9:32 p.m.
Virginia Tech President Charles Steger e-mailed this letter to the campus community tonight:
Dear Colleagues:
It is with a deep – and regrettably familiar – sense of sadness that I write to you. Once again, the campus and the community that we love so well have been visited by senseless violence and tragic loss. Tragedy again struck Virginia Tech in a wanton act of violence where our police officer, Deriek Crouse, was murdered during a routine traffic stop. My heart goes out to his family who will surely feel most keenly, in the days and months and years ahead, the profound loss that today’s events have brought to pass. We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to his family and to his colleagues in the police department.
But my heart goes out also to all of you, members of a strong and tightly-knit community that has had the sad misfortune to have weathered these storms before. I have been, and will continue to be, proud of how you have risen to the occasion time and time again, growing stronger in your bond and in your loyalty to one another and to the Hokie Nation.
We must also acknowledge that the bond we feel most strongly in these times is borne of sorrow, and that sorrow demands that we turn to one another for solace. I encourage you to seek out consolation in the company of your fellow Hokies, those who understand how these events, tragic though they are, shape us into better people.
The Virginia Tech community has been admirably served by its outstanding police department. Now, one who had sworn to serve and protect us has fallen, and we can pay no greater tribute than to pledge to serve and protect one another, as the spirit of Ut Prosim calls us to do.
Sincerely and with deepest sorrow,
Charles W. Steger
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9:19 p.m.
Virginia Tech has named the campus police officer who was shot and killed.
He was 39-year-old Deriek Crouse, of Christiansburg. WSLS had learned who the officer was, but held off from reporting his name until Virginia Tech formally released it.
Crouse joined the Virginia Tech Police Department in October of 2007, and is survived by his wife, five children and step-children.
Officer Crouse was also a member of the Virginia Tech Police emergency response team, since February of this year.
Before joining the Virginia Tech Police Dept., Crouse worked at the New River Valley Jail, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, and is an Army veteran.
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9:08 p.m.
Governor's news conference: Police dashcam video shows man found dead in "Cage" parking lot is suspected shooter of Virginia Tech police officer.
Governor's news conference also said police officer was in car when he was shot, and that the people pulled over for the traffic stop are not related to the suspected shooter.
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7:51 p.m.
Governor Bob McDonnell to hold a news tele-conference on the Virginia Tech shootings at 8:30 p.m.
WSLS's Erin Barnett will be on the call.
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6:30 p.m.
The candlelight vigil originally scheduled for tonight has been re-scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m.
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6:22 p.m.
Exams scheduled for Friday will now be held on Saturday, at the same times and locations.
Also, Christiansburg and Galax high schools, who were scheduled to practice at Virginia Tech, were forced to make other plans due to today's events. Christiansburg, which is located in Montgomery County, also had to deal with the lockdown of schools in the county. Those teams will play in different games in the high school football playoffs this weekend.
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5:33 p.m.
Authorities stopped just short of identifying a man found dead in a parking lot on the Virginia Tech campus as the gunman who killed a police officer there earlier today.
Shortly after noon, an unidentified Virginia Tech police officer was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop in the Coliseum parking lot near McComas Hall, Deputy Chief of Police Gene Deisinger said at a press conference this afternoon.
At a late-afternoon press conference Deisinger reported witnesses saw the gunman flee along Washington Street toward a commuter parking lot known as the “cage,” near Duck Pond Drive.
Deisinger said a police officer — not a campus police officer — near the lot spotted a suspicious person around 1 p.m.
“By the time they turned around and located that person, that person was deceased,” he said.
Authorities reported a weapon was found there, but did not identify the type of weapon. Virginia State Police Sgt. Robert Carpentieri identified the deceased person only as a white male. State Police have taken the lead in the investigation at the university's request.
“I think the investigators feel confident we have located the person,” Carpentieri said when asked if the dead man was the shooter, but refused to provide absolute confirmation.
“There is no longer an active threat,” Deisinger said.
Carpentieri said the man who shot the police officer was apparently uninvolved in the traffic stop and had walked up to the officer's patrol vehicle.
The campus was locked down shortly after 12:30 p.m. Campus authorities released a message around 4:30 p.m. releasing the campus community.
Deisinger said the deceased police officer’s identity was not released pending the notification of extended family.
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A law enforcement official has told the Associated Press that the gunman is believed to be dead. Authorities have not confirmed or denied that in the press conference so far. They did say no credible reports of threats or shootings were received after the second body was found.
