Virginia Tech gunman acted alone, police say
Officer Deriek Crouse, 39, was a married father of five and Army veteran
The man who shot dead a police officer at Virginia Tech before turning the gun on himself nearby on campus acted alone, investigators have said.
Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says they are still trying to determine why Officer Deriek Crouse was attacked.She told journalists the gunman ran from the scene on Thursday and changed clothes before taking his own life.
The university was the site of the worst US school shooting, in 2007, when a gunman killed 32 people and himself.
Ms Geller told Friday's news conference that the gunman was not a student at Virginia Tech.
But she declined to say more until the medical examiner confirms his identity and next of kin are notified.
Investigators have found no link between the gunman and Officer Crouse, a married father of five and 39-year-old Army veteran.
The officer was attacked while performing a routine traffic stop in a campus car park shortly after midday on Thursday.
Suspect on tape
The gunman, who was not linked to the car that was pulled over, walked up and opened fire at close range, before fleeing on foot.
A video camera inside the officer's vehicle captured footage of the suspect.
Ms Geller said the shooter then changed his clothes, put them in a backpack and left it behind a greenhouse.
He killed himself after he was spotted by a police officer in another campus car park about half a mile away.
Earlier on Friday, Virginia State Police said in a news release that "ballistics evidence testing has officially linked the two fatal shootings".
An official vigil is planned on Friday night.
About 150 students gathered in a candlelight vigil on Thursday evening at the campus memorial for the shootings of four years ago.
"Our hearts are broken again," said university President Charles W Steger.
Officer Crouse received an award in 2008 for his commitment to the department's efforts to deter drink-driving. He was trained as a crisis intervention officer and a defensive tactics instructor.
He was one of about 50 officers on the campus force and had served there for four years, joining about six months after the 2007 massacre.
That tragedy prompted the university, which has about 30,000 students, to implement a highly sophisticated security alert system.
After Thursday's initial report of gunfire, the emergency procedure was activated. Texts and emails were sent to staff and students warning them to stay indoors.
The campus was placed on lockdown for several hours as police and Swat teams scoured the area.
The bloodshed came on the same day as Virginia Tech appealed against a $55,000 (£35,200) fine imposed by the government for not reacting quickly enough to the 2007 massacre.
Thirty-two people died in April that year when a 23-year-old South Korean, Seung-Hui Cho, went on a gun rampage before turning the weapon on himself.
No comments:
Post a Comment