[Mrluvaluva]

Breaking news from Sky News:

One person has been killed and at least 17 injured after a gunmen opened fire on an American college campus.

More to follow...

[Mrluvaluva]

From BBC News:

A multiple shooting on the campus of a university in Virginia, US, has left at least one person dead and eight injured, state officials have said.
The shootings at Virginia Tech reportedly took place at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a student dormitory, and Norris Hall, an engineering building.

Police say a suspect is in custody, but students have been advised to stay indoors while sweeps are carried out.

The state university in the town of Blacksburg is home to 26,000 students.

"There's just a lot of commotion. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on," Jason Anthony Smith, 19, who lives in the dormitory where the shooting took place told the Associated Press news agency.

"We're all locked in our dorms surfing the internet trying to figure out what's going on," Aimee Kanode, another resident at the dormitory, said.

"Those on campus are asked to remain where they are, lock their doors and stay away from windows," a message posted on the university's website said.

"Police have one shooter in custody and as part of routine police procedure, they continue to search for a second shooter," the message also said.

[Mrluvaluva]

BBC News site now saying at least 20 dead.

[Mrluvaluva]

At least 20 people have been killed and more injured after a gunman went on the rampage at the campus of Virginia Tech university in Virginia, US.
Police say there were two separate shooting incidents - one at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a student dormitory, and Norris Hall, an engineering building.

The incidents were about two hours apart. Police say that the gunman at Norris Hall is dead.

The state university in the town of Blacksburg is home to 26,000 students.

from bbc.co.uk/news

[Mrluvaluva]

Anger over US shooting warnings

Survivors of the worst shooting rampage in US history have criticised authorities for waiting too long to alert people a gunman was on the loose.
The gunman killed 32 at Virginia Tech university, before killing himself.

There were two hours between the two separate attacks - 30 of the victims were killed in the second one.

Students have asked why the campus was not locked down, but officials defended their actions, saying they could not have foreseen the second incident.

President George W Bush said the US was "shocked and saddened" by the attack at the university in the town of Blacksburg, home to 26,000 students.

Motive unclear

Many unanswered questions remain about the attacks.

Police have still not said for sure that the two attacks were linked. They have confirmed that two handguns were recovered.

They say they have a preliminary ID of the dead gunman but have not released it. There is no clue yet as to any motive.

Virginia Tech police chief Wendell Flinchum also refused to rule out the possibility of a co-conspirator.

"I'm not saying there is someone out there, and I'm not saying there is someone who is not," he said.

Police have also not said whether the gunman was a student but witnesses said he seemed to know a lot about the buildings, chaining doors to stop students escaping.

One student, Erin Sheehan, 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".

Some students complained angrily that they had received no warning from the university until an e-mail more than two hours after the first incident.

There were no public-address announcements, they said.

Student Billy Bason, 18, said: "I think the university has blood on their hands because of their lack of action after the first incident."

Graduate student Erin Mabry said: "There was a two-hour gap between the two incidents. There is no excuse for a two-hour time gap with no information."

But Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said: "We had no reason to suspect any other incident was going to occur.

"We can only make decisions based on the information you had at the time. You don't have hours to reflect on it."

Chief Flinchum said emergency services received a call at 0715 (1215 GMT) alerting them to a shooting at a dormitory - West Ambler Johnston Hall.

The second shooting was at the engineering building, Norris Hall.

Police said they thought the first incident was isolated and "domestic" and that the gunman had left the campus.

Eyewitnesses said some students jumped from classroom windows to escape the gunfire, which triggered panic on campus.



WORST US SCHOOLS SHOOTINGS

1 August 1966 - Sniper Charles Whitman kills 14 people and injures dozens at University of Texas

20 April 1999 - Two teenagers at Columbine High School, Colorado, kill 13 before killing themselves

21 March 2005 - A teenager on an Indian reservation in Red Lake, Minnesota, kills nine


Some of those locked down inside the university buildings were using the internet to try to glean information about what was happening and many e-mailed the BBC News website.

Nikolas Macko described how his class in Norris Hall barricaded a 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," Mr Macko said.

Officials said counsellors were in place at the campus for student families.

The names of the victims have not been officially released but information has been trickling out and students are beginning to learn of the deaths of their friends.

The deadliest mass US shooting prior to the Virginia attack was in Texas in 1991 when George Hennard killed 23 people and himself in a cafeteria.

The US also has a history of deadly school shootings.

