Harrowing first-hand accounts of Virginia Tech shootings

[iconoclastic cat]

Don't flame me for posting this, but this blog has some firsthand accounts posted. This is so damn awful.

http://icantread01.livejournal.com/103060.html

I woke up this morning in Kate's bed to the sound of not one, but two alarms waking us up for classes and whatnot. I remember telling Kate the night before that I was going to come onto campus with her at 9am so that I could go to the library to get some work done. The alarm blares and I realize I have absolutely no motivation to leave the bed. Kate tells me it's ok, she keeps telling me that she'll be back in an hour anyways, so it will be ok if she came back and saw my lying right where she left me. I agree with a firm roll over and immediately go back to sleep.

I wake up again to the blare of my own alarm telling me that it's time to get up for my own class. I hit the snooze button, and simply lie there. I overhear a lot of commotion in the main room, Kali and Steph are awake and talking about something. Kali then enters the kitchen and calls someone which I overhear, and heard the magical words that class is canceled for today. Lying in bed, this is the greatest news I could have ever heard, I get out of bed, put on clothes real quick and come out, and greet the roomates. They simply point to the tv where I find out that there has been yet another shooting on campus. First in AJ which is where Kate lived for two years, and then in Norris hall. I try calling kate but she isnt answering her phone. I am assuming she is in Mcbride because I have had a few german classes in that building but im not sure. We check her schedule to find out that she in fact had her german class in Norris Hall. Now I'm freaked out, and franticly try to call her, but she isn't picking up.

fast foward a couple minutes, i get a call from montgomery hostpital. A very kind nurse, wanted to give me a message from Katelyn Carney. I obviously oblige and ask what the message is. She says, ok, the message is "I've got red on me" Of course I instantly think, what a hilarious thing to say in a situation like this, but at the same time, I'm now MORE worried than i was before, and ask the nurse if she is able to patch me through to kate.

Right as she picks up the phone she tells me "I got red on me" I laugh, and immediately try to find out if shes hurt or what to expect, and she lets me know that shes fine, stable, good, not hurt...only slightly.

The story goes that she was in class and they heard a banging, her teacher opened the door to find out what was going on, and after not seeing anything, closed the door. Not more than two seconds later, a gunman entered her room, to which the class responded by getting underneath the desks and basicly hiding as well as possible from this guy. He then shot at the class somewhere between 8 to 12 times and then left. Kate was hit in the hand by a stray bullet, after speaking with her on the phone while she was/is at the hospital,I found out that she still has a peice of a bullet lodged into her hand, and has fractions on her index and pinkey finger. She is about to go into surgery to get that cleaned up and will be there for the next three days. Again she was not specific on exactly what transpired there, but it must have been very stressful for her. She said that the gunman, who looked asian, left and She and another classmate barricated the door while others attended to the wounded and injured. The gunman came back and tried to get in, but because of the barracade couldnt and proceeded to shoot at the door at hip level, while kate was and the other classmates were at ground level.

He wondered off after that, I dont know what happened to him after that, except the police say he's dead. Anyways, the class was then escorted by police to the drillfield where they got into cop cars and then abulances, which is how kate is now at montgomery hostpital. She is truley my hero for not only going through such an experience but also by being able to take action and make sure that this gunman was unable to return to the classroom.

the police now say that 22 are dead. I remember kate crying on the phone saying that she didnt think the teacher Herr Bishop made it out of the whole thing. I'm not sure on that one either.

Because of whats transpiring, my phone cannot connect to the network, its constantly busy. For everyone who has been calling me wondering whats going on, im sorry, ill try to get back to everyone as soon as possible.

more here: http://www.cybersoc.com/2007/04/virginia_tech_s.html

Fucking hell on earth.

[Lex]

1. Damn.

Terrible stuff. Thank god they barricaded that door at least.

[AZBlue]

2. They were brave and acted quickly and logically.

I'm so sorry for all this. It really makes me cry.

[iconoclastic cat]

3. It is truly awful. nt

[WiseButAngrySara]

4. Here are some blogs at BBC from eyewitness accounts...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/6561335.stm

Virginia shootings: Eyewitness accounts

Eyewitnesses at Virginia Tech university have been emailing the BBC News website describing the scene at the campus, where at least 31 people have been killed and 10 injured.
Read a selection of them below, as they come in.

One of my friends...met with the shooter by accident and was nearly shot
Mihai Alexe, Blacksburg, VA

I am a graduate student at Virginia Tech and fortunately I chose not to go to campus early this morning. We have been notified of the first incident very quickly and advised to stay indoors and exercise caution. One of my friends was teaching a class in Norris Hall, where the second incident took place. She sent me an email and an instant message saying she met with the shooter by accident and was nearly shot. She succeeded in barricading herself along with other students in one of the classrooms and as far as I know she is now safe. God help all the students who were injured in this tragic event!
Mihai Alexe, Blacksburg, VA

Our campus has been shut down for the remainder of the day, and many local high schools have kept everything on lock down.
Mala, Blacksburg, USA

I am a graduate student at VT. This has been quite a surreal and grim morning for us all. We had a shooter on campus on the first day of campus and now this. We have been under a lot of stress lately, as there have already been several bomb threats over the past few weeks, even as early as Friday. I do not know if the threats are related to today's shooting. I still can't believe this has happened. My tears continue to pour as the number of casualties continues to rise.
Mia Ortega, Blacksburg, VA, USA

My friend called me telling me not to come on campus because there had been another shooting
Judith Payne, Blacksburg, VA, USA

