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Shootings on campus killed a Virginia Tech Police officer and one other person Thursday.
Officials said in a press conference a man shot officer Deriek Crouse in the Coliseum parking lot while the Crouse was making a traffic stop on an unrelated car. The suspect then fled on foot past McComas Hall and toward the cage parking lot near the Duck Pond.
Related: Full updated story
Officers then sighted a suspicious man in the lot. When they moved closer and attempted to make contact with the man, they found him dead. A weapon was found at that scene.
The university community was notified of the first shooting within 10 minutes of receiving the 911 call. Many students and faculty members were on lockdown on campus for hours Thursday. After investigating many potential sightings of suspects across campus, the university lifted the alert at about 4:30. Officials at the press conference declared campus safe.
A candlelight vigil is planned for Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on the Drillfield.
A version of this article appeared in the Dec 9 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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VT Home page now has description of gunman posted.
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Are you people stupid? This guy killed a cop. The cop had a GUN. What would a dumb redneck student with a gun have done differently?
Perhaps all of the people who have us in their prayers should pray for idiots to not come on campus with a gun.
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Police officers consistently have some of the lowest IQ among jobs.
http://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/09/nyregion/metro-news-briefs-connecticut-judge-rules-that-police-can-bar-high-iq-scores.html
The average student on campus most likely has a higher IQ than the police officer.
Your logic about "dumb redneck students" breaks down when you apply it to yourself. Why are you not outraged about dumb redneck cops too?
If you want to take a crap on the constitution, at least state what you are trying to do, and not try to disguise it.
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Great! All we need is more bad publicity. Every news article on this I've seen so far feels the need to mention April 16th in their article.
Also, this just goes to show you the effectiveness of our unconstitutional firearms policy on campus. Making guns on campus illegal has really helped stop violent acts!
Oh wait, that's right...It hasn't!
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I agree! We need an armed group of students helping to search for this guy. What could possibly go wrong?
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If that student has proper training with a firearm, there isn't a problem. Your sensational statements imply somehow handing weapons to incompetent untrained people which is not the case when obtaining a CCW.
You are a fool.
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Yeah, I remember walking around on April 16th thinking, "What we need are more people with the power to act as judge, jury and executioner! This campus could sure use more guns right now."
Not.
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I am a VT grad and a legal gun owner! I don't think everyone should be able to carry a gun on campus, but responsible individuals that have enough training to own a gun should be able to carry whenever, wherever!
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Nobody said EVERYONE should run around hunting this guy you idiots. Legal gun owners with proper training and permits should be allowed to legally carry on campus.
If someone had been legally armed on April 16th, thinks could have ended very differently.
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Guns should not be legal to own. Period.
People who own guns are idiots and let the "power" go to their heads. Look what happened today. Look what happened in 2007.
Even SUGGESTING that SOME students should be allowed to carry anywhere and everywhere is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. They'll be the ones who are the shooters next time.
Guns should be owned by police officers and soldiers ONLY.
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^"People who own guns are idiots."^
Um, no...you're an idiot. Are you f*cking kidding me?! The weapons aren't the problem...it's the insane, crazy motherf*ckers holding them that are the problem. People have every right to defend themselves...check the constitution, moron. If someone is friggin crazy enough to murder another human being for no reason, do you really think some stupid law is going to stop them? Come on. I know what you're thinking...and no, I do NOT own/carry a gun. I just think your statement was one of the most ignorant i have ever heard/read.
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I agree, for the most part. True, some people who own guns ARE idiots, and that's what we should be afraid of. I don't think concealed carry is a bad idea; in fact, it could be a GOOD idea. However, in order to even purchase/ obtain a weapon, I believe an extensive background check (of all records...mental, physical issues/incidents) should be conducted.
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You're pretty ignorant if you think allowing guns on campus would somehow be helpful.. the last thing we need is a bunch of drunk kids running around with guns. It's the easy availability of guns to psychos that is the problem, but having guns on campus won't help things.
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Concealed Carry on Campus is not about vigilantism. My concern is MY safety. If you do not wish to participate in your own protection, do not deny me. I promise not to intervene if you are accosted and there is not immediate threat to me. You are around dozens of CCW everyday, and never know it. "When seconds count, cops are only minutes away"
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..And you're pretty much ignorant if you can't see that a shooting just occurred in a GUN FREE ZONE! How dense can you anti-gun nutjobs be.
