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Reaction from some local Tech students
A BLOODY SCENE
Chris Eckel, a sophomore from King George, was walking across the drill field when he heard gun shots coming from Norris Hall.
"I saw a girl coming out. She was shot. There was a lot of blood on her. Another guy came out, he'd been shot."
He and his roommate then ran back to their dorm. "It was pretty traumatic. I had never seen so many people covered in blood be fore."
A BIRDS-EYE VIEW
Justin Murphy, a junior from King George, was leaving McBride Hall near Norris, when police swarmed the area. "There were gun shots, so everyone started running," Murphy said.
He made it back to his dorm, where he had a clear view of Norris. With binoculars, he could see wounded being carried out.
"It was kind of surreal after the incident earlier in the year and multiple bomb threats in the last few weeks."
JUMPING TO SAFETY
Sophomore Patrick Bales, a Stafford High graduate, said the first shooting happened just two floors above his dorm room. He said two residents panicked and jumped from a 7th-floor window.
"One person was killed right here in my building," he wrote in an e–mail to his father, Jack Bales. "There are a ton of sirens and cops EVERYWHERE."
"It seems like such a safe place to me," he said in an interview later. "This could never happen here."
HEARING GUNSHOTS
Jenna Coker, a sophomore from Stafford County, was about to cross the drill field near Norris when she saw police cars and heard gunshots. "Everyone started running and yelling," she said.
Workers opened the doors to the gym near by and the students ran inside, she said. "Everyone is in disbelief and shock," she said.
A JOB TO DO
Amie Steele, a junior from Stafford and editor of the student newspaper, was just getting up when a reporter called her about the dorm shooting.
Teacher died protecting students(posted by
dicerotops
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
A commentor asked why no staff member was able to defend the student. I don't believe anyone could have predicted such a horrific event. However, let it be known that a teacher gave his life saving his students. According to CNN Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor, stood in front of the door to hold it closed and told his students to flee through the windows. By blocking the door before he was fatally shot, he saved his students' lives. Librescu was a hero in the truest sense of the word.
Prayers(posted by
Rodndor
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
Our prayers are with the victims of this tragic event. I have to wonder why no administrator, faculty, or staff member was able to defend the students from the deranged gunman.
This won't define VT for those who know it(posted by
dicerotops
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
To see images of Virginia Tech in international news is numbing, and reminicent of the exposure Spotsylvania Mall received after a sniper shooting. With so many local students going to VA Tech, the college is like an extension of our local schools. Where no one will forget the absolute tragedy that took place yesterday, I hope our community will remember all the good VT has had to offer our students, and all the good it will continue to offer in the future. Today we hold the victims close to our hearts.
