I debated about posting an entry regarding yesterday's shooting at Virginia Tech, which killed 32 people (not counting the shooter), simply because it literally hits way to close to home.
My sister is an alum of the school, and took classes at Norris Hall, where the majority of the casualties were. A close friend of mine worked in the building for several years.
I have to give a hearty kudos to Virginia Tech's student-run newspaper "The Collegiate Times." They have been exceptional, diligent and professional in their coverage. They have managed to take their emotions out of their coverage and explain in the best possible way about what happened on the Blacksburg campus. As a former journalist and someone who once worked at "The Tartan" (school newspaper at nearby Radford University), I fully appreciate their efforts at every level.
The news has as many would expect made headlines around the world. I saw that the story made headlines in Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, Greece, Taiwan, Turkey and Tunisia. The lead story in the Saudi Arabian newspaper "Al Hayat" shows the now-famous AP picture of police officers getting out of their patrol car with their guns cocked.
"The Collegiate Times" is reporting that the shooter was an English major who was taking a playwrighting class. As someone involved with a playwrighting group, I find this very disturbing. Students told the college newspaper that many of the shooter's play had violent sequences, including ones involving chainsaws and several bloody murders.
"The Roanoke Times" reported that one of the guns used for the shooting was purchased at a Roanoke gunshop called Roanoke Firearms. The shooter passed all background checks.
"The Korean Times," an English-language newspaper out of South Korea, placed an emphasis on the fact that the shooter was from their country. The BBC has featured several eye-witness accounts on their site. "The Washington Post" reported that one of the victims, a freshman from Rappahannock County (one of the few rural parts of northern Virginia) did not know the shooter, who was an English major, at all. The newspaper also said the shooter graduated from a high school in Fairfax.
I personally emailed "Zaman" newspaper in Turkey, and "The Gulf Times" in Dubai, UAE, regarding my feelings on the tragedy. I was just in Blacksburg six weeks ago to watch the film "Pan's Labyrinth" at the Lyric Theatre. It is quite possible that I saw the shooter and/or the victims either there or at Bollo's Coffee shop downtown.
The international community at Virginia Tech had just held a Street Fair, which was moved indoors due to inclement weather, the day before. I have received several emails from the Turkish Student Association at Virginia Tech. As of yet, no Turkish students appear to be among the casualties, but there are many Turkish students at Virginia Tech who are engineering majors.
One of the known victims is from Roanoke, my hometown.
Useful links:
http://www.collegiatetimes.com
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