Virginia Tech shooting

[BlueChair]

What the hell is wrong with this world?

(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." (Map of Blacksburg)

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. (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 )

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 )

"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.

Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

[spooky girlfriend]

Shit's fucked up everywhere. This is especially hitting me hard knowing my daughter is headed off to college soon. . . . .

[BlueChair]

The death toll has increased to 31.

[Sulkygirl1]

I live and work about 10 minutes away from the VT campus. Everyone here is stunned.

[migdd]

Just saw the death toll has risen to 42. Incredible and scarey!!

[spooky girlfriend]

This is just horrible.

The secretary at Justin's school said that her neice attends VT but that she had talked to her and she was okay. Just so sad.

[Boy With A Problem]

Too many guns, too easily avaiable to too many nuts.

[pophead2k]

I stayed with my friend's parents in Blacksburg for awhile after Katrina. One of them worked in the engineering department at VT. Still trying to find out if he's OK.

[ice nine]

Just another reason why life sucks

[pophead2k]

Found out he was on sabbatical- what fortuitious timing.

[Tim(e)]

And still people will argue that it is their god given right to bear arms and govts on both sides of the fence will sit on their hands doing nothing about it for fear of losing votes.

[BlueChair]

Seriously - I've seen people argue that less people would have died yesterday if everyone had their own handgun. Talk about delusion... jeez.

Also, I'm not sure where migdd got his news but the final death count wasn't anywhere close to 42. Amazing how news outlets exploit these kinds of tragedies.

[migdd]

Seriously - I've seen people argue that less people would have died yesterday if everyone had their own handgun. Talk about delusion... jeez.

Also, I'm not sure where migdd got his news but the final death count wasn't anywhere close to 42. Amazing how news outlets exploit these kinds of tragedies.

Whoooops! The only news outlet that inadvertantly exploited this tragedy was ME! In my haste, I typed "42" rather than "32".

[bambooneedle]

This is no consolation but lucky it wasn't a terrorist or your country would be freaking out way more.

[Mr. Average]

Define terrorist?

[Emotional Toothpaste]

This is no consolation but lucky it wasn't a terrorist or your country would be freaking out way more.

As would any country I suspect, I failed to capture your point.

[A rope leash]

I'm one of those that feels like the death toll would have been less if someone there had been packing heat. In this society of freaks with weapons, why is it so wrong that I should expect at least some of the sane to be armed?

It's legal to arm yourself in Virginia, but there is a weapons ban at V-tech. This nutcase knew he wasn't going to be challenged. The authorities in this case have shown that they cannot protect us from such insanity...it is up to the individual to protect himself. This guy could have been stopped way quick if just one person had been holding a weapon to fight back with. In this whacked-out society, at least ten-percent of any organization should have trained weapons experts who should be assumed armed and ready.

Of course, there are those who say this "proves" we should get rid of all guns. That is a fantasy, like getting rid of drugs. Banning weapons is the last thing we need at this point. What we need is to expect Professor Plum to be packing, and protecting.

[Boy With A Problem]

I'm one of those that feels like the death toll would have been less if someone there had been packing heat. In this society of freaks with weapons, why is it so wrong that I should expect at least some of the sane to be armed?

It's legal to arm yourself in Virginia, but there is a weapons ban at V-tech. This nutcase knew he wasn't going to be challenged. The authorities in this case have shown that they cannot protect us from such insanity...it is up to the individual to protect himself. This guy could have been stopped way quick if just one person had been holding a weapon to fight back with. In this whacked-out society, at least ten-percent of any organization should have trained weapons experts who should be assumed armed and ready.

Of course, there are those who say this "proves" we should get rid of all guns. That is a fantasy, like getting rid of drugs. Banning weapons is the last thing we need at this point. What we need is to expect Professor Plum to be packing, and protecting.

I want to say, "you've got to be kidding", but you're probably not.

[Tim(e)]

"Of course, there are those who say this "proves" we should get rid of all guns. That is a fantasy, like getting rid of drugs. Banning weapons is the last thing we need at this point. What we need is to expect Professor Plum to be packing, and protecting."

What you need is firm legislation in place that prevents people with any kind of criminal history/record of criminal behaviour from having easy access to these weapons. This guy apparently had a recent history of stalking women and even setting a fire in his dormitory, yet he was able to go out and purchase a 9mm Glock in March??!!

I seem to also recall that the security guard responsible for the McMassacre quite a few years ago had a history of gun related violence in one state but was still easily able to obtain a job as a security guard in another state which entitled him to carry guns on his person in public... which he did to great effect.