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I'll just put this here...Since the fall semester of 2006, state law has allowed licensed individuals to carry concealed handguns on the campuses of the nine degree-offering public colleges (20 campuses) and one public technical college (10 campuses) in Utah. Concealed carry has been allowed at Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO) since 2003 and at Blue Ridge Community College (Weyers Cave, VA) since 1995. After allowing concealed carry on campus for a combined total of one hundred semesters, none of these twelve schools has seen a single resulting incident of gun violence (including threats and suicides), a single gun accident, or a single gun theft. Likewise, none of the forty ‘right-to-carry’ states has seen a resulting increase in gun violence since legalizing concealed carry, despite the fact that licensed citizens in those states regularly carry concealed handguns in places like office buildings, movie theaters, grocery stores, shopping malls, restaurants, churches, banks, etc. Numerous studies*, including studies by University of Maryland senior research scientist John Lott, University of Georgia professor David Mustard, engineering statistician William Sturdevant, and various state agencies, show that concealed handgun license holders are five times less likely than non-license holders to commit violent crimes.
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PLEASE tell me you are not a Hokie because you just made me and the school look even worse than the news you were just talking about.
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hmmmm, a police officer is dead and your worried about bad publicity?
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nobody said we need people running around hunting somebody else other than the police, but you should be allowed to have a firearm for personal protection if you're ever approached by the man running around with a gun.
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couldn't agree more
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Random acts of violence cannot be stopped. Just look, the brave officer who died in the line of duty was armed and yet was still not prepared for such a heinous act.
My choice of protection is to not let anyone except for law enforcement officials carry guns on campus.
My thoughts and prayers go to the officer's family. Such a terrible day for the Hokie Nation.
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Possibly professors who are licensed to do so, or some in administration. Officers cannot be everywhere at once.
Agreed...we canot simply let anyt student who wishes to do so run around armed, but we are living in dangerous times and we must protect ourselves...and each other.
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Va Mom:
when you say "running around armed" you are immediately assuming irresponsible acts. the students will be walking around campus responsibly with a concealed weapon and learning in class. The only difference between them "running around" on campus and between them "running around" Kroger or the mall is nothing. We already conceal without being noticed. Why should an imaginary line defined as a campus change our daily habits? clearly that imaginary line did not stop Ross. it did not stop him because he is a criminal. that imaginary line only stops law abiding citizens, much like deadbolts on your house door only stop law abiding citizens, not robbers.
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Should I remind you that the guy who died was a cop and therefore a legal, trained gun owner? didn't help.
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it could have helped. if the owner of the vehicle he allegedly stole was armed, he could have ended this a day before it even happened.
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death to him for infringing on students right to liberty and freedom from fear shoot him in the head and Kill the psycho
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I really hope that The Collegiate Times refrains from placing images of guns & simulated scenes of murders/violence on the Virginia Tech campus on the front page of their paper & website from now on. This is not intended to state my position on gun control; but rather to urge The Collegiate Times to show some common decency and respect to the students (and community) who happen to walk past a CT-stand or log onto the CT-website.
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Coverage the CT was horrible this time. Their website when down and their twitter feeds provided incorrect information.
Amazing that during the April 16th incident the staff provided accurate information to the world. You would think they would have gotten better, not worse.
Where are you Chris Ritter!!!
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I disagree. I think the Collegiate Times did a pretty decent job of attempting to make a chaotic series of events and conflicting reports seemingly coherent. Whoever was tweeting during the shootings informed students of what other students were doing and hearing and helped those of us feeling useless in our off-campus apartments make sense of what was happening. They used twitter for what it was made for, and yes some of the information reported ended up being pure hearsay, but they were quick to update what flawed information they had.
Sorry, I just think that it's not fair to start CT bashing for something like this. I know a few people who were holed up on campus for hours that found their updates extremely helpful.
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Would the Times please remove all Anon comments. if you can't leave your name, then don't post.
Anyways, now what do the gun rights wackos have to say about this. Still want guns on campus?
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The 2nd amendment not only allows you to defend yourself against wackos like this, but against a corrupt government. You're ignorant if you say that guns are only for police and soldiers. Take a look around the world. Plenty of recent real life examples out there of countries fighting for their freedom from an oppressive government. We did it here in the US a couple of hundred years ago -- remember??? Confiscatory taxes, attempts at redistribution of wealth, protests by today"s lazy maligned youth (Occupy something...) and the ridiculous failed socialist experiments by the Obama administration are the reason enough to keep prepared. I actually was photographed, fingerprinted, and voluntarily sub itted my information to law enforcement years ago in order to obtain my Concealed Carry Permit. Looking back I feel like I was treated like a criminal just to preserve my rights.
