The Associated Press that 17 Virginia Tech
students were being treated for gunshot wounds and other injuries.
Sharon Honaker at the Carilion New River Valley Medical Center 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, an engineering building, resulted in
multiple casualties, the university reported. (Watch police, ambulances
hustle to the scene Video)
The first reported shooting occurred at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a
co-ed 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 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 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.
After the Monday shootings, students were instructed to stay indoors and
away from windows, police at the university said.
"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.