A shooting this morning at Virginia Tech that left more than 30 people dead and at least 20 wounded had the attention of Kansas University officials.
"We're keeping an eye on it to see what we can learn from the situation," said Diana Robertson, interim director of KU student housing.
Some of the dead and wounded were in a residence hall, and others were in a classroom, according to the Associated Press.
Robertson said the Student Housing Department would continue to work with the KU Department of Public Safety to make sure the university has as safe and secure an environment as can be provided.
"Right now I don't know enough about what's happened out there," Robertson said. "Certainly our hearts go out to the students and staff in that situation."
Shortly after 1 p.m., Chancellor Robert Hemenway released the following statement:
"Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the Virginia Tech University family today. The horrific tragedy that occurred this morning is so immense it is difficult to comprehend.
"It is a chilling reminder why campus security must always be a top priority. The safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors is paramount."
Comments
LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.
aha (anonymous) says…
Very sad. My heart goes out to all of the families.
mom_of_three (anonymous) says…
We always have the tv on in our office, and it's always on CNN. I wish I could turn it today, because, as a parent, my heart is breaking for all those involved in the Virginia Tech shooting.
b_asinbeer (anonymous) says…
Dambudzo---Hand to hand combat???!!! You're an idiot.
newsreader (anonymous) says…
from what I hear, hand to hand combat isn't very effective against a Glock or 9mm...
countrygirl (anonymous) says…
Makes me want to go hug my son really tight--and he's only 8. My heart goes out to all involved.
kustudent123 (anonymous) says…
I cannot tell you how sad I am to here of this horrible news. However, as a university student, i can tell you that security on university campuses across the nation is a joke. For instance, most campuses lack a very important mode of communication to let all people on campus know that there is an emergency. A PA system or warning siren system should be isntalled on every university campus in the country, including KU. After Columbine, secruity mesaures were greatly improved in American high schools, but little wsa done for American universities. As a student at KU, I am not aware of an emergency plan, and that is a problem. I am sure that there is an emergency plan, but the fact that virtually no students are informed about it is a huge probelm. It renders any plan useless if an event were to occur like this at KU. I wouldn't be surprised, and I hope, that there is a huge movement to increase security on college campuses. I honestly cannot understand why there was a 2hour difference between the shooting at the dorm, and the shooting in the engineering building. This scares me as a university student, and I hope President Bush makes a commitment to improving university campuses today in his press conference.
Bladerunner (anonymous) says…
Im writing my check now Dambudzo. NOT!
srj (anonymous) says…
But I will be very interested to learn what the guy, the police, and the VT did the two hours between killing one person, and going accross campus and killing everyone in the classrooms.
machiavelli (anonymous) says…
Here's my list of what will probably happen next, followed by what NEEDS to happen next:
-KU will whine about, and get, more funding from the state legislature for "student security and safety," and it will be paid for with increased highway tolls;
-Idiot TV talking heads and politicians will drone on and on about how we have "entered a new era" with regard to the increased need for more surveillance on campuses; to be followed by, well, increased surveillance on campuses;
-Idiot TV talking heads and politicians will drone on and on about how we have "entered a new era" with regard to the increased need for more surveillance in our country; to be followed, by, well, increased surveillance in our country;
-Idiot TV talking heads, representing political think tanks (which have, in turn, been financed by Big Pharma) will attempt to attribute this disaster in whole or in part to some sort of psychiatric disorder, video game violence, or some other social malady;
-Every attempt will be made to attribute this disaster to some cause already mentioned, but NOT to the shooter's own lack of character and responsibility as an adult.
Here's what NEEDS to happen next:
-Society should immediately come to a screeching halt--followed by a moment of silence--immediately followed by the announcement of a Presidential Commission, charged with investigating exactly why this is the second act of school carnage in which fat, bloated, out-of-shape cops are standing around looking clueless in their storm trooper gear and machine guns, while shots ring out in the background;
-no one will mention the name Don Imus. Ever. Again.
-Some brave soul in a position of prominence will stand up as a voice of reason to counter the fear-mongering, safety-and-security sheep by pointing out that it is impossible to stop these kinds of acts, so we should stop printing new printing presses that print money for more useless big brother paraphernalia.
I could go on, but as a wise man once said, it's better to be feared than loved.
timetospeakup (anonymous) says…
scenebooster - concealed carry on school grounds is prohibited in Virginia. Since concealed carry permit holders by definition follow the law, of course none of them were carrying in a prohibited place.
babyboycat (anonymous) says…
This is all unbelievable.......what the H**L is going on! Shooting innocent people just because......Is "satan" on the loose.
oldgoof (anonymous) says…
We live in an open society. Nuts with guns will always have an advantage. But I want to remain in an open society.
.
And I would also support modest to aggressive gun control, and repeal of such nonsense as concealed carry, although none of this may be relevant in this tragic instance.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
It just goes to show you how easily we could turn into Baghdad. This happens multiple times a week, there. And I'm sure there are plenty more crazies where this one came from.
denak (anonymous) says…
"....It's too bad an alert concealed carrier was not in proximity at the time..."
