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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 5:11 p.m. ET: Police refused to say explicitly that no other gunmen were involved. But they said they were confident that the situation is secure and "you can read between the lines."
Updated at 5:08 p.m. ET: A gunman shot and killed a Virginia Tech police officer Thursday, university officials said. Police said a second person was later found dead.
At a news conference in Blacksburg late Thursday afternoon, police said only that the second body was that of a white male and that he was not shot by police. A weapon was found nearby, they said.
Police said they couldn't officially comment on whether the second person was the gunman, but authorities told NBC's Pete Williams that they believed the second victim was the man who shot the campus officer.
Police said earlier reports that the gunman was the driver of a car the officer had stopped for a traffic violation had turned out to be untrue; instead, they said, the gunman apparently walked up to the scene during the traffic stop and shot the officer.
A campuswide alert was lifted late Thursday afternoon. Montgomery County schools lifted a lockdown and allowed pupils to begin heading home.
University President Charles W. Steger called the incident "an wanton act of violence"
Few students were outside because final exams had been scheduled for Friday and most students were indoors studying, Steger said. Friday's exams were canceled. Counseling and support were being arranged for students and faculty and their families, said Steger, who said the shootings were "very traumatic because of the past."
That was a reference to the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, when 33 people, including the mentally ill gunman, were killed on the Virginia Tech campus on April 16, 2007.
The shooting Thursday came the same day as Virginia Tech was appealing a $55,000 fine by the U.S. Education Department in connection with the university's response to the 2007 rampage.
Updated at 4:34 p.m. ET: Virginia Tech has lifted the campuswide alert.
Updated at 4:31 p.m. ET: The Collegiate Times reports that there is now "no active threat" at Virginia Tech and that students are being allowed to "resume normal activities."
Updated at 4:25 p.m. ET: Virginia Tech officials say a weapon was found near the body of the second person who was killed on campus.
Original post: Law enforcement officials tell NBC News they believe the second shooting victim at Virginia Tech University was the man who shot and killed the campus police officer.
NBC's Pete Williams reports that authorities say they're awaiting final confirmation but that they believe the campuswide alert for a gunman at large will soon be canceled.
Get updates on the fatal shootings at Virginia Tech
Staffers, students under lockdown at Virginia Tech: Shooting brings back '4/16'
Msnbc.com's Alex Johnson contributed to this report by Pete Williams of NBC News.
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Definitely the most comforting news of death in a long time.
I was really concerned they'd never find the perp - a good description, but it seemed like the shooter would just be ditching the gun and a clothing change away from being really difficult to identify.
More here at Breaking News and here at the Collegiate Times' twitter.
I have to agree.
Whoops, dropped link - here's the Collegiate Times' twitter.
Also: a Flickr set by one of their photogs.
Tough Economy Eh?
Thanks for that.
Wouldn't this be pretty obvious? He would have those clothes on they were looking for, gun nearby, etc..
Makes you almost wonder, why he even shot that cop in the first place, if he went ahead and killed himself.
If he had shot himself with his gun, don't you think it would have been pretty obvious? I think there may be a vigilante there who took him out....
Is there some thing in the water at VT ? I mean what the hell is wrong with them people ?
it does seem theres a cycle of death at tech first the 4/16 then the guy who shot the cop and security officer in nearby christiansburg then the guy who hacked the girls head off now this its been alot for us to take here but I asure you its the minority not the majority of us here as a matter of fact it usually turns out the perp isnt from here so maybe we should be asking what the hells wrong with you people please stop bringing your violence here!!!!!!!!!!!
AMEN!!! Seems like people forget that the perpetrator of this and another instance when the police officer was killed were not students at VT, it was just a place for them to try and blend in with the students
New plan. If you plan on killing people, then committing suicide; let's try it in reverse.
That is the best idea that I have heard yet!
Wonderful idea.
In fact I've been trying to promote that for a long time. Unfortunately the idiots doing these things don't take good solid advice.
