USA: Students mourn dead after worst U.S. shooting rampage

Students try to come to terms with deaths of 32 people at their Virginia university after gunman goes on deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. Students at the Virginia Tech University have been trying to come to terms with the deaths of thirty-two people, many of them students, after a gunman went on a killing spree at the university on Monday (April 16) in what was the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. Most of those killed were students attending classes, where the gunman apparently used chains to lock the doors and prevent the victims from escaping, university and police officials said. Students at the campus in Blacksburg were in a state of shock following Monday's shooting. "I mean it's not like this is Baltimore or something, or a city where there's a high crime rate or anything. I mean there's nothing here. So I mean it was pretty shocking. Just I mean, I can't believe the worst thing, the worst series of murders that ever happened in American history happened here. I just never would have imagined that," said Collin Henson, who studies at the university. U.S. Authorities have already released the names of some of those killed in shooting and will release the names of other identified victims on Tuesday (April 17) morning. A press briefing is scheduled for 9:00am local time, with a memorial service later in the afternoon at the university. "I'm a student here so I know other students. I'm not looking forward to seeing that list. But ah, I don't know. All I have right now is hope. So I'll hold on to that as tight as I can, I guess," said student Samuel Morse. In the cold night air, students at the campus lit candles, sang, held each other, and found solace by sharing their grief with the campus community. For many the realisation of the days events struck home only late in the evening, when they had had time to process what had unfolded. "Everybody's like 'are you okay?' And I'm like, 'I'm fine. Nothing's happening to me.' And then I started realising everything that was going on and stuff. And started trying to call everybody, and all my friends and stuff. And I found out a couple of my friends went to the hospital 'cause they got shot so I was worried," said student Jessica Petree. For Mia Ortega, it was the same shock when news reached her that her friend and colleague from the Resident Assistant programme (RA), Ryan Clark, had been confirmed as one of the first victims. Clark was at the West Ambler Johnston Hall when the fist shooting of the day took place. He and another student were killed early in the morning, before the gunman moved to Norris Hall and continued his spree. "I heard over the news, there was an RA involved," said Ortega, "and then I thought of Ryan [Clark]. And then it was confirmed that it was definitely him when they flashed his picture and said his name." Others will no doubt experience the same pain and suffering when authorities release the names of other identified victims on Tuesday morning. The first shooting was reported to campus police at about 7:15 a.m. (1115 GMT) in West Ambler Johnston Hall, a dormitory housing some 900 students. It was followed two hours later by more gunfire a half-mile (0.8 km) away at Norris Hall, site of the science and engineering school. Witnesses said the killer was a black-clad Asian male, about 6 feet (1.8 metres) tall, who went wordlessly from room to room calmly shooting students and staff with at least one handgun. Television images of terrified students and police dragging bloody victims out of the building revived memories of the infamous Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and is likely to renew heated debate about America's gun laws. More than 30,000 people die from gunshot wounds in the United States every year and there are more guns in private hands than in any other country. But a powerful gun lobby and support for gun ownership rights has largely thwarted attempts to tighten controls. Advocates of gun ownership rights saw Monday's massacre as evidence of the need to relax gun laws rather than tighten them.

ITN Source | April 17, 2007

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