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Well, this is not getting any better as the news comes out about the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech. Apparently, the first shootings occurred in the dormitory. Two hours later the attack on the classroom occurred. Meanwhile, the administration of the college sent emails out notifying people that the first shooting event had occurred.
Um.
Students bitterly complained that there were no public-address announcements on campus after the first burst of gunfire. Many said the first word they received from the university was an e-mail more than two hours into the rampage — around the time the gunman struck again.
Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said authorities believed that the shooting at the dorm was a domestic dispute and mistakenly thought the gunman had fled the campus.
"We had no reason to suspect any other incident was going to occur," he said.
He defended the university's handling of the tragedy, saying: "We can only make decisions based on the information you had on the time. You don't have hours to reflect on it."
Investigators offered no motive for the attack. The gunman's name was not immediately released, and it was not known if he was a student.
The shootings spread panic and confusion on campus. Witnesses reporting students jumping out the windows of a classroom building to escape the gunfire. SWAT team members with helmets, flak jackets and assault rifles swarmed over the campus. Students and faculty members carried out some of the wounded themselves, without waiting for ambulances to arrive. A student used his cell-phone camera to record the sound of shots echoing through the stone classroom building.
The massacre took place at opposite sides of the 2,600-acre campus, beginning at about 7:15 a.m. at West Ambler Johnston, a coed dormitory that houses 895 people, and continuing at least two hours later at Norris Hall, an engineering building about a half-mile away, authorities said.
Two people were killed in a dormitory room, and 31 others were killed in the classroom building, including the gunman, police said.
They should have locked that campus down tighter than a drum until they knew the shooter was really gone, arrested or dead. Period. Frankly, those 30 or so additional victims besides the shooter, should not have been exposed to the gunman in the first place. My bet is that someone in the Virginia Tech administration is going to pay dearly for this complete failure of responsibility. (If I had a kid there, I'd pull them out. Now. And I would damn well get a lawyer to recover the tuition costs.)
UPDATE: The AP has just released the texts of all the email alerts the Virginia Tech administration sent out to students and faculty. The emails show exactly how flawed the administration's response in all this was:
• e-mail sent at 9:26 a.m.: (Note: The first incident occurred at 7:15)
Subject: Shooting on campus.
"A shooting incident occurred at West Amber Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating.
"The university community is urged to be cautious and are asked to contact Virginia Tech Police if you observe anything suspicious or with information on the case. Contact Virginia Tech Police at 231-6411
"Stay attuned to the http://www.vt.edu. We will post as soon as we have more information."
• 9:15 a.m.: Approximate time of second shooting at Norris Hall.
• e-mail sent at 9:50 a.m.:
Subject: PLease stay put
"A gunman is loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows"
• third e-mail sent at 10:17 a.m.:
Subject: All Classes Canceled; Stay where you are
"Virginia Tech has canceled all classes. Those on campus are asked to remain where there are, lock their doors and stay away from windows. Persons off campus are asked not to come to campus."
• fourth e-mail sent at 10:53 a.m.:
Subject: Second Shooting Reported; Police have one gunman in custody
"In addition to an earlier shooting today in West Ambler Johnston, there has been a multiple shooting with multiple victims in Norris Hall.
"Police and EMS are on the scene.
"Police have one shooter in custody and as part of routine police procedure, they continue to search for a second shooter.
"All people in university buildings are required to stay inside until further notice.
"All entrances to campus are closed."
The last email finally closing the campus was sent long after the second shooting occurred. In fact, the first email didn't go out until the second shooting had already happened. What's wrong with this picture?
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Doug Ross @ Journal — Tuesday, 17 April , 2007 @ 4:18 am
By LYNN WYMAN, Monday, 16 April , 2007 @ 6:16 pm
It is not possible to lock down an entire 2600 acre campus with over 100 buildings. That may be possible in a single building like a high school or a prison, but not feasible on a large campus with 30,000 people. It would be like locking down a town for a murder. Also many commute to the campus.
A human is the most dangerous weapon once they decide to do something and only death can stop them. This murderer decided to kill people for a yet unknown reason. He ended it by shooting himself in the head. The police did not get there in time to stop him.
The only chance would have been if the murderer was taken down by a victim and since every one was hiding in the classrooms that did not occur. A shame that VT would not allow CCW on the campus. That would have been the only chance to take down the nurderer before he decided to end it
By Gaius, Monday, 16 April , 2007 @ 6:26 pm
It is possible to cancel all classes unless and until they know they shooter is captured or killed. I think it was irresponsible of the administration not to have done so.
And yes, had there been someone to intervene, this might have turned out differently. Unfortunately, the law abiding were the only ones disarmed.
There’s a lesson there that will be completely lost on the gun control advocates.