Virginia Tech Shooting Kills at Least 31

At least 31 people were killed today on the campus of Virginia Tech in what appears to be the deadliest shooting rampage in American history, according to federal law-enforcement officials. Many of the victims were students shot in a dorm and a classroom building.
“Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions,” said the university’s president, Charles Steger.
Witnesses described scenes of mass chaos and unimaginable horror as some students were lined up against a wall and shot. Others jumped out of windows to escape, or crouched on floors to take cover.
There were two shootings on the campus in Blacksburg, Va., and in both instances there were fatalities with “multiple shooting victims,” Mr. Steger said.
The attacks started early in the morning, with a call to police at 7:15 a.m., as students were getting ready for classes or were on their way there. As the rampage unfolded over nearly three hours, details emerged from witnesses describing a gunman going room to room in a residence hall, and of gunfire later at a building where classes were held.
When it was over, sidewalks were stained with blood. Among those dead was the gunman.