I'm sure they are smart enough to rule this out, but my initial thought was "Ok so the gunman killed a second person, planted the gun, and ran off."
What a mess. Poor campus cop. His biggest chalange was supposed to be keeping the student body from drinking itself unconscious and escorting the co-eds home from the library at night. Little comfort in the fact that the animal that killed him won't cause any more harm in this world.
I know, so sad for him and his family.
After looking through the photos I still can't believe what is going on over there. VT ( ie. Virginia Terrorist Institute ) is looking like a war-zone again!
"Virginia Terrorist Institute" Wow....you're a classy fellow. A large portion of the student body are members of the Corps of Cadets, which is a full time ROTC program at Virginia Tech, where they spend a good portion of their days training to fight terrorists. It's a shame some of them may give their lives to protect people like you.
I've seen low things and low lifes, but PAUL-1492121, you get scrapped off the bottom of the soles of the nastiest pieces of crap I've ever run across. Crawl back into the hole you came out of and pull it in after you.
Two found dead at 1:52 why did it take until 4:25 to realize the description of the shooter was actually 1 of the people found dead.
I am guessing they became aware quickly he fit the description they just could not make a call until they had evidence.
It didn't I am sure. They just wanted to make sure rather than calling off the lock down and taking a victory lap when indeed it may not have been.
I have a feeling they realized that was likely hours ago, but as one poster notes above, you could have a case of mistaken identity or even a frame up.
It was an abundance of caution, sure, but I don't blame them for wanting to be certain. If they announced that there was no threat and they were wrong (especially if someone else got hurt), can you imagine the public response?
All I have to say is WOW!!! All you people make me sick!!! The ONLY reason this even made national news was because it happened at VT... This type of thing happens EVERY DAY in the US and yet most people dont hear about it cause its not "News Worthy"... NONE of you have ANY idea what it was like to go though that and how the media COMPLETELYY and UTTERLY disrespected the school and its entire student body!!! All they care about is their d@mn ratings!!! They will embelish any story just so their ratings go up 0.01%...
I'm confused what you're trying to say? The media shouldn't report on a shooting at a school that had one of the deadliest school shootings in history?
no snikt all hes saying is report it accurately and dont single tech out when it happens in other places too! as is evidenced in alot of comments on here its giving the school and area a bad name however they never mention the fact that most of the nuts werent from here why is that?
Well of course they are going to report on something like this more than a more "normal event". I live down the street from Columbine and if anything happened there it would be a media frenzy, just human nature
when on a large scale sure but this is starting to look like it happened after a routine traffic stop on campus this happens alot in this country but its not always on the national news, I understand what you are saying snikt its just I get tired of hearing its tech so I dont react well it always turns out the person wasnt from here and usually had previous indications they were troubled but other than the 4/16 shootings that fact is never reported so everybody assumes there is something wrong with tech. this is my home and I love it here I feel compelled to defend it
Have they caught Newt yet?
What an idiot
I think he is too! But a dangerous one! Dont let him buy a gun ever again!
If the campus residents were allowed to defend themselves and have concealed carry, these twits would think twice before killing anyone.
I graduated VPI in 75 and am thankful my daughters go to schools that allow for self defense. We rejected tech because of its polyanna attitude that if guns are banned no on will shoot anyone. The president is an idiot.
Pipe dream.
Doubtful. These shootings were the products of deranged minds who didn't care about their own survival after the act. No reason to think they'd have cared or "thought twice", or even considered other people might be packing themselves. In this case the guy shot a cop, who may have been armed, and yet still the shooter didn't care. Heck, he committed suicide, he doesn't seem to have even wanted to survive.
Besides, you can't stop someone who's determined and has the element of surprise, until after they've started shooting;and unless the bystanders are not only armed, but also possess professional training for emergency response with their weapon...they are likely to get flustered and do more harm than good.
