Shootings at VT! (Original thread on the tragedy - Off-topic will be moved)

Re: Shootings at VT!

My friend has an away message up just letting everyone know he's safe in his dorm. Sigh...

Worst campus shooting in US History.

May the bastard rot.
 
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well that pretty much sucks
 
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They were reporting only 1 dead earlier this morning. Now at least 21 dead. Let's all hope that it don't keep going up. Terrible.
 
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well apparently the shooter is dead now too, so hopefully that will slow down the rise in number dead.
 
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That just sucks! My prayers are with those kids and their families. Who was this person and what drove him to do this? This is just tragic:mad: :(
 
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My prayers go out to everyone as well, glad your friend is OK William!

Saying 29 dead now maybe as high as 32 :(
 
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Saw this in the CNN report
Before Monday, the deadliest school shootings came in 1966 and 1999.
In the former, Charles Joseph Whitman, a 25-year-old ex-Marine, killed 13 people on the University of Texas campus. He was killed by police.
In 1999, 17-year-old Dylan Klebold and 18-year-old Eric Harris -- armed with guns and pipe bombs -- killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves.
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It is hard to believe that is was been 41 years since the 'Deadly Tower' incident at UT Austin. I know whenever I walk around Austin and especially when I see the tower I think of this. But that horror will pale in comparison to todays at VT.




What the heck was going on to start this nut up today? We will probably not know for a while but geesh!! While we also think of the loses that many people will feel for their dead loved ones, lets us also wish the best and speedy recovery from those that are injured.
 
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CapeCodJay said:
My prayers go out to everyone as well, glad your friend is OK William!

Saying 29 dead now maybe as high as 32 :(
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From my friend, the day started at 9:30 with an email about a shooting in one of the dorms (AJ?) and that if anyone had any information, to contact the VT police. Then they followed up with an email that a gunman was on the loose on campus and for all students to remain in their dorms until further notice, away from windows. From what he's telling me, they haven't said anything about whether or not it was a student, nor whether the two shootings were connected. I think it'd be astronomical odds if they weren't. :/ He thinks that since it started in a dorm it might've been a student.

Truly a tragic day. They've cancelled classes at least today and tomorrow, he hasn't been told if the university is closing and sending students home, or if they'll reopen the dining hall and other buildings later tonight. I'm extremely glad he's safe, and my thoughts and condolences to those families who were sadly affected. Sigh.
 
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I just heard about this driving back to work from dinner. It is a terrible loss for the families and VT campus.
May God rest his hands on the families of those who were taken so needlessly.
 
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And I've come to the realization that I have some "peers" who lack the even smallest amount of empathy. Quotes such as "cool" and "he went shooting twice and didn't get caught" and "more efficient than those columbine kids"... :mad:

It's against the law for me to throttle them, isn't it? Ugh.
 
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woodstock said:
where did you see that??
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I was telling a "friend" of mine online about the incident and she started saying those things. It's just sickening to think that someone could have that much disrespect.
 
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wbarnhill said:
I was telling a "friend" of mine online about the incident and she started saying those things. It's just sickening to think that someone could have that much disrespect.
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Sad reality, much of what has become "acceptable" in popular culture contributes to this insulation from the terrible realities.

Thank God not everyone of your age is so afflicted.
 
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30 dead reported now. And they're not calling it the worst school shooting in US history, they're calling it the worst mass shooting in US history, period.

My thoughts to the families of those poor college kids.

Jim G
 
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Virginia has had a bad time of it in the last few years, between this and the snipers.

Characterizing it at the "worst school shooting ever" makes it strikingly and disturbingly clear that these incidents have become common. How many have there been in the last six months alone?
 
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wbarnhill said:
And I've come to the realization that I have some "peers" who lack the even smallest amount of empathy. Quotes such as "cool" and "he went shooting twice and didn't get caught" and "more efficient than those columbine kids"... :mad:

It's against the law for me to throttle them, isn't it? Ugh.
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ya know William sometimes folks don't know how to react in such a tradgedy. Certainly I would have thought that your "peers" being college age or older would know better but I guess not. It is not unusual for children to act inappropriately when someone they know dies. They are not sure what emotion to use because it is such a new and surreal experiance for them. I can only hope the same is true for your Peers. Perhaps you might want to ask them " do you really truly think that is cool?" You may get a different answer at least I hope you do.

Yes the numbers keep growing this is so tragic. 30 not including the shooter. If he wasn't mentally ill I wonder what could have made him so freaking mad. Human life is so precious.
 
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grattonja said:
30 dead reported now. And they're not calling it the worst school shooting in US history, they're calling it the worst mass shooting in US history, period.

My thoughts to the families of those poor college kids.

Jim G
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*nod* I think the bad part is that if a shooter goes into almost any classroom in America, that person is blocking the only exit. That's probably why the fatalities were so high. I expect that universities will start implementing the same rules that our high schools did after Columbine and require classrooms be locked during classes.
 
