[Chocolate]

At least 22 people have been killed and 21 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 they believe there was one gunman and that he is dead.

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

"We have a ballpark figure on fatalities. It's at least 20 fatalities," Virginia Tech police chief Wendell Flinchum said.

Rescue hampered

Speaking at a news conference, Mr Flinchum said that emergency services had received a call at 0715 (1215 GMT) alerting them to a multiple shooting at West Ambler Johnston Hall.

He said that two hours later there was a second report of shooting, this time at Norris Hall.


A fleet of ambulances has ferried the injured to nearby hospitals however, rescue efforts were reportedly hampered by high winds which meant that medical helicopters could not be used.

Mr Flinchum said that police believed there had been just one shooter involved and that he was now dead at Norris Hall.

He said it was unclear if the assailant was a student, but said that a number of the victims were.

"Some of the victims were shot in a classroom," Mr Flinchum said.

"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said, adding that the university was in the process of informing the next of kin of those killed.

Mr Steger said that officials were in the process of evacuating remaining students and staff from campus and that the university was now closed.

[Ruth*Star]

Yeah my parents were watching this on the news. i think it is terrible, what a way to die though. poor parents of the dead.

[sol]

RIP to those who died, hope the injured recover quickly.

[Mike]

It shocks me that someone could even think of doing this let alone actually carrying their actions out, once again just like so many incidents we here about innocent people are killed for what? living a normal life

[Chocolate]

UPDATE: Federal officials say gunman killed 32 people on campus of Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va.; shooter dead; 28 wounded

[nodisharmony]

It is horrible!!

"GUN'S"

What more can you say?

I am glad they are illegal here.



nodisharmony

[Dan_]

Still plenty of people have them here, plus you can get a firearms licence.

[nodisharmony]

Originally posted by Dan_
Still plenty of people have them here, plus you can get a firearms licence.

No where near as bad as the U.S.A

This country is getting very strict on every kind of weapon.

Buying a gun here is much harder. In America it is like buying a "Candy bar". That is chocolate, by the way!



nodisharmony

[Dan_]

Originally posted by nodisharmony

No where near as bad as the U.S.A

This country is getting very strict on every kind of weapon.

Buying a gun here is much harder. In America it is like buying a "Candy bar". That is chocolate, by the way!



nodisharmony

They might be trying to crackdown but lately there's been an awful lot of shootings, it's proably easier than you might think to get a gun.

[andybigbro]

OH MY GOD

Why would people do such a cruel and horrible thing

R.I.P

[BigSister]

ive only just saw this on the news i cant beielve whats happened the sad thing is that they thought the gunman had gone after the first shooting and they went to class thinking everything was ok

[nodisharmony]

Originally posted by Dan_

They might be trying to crackdown but lately there's been an awful lot of shootings, it's proably easier than you might think to get a gun.

It is easy for some people in the UK to get hold of a gun, but still, in the USA, it is not illegal and availabilty is easy.

GUNS are so commonplace in the USA and when someone as terrible as this commits this terrible crime, no words could ever make it better.

They were about 18 I think, all those needless death's.

Being killed for just studying. There, just like sitting ducks.

It is a shame that the killer died at the scene. He should have been tortured, but that's not legal, is it!

Try doing that in an Arab country and see what happens.


nodisharmony

[Ruth]

This is just terrible - I really can't imagine how the people of Virginia Tech and their families must be feeling.

Anyone here watched Bowling For Columbine? Michael Moore demonstrated how he got a gun free for opening a bank account!

[Ella]

This news story made me feel sick..It actually really did.

It reminds me of that shooting in America a few years back when 2 Students went on a Gun rampage and killed their teachers and fellow pupils.

R.I.P

[Rory]

Originally posted by Ella
This news story made me feel sick..It actually really did.

It reminds me of that shooting in America a few years back when 2 Students went on a Gun rampage and killed their teachers and fellow pupils.

R.I.P

Yeah, they killed more than Columbine. Yesterday the news reports here were taken over (mainly) by this.

Guns aren't like buying candy bars over here, by the way.

[~Kizwiz~]

My heart goes out to anyone who as been involved in this ordeal.

I cant even imagine how they and their families must be feeling.

This is truely awful and just shows you that guns are far too easy to get hold of in America

[Rory]

Originally posted by kizwiz
My heart goes out to anyone who as been involved in this ordeal.

I cant even imagine how they and their families must be feeling.

This is truely awful and just shows you that guns are far too easy to get hold of in America

That is true, but not the candy bar comment.

Anyway, it must be terrible for the families as well. Over here the winds have delayed air traffic quite a bit (my dad barely managed to get up to Minnesota)

[~Kizwiz~]

Originally posted by Rory

That is true, but not the candy bar comment.

Anyway, it must be terrible for the families as well. Over here the winds have delayed air traffic quite a bit (my dad barely managed to get up to Minnesota)

I dont think this thread regarding the terrible massacre is the place to nit pick.

[Chilltown]

Terrible tragedy. It's shame we don't have stricter gun laws here in the US, its the reason why so many have died.

Columbine, now this....when is it going to end?

[Bells]

This really is so shocking, my heart goes out to the families of the victims.
RIP to the victims.

What shocks me even more is that I saw a picture of the killer, and he was a 23 year old student - to me he just didn't look like an unstable person with the intention of killing so many, then going on to killing himself. If he was a suspicious person, obviously people would be more aware. Apparently he did suffer from depression and wrote a very long suicide note. The first girl he killed was someone he was infatuated with. However, hearing of his upbringing, the fact he was a student, etc. makes it all the more scary - you wouldn't expect it of anyone let alone him. Even if he did do unusual things, e.g. I heard he wrote strange stories - you simply wouldn't expect something like this! I really do feel it makes the situation all the more scary.

[Chilltown]

That's the face of the shooter. I just read over both the plays he wrote, "Mr. Brownstone" and "Richard McBeef" both expressing poor writing skills and a twisted mentality. It seems he had a knack about writing about rape and pedophilia, and it is also known he would stalk girls on campus and take pictures of them.

[Chocolate]

I understand that this has raised many questions about US gun laws, but with Bush in power nothing is going to change.
I was watching the news, and they were discussing how this is something that would make the government realise that there should be tougher gun laws, but Bush and his fellow Republicans are very "pro" gun and believe in the "Right to bear arms".
On the news there was a guy that said that if the victims themselves were armed, they would have survived.