I was wondering when someone would bring this up.
So lets say someone, a student or faculty perhaps, had had a gun, then what?
In your fantasy/scenario, you think the student or the faculty would have been able to take the gunman out.
He would have been the great hero, the person who was able to do what the police weren't able to do.
More than likely, what would have happened, is the student or faculty member would have shot the wrong person or been shot by the police or another student before he was able to do anything at all.
The liklihood that things would have gone wrong is far greater than the liklihood that things would have ended successfully.
Yes, this incident is tragic. However, the police/SWAT are trained to handle a crisis of this magnitude. The student or faculty member is not. He is not the law. He does not need to get involved.
As for allowing students to carry weapons any other time.
I want people to seriously think about that. I'm not trying to put college students down but do we really want a bunch of drunken frat boys *anywhere* near a weapon. I don't think so. College students are at an age where they are going through a huge amount of stress and turmoil they don't always use common sense.
To put this another way, I was in the Marine Corps during what is usually considered the "college years." If a bunch of silly-ass, hard partying, barely legal Marines can't have weapons in the barracks, then a bunch of silly-ass, hard partying, barely legal college students shouldn't have weapons in their dorms.
I think it is safe to say that most Marines are better trained than the average college student and if, we, can't be trusted neither should college students.
Dena:0)
Agnostick (anonymous) says…
Posted by Dambudzo (anonymous) on April 16, 2007 at 1:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hand to hand combat 101 should be mandatory.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Posted by right_thinker (anonymous) on April 16, 2007 at 3:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's too bad an alert concealed carrier was not in proximity at the time.
http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/49915...
This is very sad. Apparently, someone was able to conceal carry.
*******************************************
Well, that didn't take long, did it?
right_thinker, you plan on flying out there to play with the dead bodies? Maybe you could pose them, place some handguns in their curled dead fingers and take pictures with a big banner:
if only they'd been armed! could you be next?
(This message brought to you by our friends at the NRA)
Great, guys... really compassionate there...
Agnostick
agnostick@excite.com
http://www.uscentrist.org
ASBESTOS (anonymous) says…
"And I would also support modest to aggressive gun control, and repeal of such nonsense as concealed carry, although none of this may be relevant in this tragic instance."
Quite relevant. The Virginia legislature actually defeated a Concealed Carry permit. The PR person for the VT University was stating that it made it "safer" on campus! Well the illegal concealed carrier was NOT deterred because good people cannot carry. No opposition, no threat from a WHOLE campus unarmed.
Agnostick (anonymous) says…
The Truth always lies somewhere between the extremes.
Always.
--Ag
lmpaul (anonymous) says…
How about all of us putting aside the criticism, sarcasm and lame witty remarks? Let's just say a prayer for the families. Yes, the shooter, too. His parents must be hurting as much as anyone else. And pray that this won't happen in our town or any other, for that matter.
458casul (anonymous) says…
take one minute and pray for these people
thanks
BigDog (anonymous) says…
I don't see much point in that as whatever there is for a "God" pretty much abandoned sometime this morning those killed and injured.
*****************************************
Pretty sad statement. At least in my beliefs God doesn't prevent all evil or bad events from happening. It doesn't mean there isn't a God though or that He abandoned anyone. If that were the case no one would ever die in car accidents, from diseases, etc.
This was a horrific event and now is a time to pray for those who died or wounded along with their family and friends.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
There's no shortage of weapons in Baghdad, and incidents like this are a daily occurrence.
gkwhdw (anonymous) says…
I believe its a pretty sad day when someone doesn't have faith in God to see you through bad experiences in our lives. I'm not a real religious individual, but there are times that when no one here on Earth hears the sadness in my heart, I look to God for strength and understanding. Sure God isn't going to be the one doing the doctors jobs to heal people, but who do you think arranged for us to create people who are worthy of the title"doctor of medicine"? We didn't pull them outtta a hat. Everyone needs something to believe in, why not at least send your love and understanding to all those involved and let it go at that? We're all Americans and we are all human, why do we need to worry about guns anyway? Bad things happen to good people, I send all the love in my heart to everyone concerned in this situation. Think about it!!!!
temperance (anonymous) says…
Impaul: "How about all of us putting aside the criticism, sarcasm and lame witty remarks? Let's just say a prayer for the families."
That's a fine sentiment and I agree with it to a certain extent, but the discussion boards here are all about criticism and sarcasm (whether its witty or lame are in the eyes of the beholders) and there's no sacred cows.
Which leads me to this criticism:
Marion writes: "The thing that we must remember is that in a coutnry of some 300 million people there is going to be a certain number of nuts and there is virtually nothing that we can do about it. A given number of these nuts are going to flip out in one way or another and it is impossible to predict when one or more of them will lash out."