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wbarnhill said:
And I've come to the realization that I have some "peers" who lack the even smallest amount of empathy. Quotes such as "cool" and "he went shooting twice and didn't get caught" and "more efficient than those columbine kids"... :mad:

It's against the law for me to throttle them, isn't it? Ugh.
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Are you for the death penalty yet? This guy got it and deserved it. We did NOT need to be dragged through some sorry ass trial learning how he was abused as a kid and it's society's fault, then have him institutionalized in a cell next to John Hinkley.
 
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JohnR said:
Are you for the death penalty yet? This guy got it and deserved it. We did NOT need to be dragged through some sorry ass trial learning how he was abused as a kid and it's society's fault, then have him institutionalized in a cell next to John Hinkley.
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The threat of the death penalty sure did not seem to stop this guy from committing the act in the first. Isn't the threat of punishment supposed to be a form of a deterrence as well?

I have asked this question a lot. I don't expect anyone to really have the answer but I think it is worth considering when using the state as a means of taking of a life. But to delve further into that subject we should move this to the Spin Zone.

A work colleague of mine that is very anti-death penalty. You may not think that is very unusual given some of the politics that I have espoused on these boards. But he is an interesting person to have this view. His 10 year old was killed by a crazed gunman at school in Dunblane Scotland 11 years ago. I still have not made up my mind if the death penalty is a good thing or not.
 
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smigaldi said:
I still have not made up my mind if the death penalty is a good thing or not.
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Well, I'm pro-death penalty and I don't think it is a "good thing." :princess:

NPR has had special coverage all morning on this. Sad photos.

It appears that the police engaged the gunman at some point.
 
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The news keeps changing. Now they say he shot himself. I thought I read the cops shot him.

The death penalty isn't a deterrent because we basically don't use it. Too many endless appeals, too few sentences carried out. Just in case they're innocent, of course.
 
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Ok just so we don't have to move this thread to Spin, which I hate doing to a thread not intened by the orignal poster to be Spin, lets keep this news, facts and thoughts. The DP has so many more facets than those presented in this tragic situation and I want to avoid diverting this thread. Feel free to start a thread in Spin on the DP.

Thanks
 
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wbarnhill said:
I was telling a "friend" of mine online about the incident and she started saying those things. It's just sickening to think that someone could have that much disrespect.
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Let them know that once they get brave enough to get out of mom's basement and go out into the real world they'll find out it's not like Grand Theft Auto or Castle Wolfenstein. :mad:
 
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Folks,

Some of you may know that VT is where I got my undergraduate degree.

Out of respect for those who died, would it be too much to ask that we not turn this discussion into a political morass?

If you want to discuss the death penalty, start a thread in Spin Zone... but please don't make the shooting at VT into a cause for action.

The event is quite tragic, and really hurts a university that has earned a great deal of respect for both academic and athletic performance. Some of the nation's best engineering professors teach at VT.

I, personally, dread the fallout from this case. College is supposed to be a place where young adults learn, a place that's supposed to be both welcoming and provide a bit of freedom all at the same time. That vision is shattered, and will be even more so in the future.

With much sadness for the university community....
 
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My condolences to family and friends of VT.
 
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This just sucks. I feel bad for the kids at VT, and cannot fathom what something like this must be like.

CNN had a student on (radio, not sure about TV) who was describing locking herself and about 19 others into a teacher's office and listening to people being executed outside the door. The police eventually barged in and made them put their hands on their heads, in case one of them might be the shooter.

Of course, one dumbass chose not to put his hands on his head and he was forced to the floor.

Can you imagine being in that room for those agonizing moments where you heard shots and knew people were dying?
 
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SkyHog said:
This just sucks. I feel bad for the kids at VT, and cannot fathom what something like this must be like.

CNN had a student on (radio, not sure about TV) who was describing locking herself and about 19 others into a teacher's office and listening to people being executed outside the door. The police eventually barged in and made them put their hands on their heads, in case one of them might be the shooter.

Of course, one dumbass chose not to put his hands on his head and he was forced to the floor.

Can you imagine being in that room for those agonizing moments where you heard shots and knew people were dying?
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There are picures of the police forcing students to the ground at gunpoint. While I understand the mentality the police are following, it does disturb me that the folks affected by the shooting - and those trying to escape - were treated as criminals themselves. I am not so quick to characterize the person as a "dumbass" - last time I checked, we still have the presumption of innocence in America. Please note that I understand the police training - they want to stop the criminal to avoid more carnage. /politics off/

No, I can't imagine being there. I hope to never find out.
 