In 1966, the day after killing his wife and mother, gunman Charles Whitman opened fire from a tower on the campus of the University of Texas killing 14 people and injuring 31 others.

In 1999 two teenagers at Columbine High School in Colorado killed 12 fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives.

[Mrluvaluva]

Update from Sky News

University Gunman Named
Updated: 16:19, Tuesday April 17, 2007

Police have released the first photograph of the man who shot dead 32 people in the worst ever massacre on an American university campus.

He has been named as Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old South Korean who was studying English at Virginia Tech and lived on campus.

Police say he was armed with two handguns, one a 9mm pistol which was used in both sets of killings.

The university and local officials have given an update on the tragedy. You can watch the press conference here on Sky News Online.

Colonel Steve Flaherty, superintendent of the Virginia State Police, said: "It's certainly reasonable to assume that Cho was the shooter in both cases."

Some of the victims Police have also revealed Cho was carrying a backpack that contained receipts for a Glock 9mm pistol bought last month. He was a legal resident of the US.

The names of six of the victims have now been released. They were Ryan Clark, Kevin Granata, Jamie Bishop, Emily Hilscher, Prof G V Loganathan, and Prof Liviu Libresscu.

Some 28 students were admitted to hospital after the shootings but all are in a stable condition.

Cho murdered two people in a dormitory before killing 30 more in four classrooms about two hours later.

He then took his own life by shooting himself in the head. His body was found among some of his victims.

Virginia Tech president Charles Steger has defended an apparent delay in warning students a killer was on the loose.

Students cower in a classroom Many have said they heard nothing until more than two hours after the first attack - and then only in an email from the university.

"We knew that there was a shooting but we thought it was confined to a particular setting," Mr Steger said.

No motive has been given for the killings, although Cho is said to have had a row in a dormitory with his girlfriend. He apparently believed she was seeing another man.

At 7.15am local time, a student advisor arrived on the scene and Cho produced a handgun. He shot a man and a woman.

He then made his way to Norris Hall, an engineering block half a mile away on the other side of the 2,600-acre campus.

Investigators gather evidence Reports said he lined victims against walls before calmly shooting them "execution-style".

A further 15 people were hurt, some jumping from second-floor windows to escape the gunfire.

Others blocked their classroom doors and hid under desks.

Virginia Tech, which has 26,000 students, is located in the southwest corner of the state, about 240 miles from Washington DC.

[lily.]

Now he's more famous than Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. What a claim to fame.

[lily.]

One of the victims:

http://www.myspace.com/mattjlaporte

[Mrluvaluva]

That last comment left there is quite sad.

[lily.]

And the official Virginia Tech myspace page:


http://www.myspace.com/thehokies

[MarkWaldorf]

Originally posted by Stropz
One of the victims:

http://www.myspace.com/mattjlaporte

Last Login: 4/15/2007

[lily.]

Yeah, when you read through some of the random chatter in the comments it brings it home doesn't it. Just a regular guy goin to college, and having a life, and just like that.. gone.

[MarkWaldorf]

True, it's weird how everything shown on that Myspace will never be done again. He'll never log in again, he'll never see his friends on there again.

[lily.]

Aye, that's what I mean Mark. Makes him more than just a random name in the news doesn't it? Makes him a person with a life and friends. Makes him more real, if that makes sense.

[MarkWaldorf]

Yeah, makes sense.

What about the parents thoough?

[Mrluvaluva]

The student who shot dead at least 30 people at Virginia Tech University was admitted to a mental health unit in late 2005, police have revealed.
Cho Seung-hui was sent for evaluation after two female students made complaints against him, they said.

The complaints were made in November and December 2005, around the time Cho's English teachers raised concerns over his writing and general behaviour.

Authorities have not yet linked the 23-year old to any of those he killed.

The two women who complained about Cho's behaviour were not among the victims, officials said.

However, police told a news conference at the university that Cho was well known both to campus authorities and local law enforcement agencies.

In the aftermath of the shootings, teachers and fellow students have spoken of Cho's moods, violent writings and unpredictable behaviour.

Twin complaints

Two separate complaints about Cho's behaviour were lodged in late 2005, university police chief Wendell Flinchum said.

CHO SEUNG-HUI

Born in South Korea, moved to US aged 8
Final year student of English
Described as a loner
Writings disturbed other students


'Loner' behind massacre
Korea shocked and sad
Victims' profiles

"I'm not saying they were threats, I'm saying they were annoying. That's the way the victims characterised them, as annoying messages," he added.

