Another school shooting.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

I believe calgary's SWAT team is composed of a number of officers who are not full time swat and carry other police duties. When a call comes in, they are scattered throughout the city and have to assembly before hand or at the scene. Hence the hour wait time.

Larger cities usually have swat teams that are on standby full time or taking care of warrants/busts/arrests when not needed in a situation.

Interesting. Hopefully they are never called to a school, where they must take it down by force.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by nmhen

hey gang - please say a prayer or send a thought, whatever comports with your personal belief system for the people who are devastated by this in my country today.

I was living in Denver during Columbine. It was a horrifying, terrifying, confusing time. My company was the largest tenant of either building not to lose anyone on 9/11.

Americans are capable of wonderful acts of humanity, compassion, intellect, and beauty.

Unfortunatley we're also capable of the polar opposite. When it's kids, future leaders, poets, fathers, mothers and friends who are the victims it's is especially sickening and disheartening as another American and human.

I pray that tragedy like this never touches you and yours any closer than headlines and stories.

If you have kids, go home and give them an extra squeeze tonight.

Great post.

I have tears in my eyes as I read through that.

[Azure]

Nikolas Macko was in a mathematics class in Norris Hall when they heard a series of loud bangs in the hallway which prompted a female student sitting near the door to move to close it.

"She peeked out into the hallway, and saw the shooter, so she immediately closed the door. Three other students moved a table that was in front of the room - it seats approximately 40 students at capacity - and barricaded it against the door.

"A few seconds later, the shooter tried to open the door, but my classmates kept it well shut, as they held the table against it from floor level.

"The shooter shot the door twice at chest level, which resulted in two holes in the door, one of which hit the podium in the front of the class room and the other continued out the window. At this point he reloaded, shot the door again - this shot did not penetrate - and moved on to the other classrooms," Mr Macko added.

From BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6560685.stm

[Azure]

They thought they had the situation under control, and let the students go back to their classes.

Only after that did they send out an alert to all the students...and soon after that they realized they didn't actually have the situation under control.

33 confirmed dead including the shooter...final count as I understand it.

I'm watching the press conference.

EDIT: Police believe there was only one gunman.

[Azure]

Something I found on a different forum..

At that point it appears he entered the engineering building, which was under lockdown, and went room to room, using one pistol to injure people and once that clip was expended, using the second one to finish those who were wounded and unable to run, then reloading and proceeding to the next locked-down room.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by fotze

Although it would be impossible it would be great if the guys name is never released or known. This dude wanted notoriety and to be in the history books and unfortunately he will get exactly what he wants. He wanted death and unfortunately that was achieved as well.

I believe they just haven't figured out who he was yet.

3 hours passed from the first incident to the second. Looks like a brutal mix up by the security and police forces.

[Azure]

Check that, they know who the gunman was, but he never had identification on him, so they don't have a name.

[OILFAN #81]

They have an amazing group on facebook for the victims.

Type in the search: "A tribute to those who passed at the Virginia Tech Shooting"

Has gained in membership by 4,000 in the last 12 minutes.

[J pold]

There could be some wide spread societal repercussions of this if the shooter is Muslim or just has a Middle Eastern ethnicity, which is unfortunate I really hope the American public doesn’t incorporate this with terrorism unless of course it is an act of terrorism

[Bob]

Originally Posted by J pold

There could be some wide spread societal repercussions of this if the shooter is Muslim or just has a Middle Eastern ethnicity, which is unfortunate I really hope the American public doesn’t incorporate this with terrorism unless of course it is an act of terrorism

The shooter was apparently Asian and was in the US purely to study at the university.

[Azure]

Can this even be looked upon as an act of terrorism?

Whats the definitions for terrorism?

[metallicat]

I agree. In a sense, this is no different than a guy strapping a bomb to his chest and blowing himself and 31 other people up. I am sure there are people in campuses all over the world today, "terrorised", and scared that something like this can and probably will happen again.

[OILFAN #81]

I talked to some people at VT and they are reporting the name of the person who is the shooter (unconfirmed). Can I post the unconfirmed name here????????

[Azure]

I don't see why not.

Just as long as you say it is unconfirmed.

[J pold]

Originally Posted by Azure

Can this even be looked upon as an act of terrorism?

Whats the definitions for terrorism?

Oh don’t get me wrong in no way think this is an act of terrorism or anything like that I am just saying since 911 a lot of people tend to integrate tragedy and terrorism until the motive is know a lot of people a lot of people are going to be asking questions and without answers they are going to jump to Radical conclusions

[Bob]

This article has an eye-witness account from a student who saw the gunman:

Hector Takahishi, a student, speaking to TIMES NOW said that the first gunshots were heard when classes were in progress. "We heard about 30 gunshots in the morning. The gunman appeared to be Asian and was looking for his girlfriend," Takahishi said.

Beyond that one account, nothing has been confirmed at this point.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by J pold

Oh don’t get me wrong in no way think this is an act of terrorism or anything like that I am just saying since 911 a lot of people tend to integrate tragedy and terrorism until the motive is know a lot of people a lot of people are going to be asking questions and without answers they are going to jump to Radical conclusions

I don't know.

To me it is an act of terrorism. These students were terrorized.

[OILFAN #81]

Confirmed shooter is Cho Seung Hui.

[Azure]

30 gunshots...33 dead....sorta confirms the execution style killing.

[J pold]

Originally Posted by Azure

I don't know.

To me it is an act of terrorism. These students were terrorized.

ter·ror·ism (těr'ə-rĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
n. The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

Its all just speculation until we know the motive