About 12:15 p.m. today, the Virginia Tech Police officer, who police have not named, stopped a vehicle on campus during a routine traffic stop in the Coliseum parking lot near McComas Hall, according to an earlier Tech announcement.
During the traffic stop, the officer was shot and killed by another person who walked up to the scene.
Witnesses reported the shooter fled on foot heading toward the Cage, a parking lot near Duck Pond Drive. At that parking lot, a second person, a male, was found, dead from a gunshot wound. A weapon was recovered at the location of the second individual. Police officers did not shoot the second individual. Reports of any additional shots being fired or any additional victims are unfounded, authorities said.
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4:42 p.m.
Live news conference has started. We'll post a recap here once it's finished.
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4:38 p.m.
Associated Press is reporting from a law enforcement officer that the gunman who shot a Virginia Tech police officer is now dead.
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4:30 p.m.
Law enforcement agencies have determined there is no longer an active threat or need to secure in place. Resume normal activities.
We've also gotten this:
Virginia State Police and Virginia Tech Police remain on the scene of an officer-involved shooting on the Virginia Tech campus. At this time there are two confirmed deaths. One is a Virginia Tech Police Officer. The second is an unknown male subject who was found deceased in a parking lot near the Duck Pond. A weapon has been recovered at the location of the second individual. Reports of any additional shots being fired or any additional victims are unfounded.
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4:15 p.m.
New River Community College has cancelled evening classes.
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3:57 p.m.
Montgomery Co. schools have started dismissing students for the day. From their statement:
Middle and high schools will dismiss first, followed by elementary schools once the secondary bus runs are complete.
For students who ride the bus, parents across all grade levels should expect transportation delays of 60-90 minutes later than their student's usual bus arrival time.
For those who wish to pick up their students, schools within the Town of Blacksburg dismiss once police presence has arrived to the school location.
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3:25 p.m.
Police officers are staged around Kipps Elementary School in Blacksburg.
Parents are waiting outside.
Montgomery County Schools are still on lockdown, and only letting emergency personnel in and out.
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3:15 p.m.
All Blacksburg Parks & Recs activities for today and tonight have been cancelled.
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3:00 p.m.
Virginia Tech just announced that exams scheduled for tomorrow have been postponed. SWAT teams are on the Virginia Tech campus, at least 2 teams are moving to the "cage" parking lot.
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2:45 p.m.
Virginia Tech will have a press conference at 4:30 with updates on the situation.
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2:25 p.m.
All Montgomery County schools are currently on lockdown.
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2:12 p.m.
Virginia Tech spokesman says no one is in custody, and the status of the shootings suspect is not known.
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1:50 p.m.
Virginia Tech just released the following statement:
Shortly after 12 p.m. today, a Virginia Tech Police officer stopped a vehicle on campus during a routine traffic stop in the Coliseum parking lot near McComas Hall
During the traffic stop. the officer was shot and killed. There were witnesses to this shooting.
Witnesses reported to police the shooter fled on foot heading toward the Cage, a parking lot near Duck Pond Drive. At that parking lot, a second person was found. That person is also deceased.
Several law enforcement agencies have responded to assist. Virginia State police has been requested to take lead in the investigation
Status of the shooter is unknown. The campus community should continue to shelter in place and visitors should not come to campus.
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1:45 p.m.
VT Alerts says the shooting suspect has not been found. Virginia Tech confirms that a police officer has been shot, but has not said who the officer worked for.
VT Alerts says a potential second victim is reported at "The Cage" parking lot.
Tech advising people to stay inside, and lock their doors.
WSLS's Dawn Jefferies reports police have an area in "The Cage" parking lot roped off. About 20-30 officers appear to be there.
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1:21 p.m.
Reports from Blacksburg indicate that there may have been a second shooting victim, at the Cage lot.
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1:16 p.m.
A police source tells WSLS that a police officer has been shot at Virginia Tech, and other police agencies are en route to Blacksburg to help.
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1:05 p.m.
NBC's Pete Williams is reporting that there was a traffic stop, and gun shots were fired during that traffic stop.
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12:52 p.m.
VT Alert describes suspect as white man, wearing:
--Gray sweat pants
--Gray hat with neon green brim
--Maroon hoodie
--Backpack
VT Alert says suspect last seen walking toward McComas Hall, which is the main gym on campus, about two blocks from Lane Stadium.
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12:45 p.m.
Virginia Tech just sent out an alert about a report of gun shots being fired on campus, at the Coliseum parking lot.
Tech advising people to stay inside, lock doors.
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