Thursday

First, I apologize that I didn't post yesterday.  I got back to my dorm late after a World Regions event, and I completely forgot.  Yesterday was my last day of classes for the semester. After this its exams and then I go home.  During exam week, I'll do my best to keep posting every day.

As you probably know, a shooting occurred at Virginia Tech this afternoon. I woke up at about 12:30 to the sound of sirens and saw several police cars driving down the street.  Then my roomate told me that he had gotten a message on his phone that there was a report of gunshots fired.  The message encouraged us to stay inside and lock our doors.  A few minutes later a second message came through giving a description of the victim and saying that he was headed on foot towards McComas Hall.

At 1:11 pm another alert came through stating that a police officer had been shot and that a second victim had been reported at the Cage lot.  At 1:18 one of my Facebook friends said that police had someone on the ground outside his building.  It later turned out that that person was not the suspect.  At 2:25 pm another alert was sent out saying that the reports of recent sounds ID'd as gunshots and suspicious activity on campus had been investigated and were unfounded.  At this time, this video was posted on Facebook.  It shows students in Torgersen Hall being escorted up to Torgersen Bridge by armed officers.  Another friend also posted this picture, taken in Torgersen Hall.

At 4:29, the last alert was sent out saying that they had determined that there was no longer a threat and that the lockdown was lifted. At 4:30, the University, the University Police, and the State Police held a press conference which you can see here. They didn't confirm that the second victim was the shooter, but it was implied.

This entire time I was in the 6th floor study lounge with Matt, who lives across the hall, working on physics homework.  As the news spread, I received calls and messages from my family including my sister, mother, father, grandmother, and aunt. After the alert was lifted Matt and I went back to my room and since we hadn't eaten the entire day we went out to get dinner.

I think that the police and the University did a good job in handling this incident.  Everyone on campus was notified within minutes of the shooting and there was a large police presence on campus in a very short amount of time.  Many people are starting to describe Virginia Tech as dangerous, but I feel safe due to the response to this incident.

As I close I would ask that you keep Officer Deriek Crouse and his family in your prayers.