I am in shock at the events that happened this morning. I am a junior attending Virginia Tech. I was getting ready to leave for my class at 10 am this morning, when my friend Margaret called me telling me not to come on campus because there had been another shooting (we had had a shooting in August on the first day of class). She said that cops had run past her class room and others had run in pointing guns and telling everyone to get down. I live a mile off campus, and I've just been watching the news unfold on the TV. It's scary to see how the numbers increase from 1 dead, 7 injured to 22 dead 21 injured in a matter of minutes. It's been a traumatic experience for the school.
Judith Payne, Blacksburg, VA

I live in West AJ on the third floor. Apparently it all began around 0700 this morning, when the gunman shot and killed one person on the fourth floor. He may have shot other people in the dorm too. Now the police are telling us at least 22 people have been killed (counting the shooter himself). This is very scary, and we are shocked that something like this could happen here in Blacksburg. It really is a very quiet, rural, small town in Southwest Virginia.
Josh Shiben, Blacksburg, VA

I am an exchange student from Birmingham studying here at Virginia Tech for one year. several friends of mine were near to the second incident and took pictures using a mobile phone. I am now in my dorm room roughly 100ft from the first incident. It is amazing to think that an event like this could have happened in such a quiet town. We are all in shock at the moment.
George Barnwell, Students are terrified
Derek Belcher, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

I am a student at Virginia Tech and was on campus during the second shooting at Norris Hall. The Virginia Tech police told us that 20 are confirmed dead and 28 are being treated for injuries. This is the second shooting in one year as well as three bomb threats in the last week. Students are terrified.
Derek Belcher, Blacksburg, Virginia US

I'm from University College Dublin and now on exchange in Virginia Tech. A murderer on campus on our first day here is as bad as it could get, this is unbelievable. Find it hard to believe that 20 people can really be dead. Sitting in dorms right now, waiting for further news. People starting to be released, seems worst may be over.
Nicola, Ireland /Blacksburg, VA
We are stuck on lockdown in the library on campus right now and everyone just seems to be in shock. Cops are everywhere. We just heard that 17 people have been shot. It's been hard to determine what's true and what's just a rumour. We can only hope that the shooters are caught soon.
Krishna and Allison, Blacksburg, Virginia, America

The scene here is just surreal
Brandon, Blacksburg, USA
The scene here is just surreal. Watching the TV and looking at the web-pages, you know that all of this is happening on your campus, but you don't fully realize that it is actually happening; especially as a student. One of my friends was in one of the classrooms where the shooting occurred, and the scene he described was utter chaos. It sounded like a scene from a movie, something that you watch but never expect to happen to you, or to anyone that you know. My thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families of the victims.
Brandon, Blacksburg, USA

I am a faculty from VT. I am shocked with the scale of this horrific event took place in our campus. The gunman is reportedly dead. We do not have much information. An evacuation plan will be performed by police officers very soon and we will go back to our homes. May the victims' souls rest in peace.
Kerem Gungor, Blacksburg, VA

We are in total shock, and it's still setting in. The fact that 20 people have been shot on my campus is totally unthinkable and unbelievable. It's like something out a movie, but it's real. I pray for the families of those killed. This is a terrible tragedy, one that will have a lasting impact on this university for years to come.
Timothy Owen, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

This is truly awful. I am staying just outside of campus at the moment. So many of my friends are in there, and not knowing is just awful. I still cannot believe that more than 20 have died...
Richard Allnutt, Blacksburg, USA

I am a student at Virginia Tech and was in my dormitory at 10:30 when I FINALLY got word about the shootings. I was on my way out to class when I was stopped by a hallmate telling me about what was going on. Students are now coming back to the dorms. I have a friend who is in the building behind Norris and is surrounded by students and faculty who were in Norris. One girl expressed how she saw many bloody bodies. We are being advised to stay in the dorm, but information from the University is slow, although the news coverage has been the best source of information. Why weren't we warned after the FIRST shooting?
Bethany Zimmerman, Blacksburg Virginia

I am a student. I was walking to class when one of the buildings was evacuated. The police yelled to get off the drillfield. People started running everywhere. The situation is intense. Everyone is worried.
Brett Morris, Blacksburg, VA, USA

Death toll already verified at 20. Victims have been taken to a regional hospital. FBI has been called in to investigate. There was a single heavily-armed shooter that has now been reported as shot dead as well. All classes have been cancelled, some buildings are being evacuated one by one.
Justin Shrout, Alexandria Virginia

Just spoke via messenger to my friend, who works at Virginia Tech - her husband works in that building (Norris Hall) but was luckily teaching in a different building. When we stopped talking maybe 20 minutes ago, she thought it was all over now, and students were being sent home.
Scared, Southampton UK

After the second shooting, police vehicles have been travelling through town using PA systems to warn town residents to stay away from windows. Blacksburg is an extremely safe town, we rarely, if ever lock the doors to our house at night.
Nathan Johnson, Blacksburg, VA

My name is Nicholas Kiersey, and I am a PhD student at Virginia Tech, from Ireland. I just wanted to express my sorrow about this tragic and inexplicable event. It's hard to believe that events like this can happen in your own life, events that we can usually only ever view from a distance, on our TV sets. VT has been a wonderful school to me, as has the Blacksburg community. This tragedy, combined with the one just a few months ago, involving Will Morva (who I knew very well actually) will leave the whole region devastated for a long time to come.
Nicholas Kiersey, Blacksburg, VA