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28TH AUG 2008
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 The gunman who murdered 32 people in the worst university campus shooting in American history has been identified by police. 32 people were killed and 15 others were injured. The man has not yet been officially named, he opened fire in a dormitory at Virginia Tech College in Virginia.
Reports claim he initially gunned down his girlfriend after she dumped him, after which, he shot down a man thought to be a student counsellor.
He later took to the classroom killing several more... The deaths came at approximately 7.15am (local time) at a co-educational hall of residence housing 895 people at West Ambler Johnston.
At 9.45am, more shootings were reported in Norris Hall, an engineering building. The killer reportedly walked into classrooms and systematically opened fire on teachers and students.
One student was shot in the arm, he said he hid under the desk as the man proceeded to shoot everyone else in the class.
Students have voiced their anger, it's not yet clear what happened in the time between the first and second shooting and why the gunman was not apprehended however college police chief Wendell Flinchum said authorities believed the first shooting was an isolated incident and there was therefore no need to close the campus.
 Police have not said whether the gunman was a student but witnesses said he seemed to know his way around the buildings, chaining the doors to stop students from escaping.
One student described him as "a little bit under six feet tall, young looking, Asian, dressed sort of strangely almost like a boy scout, very short-sleeved light, tan shirt and some sort of ammo vest with black over it"
The killer, however had no mobile phone and his fingerprints did not match any on file. His face was disfigured when he shot himself and he carried no ID papers.
Eyewitnesses said several students jumped from classroom windows to escape the gunfire, which triggered panic on campus.
Some of those that were locked inside the university buildings were using the Internet to try to discover information about what was happening and many emailed the BBC website. One student described how his class in Norris Hall barricaded the door against the gunman.
"The shooter tried to open the door, but my classmates kept it well shut, as they held the table against it from floor level. The shooter shot the door twice at chest level, which resulted in two holes in the door, one of which hit the podium in the front of the class room and the other continued out the window. At this point he reloaded, shot the door again - this shot did not penetrate = and moved on to the other classrooms" Nikolas Macko said.
Police said the gunman took his own life on the 2,6000 acre campus
The names of the victims have not been officially released but information has been trickling out and students are beginning to learn the deaths of their friends.
President Bush has commented. "Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When the sanctuary is violated the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community"
The Queen, who is due to visit to the state of Virginia in May said she was "shocked and saddened" by the incident.
Approx 26,000 students attend Virginia Tech. It's located in the southwest corner of the state about 240 miles from Washington DC
These shootings are the worst on a US College campus since Charles Whitman went crazy at the University of Texas back in 1966. He killed 15 people. including his wife and mother the night before and wounded 31 others.
[B0]Related Links
Virginia State Homepage
University News
Student News
Provided by The Student Zone (United States) |
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