A vigil at Virginia Tech. Photocredit: Nrbelex http://www.flickr.com/photos/nrbelex/471661031/sizes/z/in/photostream/
At Virginia Tech University (Va Tech) in the United States of America, a gunman has shot dead 39-year old Derek W Crouse, a university police officer, and later apparently shot himself after fleeing on foot. Ballistics tests show that the two were shot by the same gun, reported Associated Press, although the second body has not yet been confirmed as the gunman’s. The shooting caused terror on the campus, with the school in total lockdown, and students hiding in buildings.
The incident, on the day before final exams were due to take place, has brought back echoes of the 2007 shootings on the campus, when 33 people were shot by Seung-Hui Cho – the worst in US history. Va Tech is currently appealing against a £35,250 fine for their response to the killings – it is alleged that they were too slow to send out an email warning students to stay away after the first two people were shot.
In this week’s incident, officer Crouse pulled over a car; the gunman, who was not involved in the traffic incident, appeared and shot the officer. Police are still looking for a motive. Crouse was “an army veteran and married father of five,” and a “proud policeman,” reported Associated Press. University President Charles Steger, in an open letter on the Virginia Tech University news website said “[t]he Virginia Tech community has been admirably served by its outstanding police department. Now, one who had sworn to serve and protect us has fallen, and we can pay no greater tribute than to pledge to serve and protect one another, as the spirit of Ut Prosim calls us to do.”
“Today, tragedy again struck Virginia Tech. Our hearts are broken again,” said university president Charles Steger, quoted on The Evening Standard
Eyewitness account. Student Jonathan Henderson’s father witnessed the shooting, and even looked the killer right in the eye. He heard a “pop sound”, then saw Crouse “with a bullet in his head slouched toward the passenger side,” reported The Daily Cardinal, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s paper.
““Suspect described as white male, gray sweat pants, gray hat w/neon green brim, maroon hoodie and backpack. On foot towards McComas. Call 911,” said one of the emergency tweets sent out by the university,” quoted on The Christian Science Monitor.
University response. The shooting has tested the “emergency procedures” that the university instituted after 2007, reported The Christian Science Monitor. The lockdown notice went out seven minutes after the shooting, and the university used Twitter, email and texts to keep students informed. The measures seemed to work, said CNN, quoting Bob McDonnell, the father of one of the students and Governor of Virginia: “Again, I want to express my gratitude to law enforcement for making sure that they kept the faculty (and) parents regularly informed.”
Resilience on campus. How could this be possibe? lamented Petula Dvorak on The Washington Post. The “imagery” of the day in 2007 when horror was “redefined” is inescapable. Then, the campus was “blood-soaked for days, tear-stained for months. The lawns glowed at night with candelight vigils.” But reactions were resilient this time – Dvorak quoted Nikki Giovanni, a professor at Va Tech, who said “Again would be 30 people. This is not ‘again.’”
Guns and education. Overheard on CNN rounded up comments from staff, pupils and others, suggesting that the shooting had started a debate about “violence in educational institutions, as well as gun use.” One student, Kevin Smith, said “Guns at home, fine (I have one). Not at school though, even college. 18-22yos are still ‘kids’ with quick tempers, and for every situation like this that a gun prevented, there would be a tenfold increase in student deaths because someone was mad that someone stole his date, left the dorm room without washing the dishes, etc.” Some were arguing for increased use of arms on campus; but most supported the university, and sent out their prayers to the family of the dead officer.
