Monday, April 16, 2007

Virginia Tech: It Just Keeps Getting Worse

The death toll keeps rising and it could get worse:
Thirty-two people reportedly were killed and more than two dozen injured during a shooting rampage this morning at Virginia Tech, making it the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, law enforcement sources said this afternoon.

The unidentified shooter was among the dead, according to officials, at West Ambler Johnston, a dormitory, and Norris Hall, which houses the College of Engineering. Authorities said the first shooting was reported shortly after 7 a.m. at the dorm and the second about two hours later at Norris Hall. Law enforcement sources said a single shooter was responsible for both incidents.

Earlier in the day, university officials confirmed a lower number of fatalities.

Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum, speaking at a news conference today, said he did not know whether the shooter was a student. Some of those killed were students in a classroom at Norris Hall, he said.

"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," Virginia Tech president Charles Steger said at the news conference. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified that this would befall us."

Area hospitals treating the wounded have reported at least 10 people are in critical condition and several are in surgery.(Emphsis added)
One question that has to be running through everyone's mind, is if there was a shooting at one time and a second several hours later supposedly by the same person, why wasn't the shooter apprehended after the first incident?

Of course, there are lots of details about today that we just don't know and lots of details that are conflicting and unknown.

1 comment:

Charlie said...

Regarding the West AJ crime scene:
Before assuming that both this incident and the Norris Hall scene were perpetrated by the same person, think about this scenario...

A disgruntled boyfriend goes upstairs to the 4th floor of the West AJ dorm. He kills his girlfriend, then commits suicide. In that circumstance, the two incidents would most likely not be related at all.

Both incidents may be related, BUT we are NOT sure just yet...