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Mark in Charlotte... I think I know who you are; I definitely know a Mark who lives in Mecklenburg County but just to clarify, could you give an address and phone #?.... Just messing with you but the moderation exists for a reason; anonymous comments are fine as long as somebody is there to keep an eye on what's being posted (spam, disgusting stuff, etc) & other commenters can refute things the community as a whole disagrees with.
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Unless there is some magical force field that keeps crazy people from carrying guns on campus, students should be allowed to carry to defend themselves.
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And just how, exactly, is "Mark in Charlotte" not the same as "anonymous"? It certainly doesn't identify you.
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I'm confused at your, and other simpletons with similar logic.
Somehow passing a law would have prevented this? I thought murder and manslaughter was already illegal though? So you're trying to tell me that by simply passing a law to make guns illegal on college campuses, suddenly no shootings would ever occur there?
Just like drugs and alcohol right? I mean prohibition has worked so well thus far at eliminating the usage of drugs, surely it's as simple as passing laws limiting the common mans rights, and all this will be solved.
Brilliant! Why haven't I thought of this, it's so simple! Passing a law, will prevent a crazy, illogical person from doing certain things because it's now "illegal", yes I can see this working out perfectly.
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I find it interesting that police are fine to carry fire arms to some with the events over the past few years where officers were the criminals doing the shooting. Know I am not saying this is true for all officers, just as these incedents are not true for all gun owners.
I also have to agre with the fact that a person carrying would not have prevented the first individuals tragic end, but should the shooter have continued an armed individual could prevent more shootings.
I also have to remind the lawyers and doctors I know that carry that they are aparrently rednecks according to some close minded commenters on here.
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This comment has been buried by moderation (show comment)
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I find it interesting that police are fine to carry fire arms to some with the events over the past few years where officers were the criminals doing the shooting. Know I am not saying this is true for all officers, just as these incedents are not true for all gun owners.
I also have to agre with the fact that a person carrying would not have prevented the first individuals tragic end, but should the shooter have continued an armed individual could prevent more shootings.
I also have to remind the lawyers and doctors I know that carry that they are aparrently rednecks according to some close minded commenters on here.
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If I were to consider using my weapon in a public space, thinking I had reason to defend myself or others, I'd want to be damned sure I wasn't making a mistake. The consequences would be so severe if I screwed up. I'm pretty sure I'd be liable for any injury or damage I caused. If I made a mistake *I* would be the bad guy, and the press conference would be talking about me as some 'vigilante'. Meanwhile, as I'm thinking this over, the bad guy would let loose with his happy trigger finger and I'd be dead just for standing there thinking about it. Scenario just doesn't work for me.
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don't go being a vigilante. nobody is asking anybody with a gun to go out and be a wanna-be cop, that's the exact behavior people don't want. if you use a gun for self-defense you need to use it for that and not vigilantism. self-defense is when somebody comes up to you and threatens your life not when you go out and seek somebody.
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Not sure the @CollegiateTimes twitter feed had a very proud day today. Should probably be part of the discussion now that the day is over.
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I'm appalled at the extreme level of ignorance being displayed here by the anti-gun crowd.
So far I've seen it put as:
* only rednecks want to own guns
* only trust soldiers and police officers to carry guns
* the cop died so therefore you couldn't have done any better
* make all guns illegal
The ignorance here is absolutely astounding. The only logical response I have to all this is, if that's the way you truly feel, instead of arguing, and pointing out how blatantly unconstitutional such ideas are (as someone with any of these viewpoints probably don't give a damn about the u.s. constitution in the first place), go somewhere else. There are plenty of other countries where individual rights take a backseat to the governments will.
America is starting to go down that path with the rapiscan tsa scanners, Guantanamo bay, and the Patriot Act among others; the last thing we need is to lose the right to bear arms.
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What is the perp's name? Why haven't they released it yet?
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No se que esta. Some random gringo from somewhere, but he is not a student.
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If police didn't arrest and jail people for carrying arms, then people would be able to properly defend themselves. If people were able to properly defend themselves, there would be no need for all these SWAT teams and police running around with machine guns and storm trooper outfits.
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Can anyone point to a case where an individual with a conceal carry permit has ever stepped in and saved someone else?
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really?, I mean really? it doesn't make the news often because it irritates a lot of people and is not in line with the standard media view that guns shouldn't exist, but there are plenty of examples. just google it. here's one right here:
http://www.ccwbystate.com/2011/09/14/temple-university-student-concealed-carry-saves-life/
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http://actionamerica.org/guns/gun-web-widget.shtml has a web counter. 2.2 million uses of guns in self defense this year already
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_School_of_Law_shooting
students used their guns in self defense on this VA college campus
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