In the first instance, Cho reportedly telephoned a female student and made direct contact with her.

Police spoke to Cho after she lodged a complaint, they said.

In a similar incident a month later, in December 2005, Cho reportedly made contact with another female student through instant messaging, leading to her complaint.

He was referred to a mental health unit outside the Virginia Tech campus on 13 December for evaluation amid concerns he was feeling suicidal, police said.

Private medical records from the mental health facility remain confidential, but Cho was referred back to university authorities for counselling after his assessment and had no further contact with campus police.

Timeline and key locations
Around the same time, at least two of Cho's English teachers voiced their concerns over his behaviour and the tone of his work.

Cho's writing was moody and often involved themes of violence and death that alarmed Lucinda Roy, who was at that time head of the English department at Virginia Tech.

She removed Cho from regular classes and tutored him one-on-one after a complaint from another teacher.

"He was quite a gifted student in some ways, but he seemed to be very lonely and depressed," she said.


From BBC News website

[Mrluvaluva]

From The Daily Mirror

CRAZED Cho Seung-Hui points a pistol at a camera - in a chilling video that he filmed in the middle of his gun rampage.

Cho, 23, is thought to have made the sick film after he had shot dead the first two students at Virginia Tech University.

He then strolled to a post office and mailed it to TV station NBC along with 26 other video clips, 43 photos and a rambling 1,800-word letter.

Then Cho calmly returned to the slaughter, shooting dead a further 30 students and teachers before turning the gun on himself. In the videos Cho rants against the rich saying: "You loved crucifying me.

"Do you know what it feels like to be impaled on a cross and left to bleed to death for your amusement?

"You had a hundred billion chances to have avoided today. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off."


http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?.../18169776/&fg=

[Mrluvaluva]

The grandfather of the man who killed 32 students and teachers on a Virginia campus killer has said his grandson Cho Seung-Hui "deserved to die".

Killer Cho Seung-HuiKim Hyang-Sik, 82, said Cho was a "trouble-causer who has destroyed his mother's life".

Speaking from his South Korean home, Kim told The Daily Mirror: "Son of a bitch. It serves him right he died with his victims."

Meanwhile, President Bush said the gun rampage was a reminder that people should be ready to spot "abnormal" behaviour in others.

"When people see somebody or know somebody who is exhibiting abnormal behaviour, you do something about it, to suggest that somebody take a look," the president said during an appearance at a high school in Ohio.

Virginia's governor has declared an official day of mourning to remember the 32 killed at Virginia Tech University.

Tim Kaine has also appointed a panel to investigate the shootings and their aftermath.

Police investigating the killings have expressed their regret that a video made by Cho Seung-Hui before the murders was broadcast.

Virginia Police Superintendent Steve Flaherty said he was disappointed US channel NBC, to whom the tape had been sent, chose to show the disturbing footage.

He said: "We are trying to determine what happened and as much as possible, why, why this terrible tragedy occurred.

"I just think that a lot of folks are not used to seeing that type of image."

Students mourn the deadCho included his own suicide message recorded shortly before his rampage. In it he says: "This is where it all ends. End of the road.

"What a life it was. Some life."

At a news conference the university's president, Charles Steger, was close to tears as he read out a list of the victims.

The university also announced it was awarding all the victims posthumous degrees.

The latest revelations come after it emerged Cho was held in a mental health unit after two women students complained about his behaviour in 2005.

University police chief Wendell Flinchum said officers spoke to Cho in November and December 2005 following complaints of low-level harassment.

[Sunny_01]

the familes of those committing the atrocities are often forgotten about - how sad it must be for them to see their loved ones commit such terrible crimes.

My heart goes out to his family as well

[Bells]

Originally posted by Stropz
One of the victims:

http://www.myspace.com/mattjlaporte

That's just made it really hit home. Just a regular college guy in the US with his Myspace page and friends. It really does make it more real, rather than thinking of the incident as something like out of a film since we only hear about it on the TV and radio. It's really distressing.

[lily.]

Originally posted by Ash

That's just made it really hit home. Just a regular college guy in the US with his Myspace page and friends. It really does make it more real, rather than thinking of the incident as something like out of a film since we only hear about it on the TV and radio. It's really distressing.

Yeah, cuz we become desensitized by the sheer amount of this kinda stuff we see on TV. It is distressing.