Gun supporters love to cite the ammendment that gives them the right to bear arms (can't recall the number - 5th?, 6th?, 7th?), but they seem to forget the bit about a well organised malitia and the fact that it was put in place based on circumstances that existed over a century ago.

Sure guns are rife in your society and it is no easier to remove them than it is to remove drugs, but at least make it as hard as possible for people to obtain the things!! Psychological profiling won't do it - it needs to be across the board and across the country. How many gun related deaths are caused not by criminals but by fine upstanding law abiding citizens who just happen to snap one day (murder suicides etc)? I don't know the answer, but I imagine it would be quite a large percentage. The scariest statistic I once heard (I assume it is close to accurate) was that every two years, more US citizens are killed in gun related deaths than US soldiers were killed in the entire Vietnam conflict. And I heard that stat quite a few years ago, so I can only imagine it has gotten worse in the meantime.

Sure we still have the largest single "massacre" by a lone gunman anywhere on the planet, here in Australia (Martin Bryant - killed 36 I think it was), but if you look at all gun related stats over a period of time, they are fairly negligible and absolutely pale into insignificance when compared to the US, even on a per capita basis. Semi automatic weapons have since been banned here in Australia - can anyone give me one good reason why they should be made available to the general public in any city in any country on the planet?

[A rope leash]

We already have a background check and five day waiting period...what else can we do? Even if all guns were outlawed, there would still be guns, just like there are still outlawed drugs.

Our right to bear arms should not be given up for any reason. There is a process whereupon trustworthy people can become trained and practiced...and I'm all for keeping guns out of the hands of criminals as much as is humanly possible, but there are always going to be cracks, and there will always be honest people who go bad.

Bwap, you can roll your emoticon eyeballs all you want, but that's not an argument. If you disagree, why don't you explain your position on the matter? Are we all to remain disarmed and let the cops and criminals have at us? Do you think a law that would ban guns will really keep guns out of America? The law in America is a piece of ass. Don't you get that yet?

Bwap, if you knew what I really thought about this shooting, your emoticon eyes would be spinning like a slot machine. If one or two of the victims had been packing, there is a possibility shooter would have been taken out. As it was, he was free to kill for as long as he wanted. Yep, it ain't right, but it's not right to just sit there and get shot, either. How many of those killed would have killed for a rifle just before they got hit? We all have a right to protect ourselves...law authorities are not in the business of stopping crime in progress. The only way to be really safe is to protect yourself.

Now, what's your argument for being absolutley defenseless? Aside from emulating Jesus, I see no call for it. This is a dangerous society full of nuts with weapons. Should not the sane be thusly armed?

[bambooneedle]

Who decides who is sane?

Define terrorist?

Well you know what I meant - someone motivated by more than just revenge over girl problems or whatever, like because of religion.

This is no consolation but lucky it wasn't a terrorist or your country would be freaking out way more.

As would any country I suspect, I failed to capture your point.

That's where it happened, so that's where I was referring to. That's where it will keep dominating news and debates about laws and stuff will rage on, and there'll be most stress from the fallout. Had it been a member of Al Quaida, it would be much worse. No need to "capture" a point like it's a rabbit, it won't escape once you get it.

[Mr. Average]

Scary, but I once again agree with much of what is written by Rope above.

Case in point. Singapore was a major harbor for drug trafficing for decades, longer. Then they imposed the death penalty for even relatively small amounts of drugs, even pot. Death. No questiosn asked. Short trial. Death. Not caning. Death. You dsign the immigration form going into Singapore and read closely, because if you are carrying you have just signed you life away.

While I was there they hung two French dudes who had smuggled in moderate quantitiees of Marijuana for sale. They were swingin' from the yardarm in short order.

There is not a drug problem in Singapore. They met force with force. And the problem is no longer a problem.

Booooyah

[pophead2k]

Of course, the apalling lack of regard for human life re: small quantities of marijuana is still a problem.

[mood swung]

This thread is as weird to me as the 'share your grief' thing CNN set up about 5 minutes after the news broke.

[Boy With A Problem]

I can roll my emoticon eyes if I want - there ....I did it again.

I think it is absolutely ludicrous to have armed students and or teachers in the classroom....more guns = more death. That's the argument right there - more guns = more death. You will not sway me from that contention - which would be the crux of my argument - if I was inclined to get an argument with you over this - which I'm not....I've been around long enough to know how frutiful that would be.

Secret Service idiots in front of the White House accidently shot each other yesterday. These guys are supposed to be trained. Let's put a gun in the hand of the Art History Grad Assistant -

http://www.nbc4.com/news/12298880/detai ... c&psp=news