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Video Update: Police have identified the shooter as Seung Hui Cho, a permanent resident of the United States.

Update: Campus Police have confirmed that there was only 1 shooter:

Campus police said there was only one shooter and he is now dead. They are unsure if the shooter was a student and it was unclear if he was shot by police or took his own life.
[snip]

At 7:15 a.m. Monday, a 911 call came in to the campus police department concerning an incident at West Ambler Johnston, and that there were multiple shooting victims, Steger said. While that investigation was underway, a second shooting was reported in Norris Hall, located at the opposite end of the 2,600-acre campus.

Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said at least one person was killed at West Ambler Johnston, a residence hall, but several others were injured in that shooting. At least 20 were killed in classrooms in Norris Hall, an engineering building, Flinchum said.

Flinchum said the Norris Hall gunman was dead, but wouldn’t say whether the shooter killed himself.

Junior David Jenkins told FOX News he heard screaming in his dorm inside West Ambler Johnston residence hall Monday morning, but didn’t know what it was. He later heard from other residents that there was a gunman in the building. Jenkins later heard of the mass shootings at Norris Hall.

“From what I heard, he chained up some of the doors so people couldn’t get in and he basically was just going to every classroom trying to get in, and just started shooting inside classrooms,” Jenkins said.

One of his friends was in a Norris classroom targeted by the gunman, Jenkins said.

“He was very fortunate,” Jenkins said. “He said every single person in the room was shot, killed and was in the ground. He laid on the ground with everyone … he played dead and he was OK.”

President Bush was “horrified” of news of shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. The White House is monitoring the incident. Local NBC affiliate WSLS reported that Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who was heading for a meeting in Tokyo, Japan, for a two-week trade mission, is now returning to the United States. - Fox News

CNN has video that was shot by a student with a cellphone. He does not specifically have pictures of the shooter but you can hear the shots and ensuing chaos.

BLACKSBURG, Va. - A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech on Monday, killing 21 people and wounding another 21 before he was killed, police said.

“Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions,” said university president Charles Steger. “The university is shocked and indeed horrified.”

The university reported shootings at opposite sides of the 2,600-acre campus, beginning at about 7:15 a.m. at West Ambler Johnston, a co-ed residence hall that houses 895 people, and continuing about two hours later at Norris Hall, an engineering building.

One student was killed in a dorm and the others were killed in the classroom, Virginia Tech Police Chief W.R. Flinchum.

After the shootings, all entrances to the campus were closed and classes canceled through Tuesday.

“There’s just a lot of commotion. It’s hard to tell exactly what’s going on,” said Jason Anthony Smith, 19, who lives in the dorm where shooting took place.

Aimee Kanode, a freshman from Martinsville, said the shooting happened on the 4th floor of West Ambler Johnston dormitory, one floor above her room. Kanode’s resident assistant knocked on her door about 8 a.m. to notify students to stay put. (src. Yahoo News)

University President Charles W. Steger released the following statement on the campus website which I am not linking up as parents will likely need university access on that website. You can see the statement here:

The university was struck today with a tragedy of monumental proportions. There were two shootings on campus. In each case, there were fatalities. The university is shocked and horrified that this would befall our campus. I want to extend my deepest, sincerest and most profound sympathies to the families of these victims which include students There are 22 confirmed deaths.

We currently are in the process of notifying families of victims. The Virginia Tech Police are being assisted by numerous other jurisdictions. Crime scenes are being investigated by the FBI, University Police, and State Police. We continue to work to identify the victims impacted by this tragedy. I cannot begin to covey my own personal sense of loss over this senselessness of such an incomprehensible and heinous act The university will immediately set up counseling centers. So far centers have been identified in Ambler Johnston and the Cook Counseling Center to work with our campus community and families.

Here are some of the facts we know:

At about 7:15 a.m. this morning a 911 call came to the University Police Department concerning an event in West Ambler Johnston Hall. There were multiple shooting victims. While in the process of investigating, about two hours later the university received reports of a shooting in Norris Hall. The police immediately responded. Victims have been transported to various hospitals in the immediate area in the region to receive emergency treatment.

We will proceed to contact the families of victims as identities are available.

CNN has the video of President Steger’s statements here here.

Update: Gun Control advocates are trying to turn this into a problem that could have been avoided if guns were outlawed. That argument is completely oblivious to the fact that “gun control” is a misnomer. There is already gun control; perhaps enforcement of gun laws would be a better term.

Note how misleading the ABC poll is. Of course violence can occur when someone has access to a handgun. A car accident can occur when someone has access to a car! What’s the point? If I were to answer the question according to how it was worded I’d be stupid not to pick the second one. The whole question is worded in a manner that is meant to elicit a desired response.

The debate about guns is relevant and important; particularly in the face of such a horrific event. But I can’t help but wonder if the discussion will be any different if it turns out that the shooter had an illegal weapon. Would the topic then change from one of gun control to one of getting illegal weapons off the street? This is where I see the real problem with gun control. Let’s imagine that we could remove all the weapons from the hands of legal citizens. Would that make me any safer considering that criminals are the ones committing acts of gun violence? I doubt it. It would just make it nearly impossible for me to defend myself and my family from a thug with an illegal weapon.

Other Webloggin Coverage:

Brian Ross Gun Grabber Report Steps In It
Virgina Tech Shooting Opens Up Gun Control Debate

Others: Hot Air, Michelle Malkin, Bookworm, The Jawa Report, Captains Quarters, Sister Toldjah, Wizbang

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