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wsuffa said:
There are picures of the police forcing students to the ground at gunpoint. While I understand the mentality the police are following, it does disturb me that the folks affected by the shooting - and those trying to escape - were treated as criminals themselves. I am not so quick to characterize the person as a "dumbass" - last time I checked, we still have the presumption of innocence in America. /politics off/
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While I agree, the police were not positive who was the suspect and who wasn't. You know as well as I do that if the police did not do that, and one of the people pulled a gun and shot even one person, people would be calling out the officers.

As it is, people are blaming the administrators for taking 2 hours to notify students about the first shootings...
 
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wbarnhill said:
And I've come to the realization that I have some "peers" who lack the even smallest amount of empathy. Quotes such as "cool" and "he went shooting twice and didn't get caught" and "more efficient than those columbine kids"... :mad:

It's against the law for me to throttle them, isn't it? Ugh.
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William, I am very happy that your friend is OK. This is a huge tragedy, that the students and teachers at VT will carry in their memories forever. :(:(

As for the "peer", I know that there are people out there like that, and for the life of me, I'll never understand how someone can allow that kind of darkness into their soul that would cause them to think this kind of event is "cool". :(:(
 
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32 people murdered, 1 dead assailant, 26 wounded and under medical care.

The local radio had a report that this was over the shooter's girlfriend breaking up with him. I can't find any mention of it, but if that is true...

Bill, this is truly a tragic loss for the VT community. A school that has such a balanced reputation, as a true home of higher education, and is marred by such a horrific experience - my thoughts go out to those who have lost tonight, and to those who have suffered needlessly at the hands of a madman.

This is just !@#$%^& crazy.

-Andrew
 
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SkyHog said:
This just sucks. I feel bad for the kids at VT, and cannot fathom what something like this must be like.

CNN had a student on (radio, not sure about TV) who was describing locking herself and about 19 others into a teacher's office and listening to people being executed outside the door. The police eventually barged in and made them put their hands on their heads, in case one of them might be the shooter.

Of course, one dumbass chose not to put his hands on his head and he was forced to the floor.

Can you imagine being in that room for those agonizing moments where you heard shots and knew people were dying?
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NPR's "All Things Considered" had a custodian who saw the guy, took cover and was shot at, "I head the bullets whizzing by me." He got some people out through the auditorium.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9605740

One student they interviewed said the shooter laughed after each shot.

We do know the blame game and the usual "fix the last problem" will change school life forever.
 
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wbarnhill said:
And I've come to the realization that I have some "peers" who lack the even smallest amount of empathy. Quotes such as "cool" and "he went shooting twice and didn't get caught" and "more efficient than those columbine kids"... :mad:

It's against the law for me to throttle them, isn't it? Ugh.
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No, I'm pretty sure it isn't illegal to throttle utter jerks ... hmmm, well, maybe. It SHOULDN'T be illegal, in any case.
 
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wsuffa said:
There are picures of the police forcing students to the ground at gunpoint. While I understand the mentality the police are following, it does disturb me that the folks affected by the shooting - and those trying to escape - were treated as criminals themselves. I am not so quick to characterize the person as a "dumbass" - last time I checked, we still have the presumption of innocence in America. Please note that I understand the police training - they want to stop the criminal to avoid more carnage. /politics off/

No, I can't imagine being there. I hope to never find out.
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Bill, I just can't agree with you here at all. No-one was being treated "as a criminal" - they were being treated as an "unknown threat" to the officers and those people around them. And that's exactly what they were - unknown threats. You've got dozens of people dead and dozens of people injured - the threat possibilities were HUGE.
 
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etsisk said:
Bill, I just can't agree with you here at all. No-one was being treated "as a criminal" - they were being treated as an "unknown threat" to the officers and those people around them. And that's exactly what they were - unknown threats. You've got dozens of people dead and dozens of people injured - the threat possibilities were HUGE.
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You're right. I can't think of any better, or other, way to do it. Still, that just does not leave a good taste behind. Unfortunately for me, they probably would have had to tackle me.
 
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etsisk said:
Bill, I just can't agree with you here at all. No-one was being treated "as a criminal" - they were being treated as an "unknown threat" to the officers and those people around them. And that's exactly what they were - unknown threats. You've got dozens of people dead and dozens of people injured - the threat possibilities were HUGE.
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Actually, Tom, most (and I stress not all, but most) police training is to treat everyone as a potential criminal until they are proven not to be. Call it threat mitigation, or anything you want, but the end result is the same. Some police acadamies outright say "treat everyone as if they are a criminal until proven otherwise".

Now, having said that, I will point you back to my comment that the police want to stop a criminal before there is more carnage. What gets trampled are individual rights. We can have a long discussion here and include the cases where the cops get the wrong house and slam gramma into the floor, but it won't solve anything.

From a public relations standpoint, and politically, they may have no choice. That's the way it is. The "gun control" and "authorities did wrong" media are already out in force. It would be more intense if the gunman got away.

No, I don't care to do their jobs. But I am *very* concerned for our freedoms.
 
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