The Daily Gamecock

Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: News

Media Credit: The Associated Press Police and SWAT carry wounded Virginia Tech students to safety after shootings at a dormitory building and a classroom building. Thirty-three people were killed and dozens more were injured in the attacks on Monday.

Students across campus were shocked by Monday's shootings at Virginia Tech that left 33 people dead and had many USC students concerned about friends at the university.

First-year math student Katie Staples is originally from Virginia and plans to transfer to Virginia Tech next semester. Her boyfriend attends the school and text messaged her around 10 a.m. while on lockdown in a classroom.

"He just said 'I'm OK, a lot of people aren't,'" Staples said. "He was in English class with the windows open, they heard police yelling 'get the f*** down, get the f*** down right now. They saw the guy being chased."

Staples said she was in class but spent the entire period on cnn.com, refreshing the page each minute for breaking news.

"It said one dead and seven to eight injured," Staples said. "Then, one hit later, it said at least 20 dead with 25 in the hospital. I'm so angry that people would do this to other people. I just don't understand."

Staples said Virginia Tech is not a violent place.

"Blacksburg is such a cute little town, that's why I'm attracted to it," Staples said. "All my friends said they felt so safe. It just takes one lunatic to mess everything up."

Rebecca Bandy, a first-year engineering student, is originally from Richmond, Va. She said her first reaction was shock, followed by the desire to make sure friends were OK.

"Nothing happens in Blacksburg, it's just a tiny college town," Bandy said.

Patrick McCrea, a third-year international relations student, watched the events unfold on television at the Russell House bookstore.

"It's a tragedy. Anything could happen," McCrea said. "It's too bad when you see things like that you think people couldn't stoop that low."

Ernie Ellis, director of USCPD, said that while this was a terrible event, it isn't fair to blame police forces.

"This is obviously a horribly tragic situation," Ellis said. "Obviously no one community can afford to have a policeman at every door, but there are 25,000 students and faculty every day."

Continued...

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