http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=171688

Shooting on US campus leaves multiple victims

04-16-2007, 16h21
WASHINGTON (AFP)

A US university in Virginia said Monday a shooting on its campus had left multiple victims, as it urged students and faculty to evacuate.
There has been "a multiple shooting with multiple victims," said Virginia Tech, adding one gunman had already been arrested and police were searching for a possible second shooter.


Fox News reported 17 victims, citing a hospital official.



But there was confirmation as to whether any of the victims had died.
Gunfire first broke out earlier Monday in a residence on the campus in the small western Virginia town of Blacksburg, and was then heard in a second building, called the Norris Hall.


"Those on campus are asked to remain where they are, lock their doors and stay away from windows," the university announced after the shooting.


The school, which has some 25,000 students, and is officially known as the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, eventually started evacuating faculty and staff in waves.


The university, located some 425 kilometers (264 miles) southwest of Washington, cancelled all classes for the rest of the day, and entrances to the campus were closed as well, as television images showed heavily armed police rushing across the school grounds in a light snowfall.


The shooting comes just days ahead of the anniversary of the country's deadliest school shooting at Columbine in Littleton, Colorado when two students shot dead 12 classmates and a teacher on April 20, 1999, before killing themselves.


"Police have one shooter in custody and as part of routine police procedure, they continue to search for a second shooter," the university said on its website.


Amy Steele, the chief editor of of the student newspaper, told CNN that she had spoken to students in the buildings where the shootings were heard, and was told many were running around in a panic.


"The police officers were trying to, you know, settle everyone down and keep everything under control," she said.


"One of the injuries happened from a student jumping out of a window."


Last August Virigina Tech was the site of another shooting when an escaped prisoner tried to hide on the campus, US media reported.


A security guard and a policeman were killed before the man was re-arrested. Virginia Tech's website also announced that a reward of 5,000 dollars had been posted on Sunday for information leading to the arrest of those behind two bomb hoaxes at the campus on April 2 and 13.

AFP