But something tells me this "stuff happens" attitude has a lot to do with the presumed racial and ethnic identity of the terrorists. In other words, would she be singing her "stuff happens" song if the Virginia terrorists were Arab or Persian? I seriously doubt it.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
"Obligatory Iraq reference. America hating even in the face of domestic tragedy.
Waiting for the following: Gunman was an Iraq Veteran, Bush's fault."
Obligatory "oh-you-bush-haters" knee-jerk response from the wingnut echo chamber.
mommaeffortx2 (anonymous) says…
death toll is 33.
temperance (anonymous) says…
"Now if the perp is shown to be a terroist or an illegal, those will be other stories entirely . . ." That's exactly my point. It's "stuff happens" and "madmen will be madmen" when its homegrown. It's something else *entirely* if it's a "terroist or an illegal."
drewdun (anonymous) says…
Jesus Christ - politics already?
Have some respect for God's sake.
Agnostick (anonymous) says…
DimBulbous is devoid of any kind of respect.
Especially "self-respect."
As to the other blooming mass of stupidity:
If the perp is a white U.S. citizen, born and raised here: He killed 33 people.
If the perp is a black U.S. citizen, born and raised here: He killed 33 people.
If the perp is a brown U.S. citizen, born and raised here: He killed 33 people.
If the perp is a U.S. citizen, who immigrated here legally: He killed 33 people.
If the perp is a member of a Muslim terrorist organization: He killed 33 people.
If the perp is an illegal immigrant: He killed 33 people.
If the perp flew here from Mars, sealed himself up inside the "host body" of a Virgina Tech student, raided a gun store, and found its way to the V-Tech campus: He killed 33 people.
Questions?
--Ag
b_asinbeer (anonymous) says…
Agnostick...Very well said. Cheers.
redhotz_1 (anonymous) says…
I have kept a watchful eye on this situation and as most of everyone else, my family's thoughts and prayers go out to the students families, friends and those who weren't involved directly, will certainly be affected too, so we are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers too. What came to mind after praying for all at V-Tech, was the fact that we have a child that in just 5 short years will be leaving home to attend KU and just 3 years later, our youngest will be choosing a place to further her education. We, as parents have so much to take from this tragedy, to educate our children, and hope that we can send them off to continue their education, and prepare for their future. Keeping in mind that anything can happen no matter where they are. So with that in mind, never take for granted anything, and always, always, no matter what, take the opportunity to say "I Love You" every chance you get, give them a hug, and ensure that your child/children know without a doubt they have your support and love no matter what.
bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…
very very deeply sad. praying for the students and their loved ones.
***
in such a story as this, there will certainly come out during the proceeding days that there were days or weeks of "warning signs" in the perp's behavior. this should prompt all of us to be alert to those around us, those we know, and our neighbors. and if something seems out of the ordinary, perhaps it should be reported. that's the strongest weapon we have to prevent these kinds of incidents. I for one wish to prevent these! save lives.
***
supporting modest gun control [above] just silly. when guns are illegal, then only criminals will have guns. VTEC was a "gun free zone" and maybe the perp knew that. planned on it?
***
anybody know if that campus has an ultra-restrictive policy on their campus PD using firearms? some campi say the Campus PD officers can't draw their guns without *the president's* or *the *chancelor's* okay. meaning that their carrying of firearms is practically useless. some campi even have unarmed police.
no, not making these up. obviously I mean that a well trained, quick responding armed campus PD officer could have prevented further loss of life.
***
finally, the witness report of the perp in the first shooting disagreed sharply with the description of the perp in the shooting two hours later. suppose it is possible they were two seperate shooters? or, more likely, just the common variance of eyewitness description.
penguinatheart (anonymous) says…
Wow guys. There's no God, the liberal media is contorting our minds, the conservative hacks are out to destroy our Civil Liberties, it was terrorism, we'd all hate the guy if he were Arab or illegal, if he were illegal that's to blame...
You've all totally missed the point. Now is not the time for political bickering. Questions about why it happened, why students weren't notified, why police were so clueless will have their time. Now is a time to pray / feel sympathy for / try to care about those who've lost people, with or without a god.
Maybe we should be looking into the reasons behind this. Was it domestic violence turned uncontrollable rage? A problem with some professors or with the school? A mental illness that should have been detected earlier? Did he snap under the ridiculous stress some of our college (and younger) students are placed under?
I don't believe mindless bickering for the sake of slamming each other has a place anywhere, but if it does, this certainly isn't it.
~kate
bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…
send them off to continue their education, and prepare for their future. Keeping in mind that anything can happen no matter where they are. So with that
in mind, never take for granted anything, and always, always, no matter what, take the opportunity to say "I Love You" every chance you get, give them
a hug, and ensure that your child/children know without a doubt they have your support and love no matter what.
very well said!
grubesteak (anonymous) says…
Kate, well said. Marion could learn a few things from you.
bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…
MD,
am so sorry to read your loss! hope you're coping with it...hope your boy is getting his necessaries.