That said, it doesn't mean I agree with an on-campus, legally permitted concealed weapons ban, I don't. People who take the time to be properly trained in weapons aren't the problem. The problem are the deranged and criminal minds that have access and intent.
It would be a great thing if mass murderers and wannabes would simply shoot themselves first, but it is unlikely to happen. For the most part they are consumed with rage and they have to express that first. Juan Corona, a California serial killer is reportedly aligible for parole, after having murdered at least 24 people, mostly with a machete. Some believe he killed as many as 40 people. It has been this way since the first caveman used a rock or a club. And we think we are an advanced society.
Don't worry, Juan Corona nor the Manson family members will NEVER be paroled. If Susan Atkins, probably the most rehabilitated of them all, and the most remorseful, didn't get parole, Corona won't.
He is safer in prison & the public is safer with him in prison. The same goes for the Manson family.
John, I do agree with your point, it would be a great thing if these kind of people just goes into the woods & pull the trigger. But the rage factor that you brought up prevents that. For whatever reason, these people has to put on a show before they have the guts to kill themselves. Happens daily in domestic situations (the mother in Texas denied food stamps) & many marital murder-suicides.
In all honesty, there's no way to prevent this. Once a person gets it in their head that this is it, it's tragedy for all involved.
Cat
My point is that this is no different then any other officer getting shot trying to make a traffic stop... Something which happens (unfortunately) all the time in America. Yet it doesn't make national news... The only reason this made national news was because it happened at VT... Had this happened in Philly or NYC or LA you probably wouldn't have heard about it...
Whenever a cop is killed you read about it. Whenever a campus is locked down to read about it. Ban handguns.
Banning guns is stupid because criminals would still have them and now even legal owners can't protect themselves. You do realize that some countries have tried the whole banning guns thing and the crime rates soared afterwards?
WTF goes on a VT? Perhaps TOO many crackerrs with TOO many guns? The State of Virginia has NO REAL "gun controls/laws" ENFORCED? Just pathetic. Looks like the NRA wins again: "Guns for EvErYoNe". It's "2011" everyone.....NOT "1811". Get a "F=ing" LIFE people!
gun control doesnt work just ask dc, tightest gun control laws in the country yet highest gun related murder rate yeah thats what we need nationwide your the one whoneeds to get a life ..... or at least check your facts the majority of the crimes commited with guns are with with unregistered guns you know the ones outside the gun control! and as for tech what goes on here it usually the fact we let nuts from other places go to school here just think if we didnt none of these shootings here would of happened hmmm strange kinda blows your comment outta the water
David... chill out guy. Your anger is showing and will give you a coronary if you don't unwind.
Oh and I'm SURE you've seen this before, but I'll say it again:
When you only have seconds, the police are only minutes away.
I'll keep my gun to protect my family and myself from sick animals like this guy was. HOPEFULLY, I'll never have to fire it (I have used it without firing) but if necessary, I will. Maybe the person that might need my assistance one day will be you. Should I help you or not?
The problem is the overly aggressive culture of the US....hicks love guns and violence...and harassing others. Rather than attempting to solve the society's issues, the powers that be always look to scapegoat less aggressive individuals. The problems here will never end because of this.
@American, this isn't a US thing. It's human nature and has been going on for thousands of years, it's never going to change.
Snikt...it's an American/western culture thing. You don't see all this crap in the Asian cultures all the time like this. America is crazy about the whole State of Nature and Human animal stuff. When you teach your kids to be this way, they inevitably grow up to become animals!
@American -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate
Snikt....and you notice on that map...China, Vietnam, Korea have very low rates relative to those of N. America. Europe is much lower too.
China is equal to some states in the US. Russia is off the chart which for sure isn't American/Western Culture. A lot of areas in Asia very high, Africa, South America, etc..
Just saying this isn't only a US thing
I know technically Russia is considered a partially Asian country, but I was referring to those of Buddhist/Hindu cultures (Eastern). Russia has always been filled with gangsters and crazies. Of course, bad things happen everywhere....but from experience I can say overseas outside of say the British cultures...the people are much easier to get along with and the violence level is much lower.
I feel saddened for the family of the police officer but at least the murderer saved the tax payers some money and did everyone a favor.....Maybe that is a mean thing to say but its true!
VA Tech is cursed...literally every other year there is another weird murder there. Remember the Chinese/Korean guy who decapitated his girlfriend in a coffee shop on campus?
cursed huh? yeah we are cursed with having alot of people not from here killing people here and it turns out two were oriental and the other two were not from here.
Well, there were more issues on campus besides the two Asian murderers....there have been quite a few gun incidences, etc on campus...there was also something that happened there in 2006 or 2005.
yeah it wasnt even tech related it was a guy with, go figure, mental problems shot a security guard at a hospital and a christiansburg police officer he fled and wound up at tech if I remember correctly but he wasnt a student and the incident didnt happen at tech but nobody knows that except people from the area because they didnt bother to report that part which goes back to previous comments made regarding the way the facts are skewed by the national media about tech
Yup, I can understand that....national media always needs a big story. But, I tell you, there are a lot of wild things happening over there in small town Blacksburg in recent years.
I am glad I chose University of North Texas.
Have to watch out for UT Austin, though....
Diversity has a dark side
srry Jazmine77, but that's just sick 0.o
My sincere condolences to the victim and his family in this crime.
May you find peace knowing that he lost his life doing what he knew needed to be done, and he had the courage and fortitude to do the job many others run from.
Unfortunately, the perpetrator can't read this, but may you rot and suffer in whatever place you're in. I know even Hell doesn't want dirtbags like you.
So if outsiders are going to VT and killing and being killed, that is where the curse theory is coming from. It can surely happen anywhere though. The thing to do is make sure your kids are aware and capable of defending themselves, and they will be as safe at VT as anywhere in the world. VT is probably actually safer than most, given the history I'm sure their responders are on high alert status all the time and they have many security issues worked out and in good order.
Well, it's funny how those who are prepared are often caught off guard at the wrong time. Nothing seems to happen when we are prepared for it, but no one is always prepared. Just like the burglars/murders always have a knack for breaking in and killing you before you can wake up to get to the gun.
AP... a source for your burglars having a knack of killing someone before they get their gun. Is that a statistic straight out of your mind?
The officer was already engaged, but as the area IS a quiet town, away from the big cities, he unfortunatley forgot the first rule of police.. Be AWARE of your surroundings 100% of the time. Look scan and scan again.. constantly checking everything and everyone around.
It is a fantasy to think anyone can be 100% aware...100% of the time. Noty even the best trained military folks are like that. Some days are better than others, some days you get lucky, some days you don't.
Too many stressed, possibly drugged teenagers and young adults out here in the US.
Stop the madness! Obama - please fulfill your campaign pledge and implement stringent gun-control policies NOW. Obama and Eric Holder need to do all they can to protect Americans!
Totally, prevent legal citizens from being able to defend themselves. Great idea.. wait ??
Are you referring to Eric Holder the illegal arms gun runner holder?
That's a lie created by the republican military industrial complex. Is anyone even talking about that anymore? Has Holder been prosecuted? The answer is no.
Oh look! MSNBC was talking about it today.
And CBS had an article on it yesterday.
Those dastardly Republican media organs.
Should Holder be prosecuted? The answer is yes.
Yes you're right. Obama & Holder can do all they can to allow Americans to protect themselves (those with no felonies, domestic violence charges or mentally unfit), by allowing us to protect ourselves.
Banning guns will mean that only the police, military & criminals will be armed. We'd be dead by the time the cops arrived (in many cities).
There was even a warning issued recently by a Texan sheriff for the citizens to arm & protect themselves.
"It's better to be tried by 12 than to be carried by 6."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125737965
Read it for yourself. It's true.
Cat