DOVER, Del. - Two students were shot and wounded, one seriously, at Delaware State University early Friday, and the campus was locked down as police searched for a gunman, officials said.
Police had identified two students as “persons of interest,” and were questioning one of them, university police Chief James Overton said.
"This is an internal problem in the university," school President Allen L. Sessoms said at a news conference Friday. "These are kids who just did very, very stupid things."
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Sessoms said campus officials applied lessons from the tragedy five months ago at Virginia Tech, when a gunman opened fire and killed 32 people before shooting himself. After the shootings were reported to campus police, the university immediately notified dorm leaders to keep students inside, officials said.
“I think the biggest lesson learned from that whole situation at Virginia Tech is don’t wait. Once you have an incident, start notifying the community,” said university spokesman Carlos Holmes.
The students were apparently returning from a cafe with a group of other students just before 1 a.m. when they were shot, Overton said.
A 17-year-old male student was wounded in the ankle and refused to answer questions by police about the shootings, raising the likelihood that he knew his attacker, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
Classes were canceled for the day, and students were being kept inside. Gates at the university’s main entrance kept motorists out. Sessoms said the campus would be opened under limited conditions on Saturday.
One injury could be life-threatening
The two students were shot on the Campus Mall, between the Memorial Hall gymnasium and Richard S. Grossley Hall, an administrative building. Campus police said they were notified about the shooting at 12:54 a.m.
Image: Delaware map
Holmes said the female student, also 17, appeared to have suffered serious wounds. “They could be potentially life-threatening,” he said. The male student’s wounds were not as serious and he was hospitalized in stable condition, Holmes said.
The woman was taken to Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del., with a traumatic wound to the abdomen, said John Wilson, the deputy chief of Kent County Emergency Services. She was in serious condition, Overton said. The man was taken to Kent General Hospital in Dover.
Authorities, with the campus police in charge of the investigation, hoped to get more information once the victims were able to talk. They don’t yet know about the possible motive.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk to them yet, and that’s probably a big reason why the suspect is still at large,” Holmes told KYW-TV of Philadelphia.
He said he was not aware of any big parties Thursday night, although there was a rally organized to honor the “Jena Six,” six black teenagers charged in a high school fight in Louisiana.
“It was a very peaceful, very nice rally, very positive,” Holmes said. There was no reason to believe the rally was connected to the shootings, but Holmes contrasted the atmosphere of the event with the attack, saying, “It’s kind of shocking that this happened afterwards.”
Students react to shooting
Alex Bishoff, 20, a freshman from Washington, D.C., said he heard five gunshots and looked out his dormitory window to see people scattering. He said he immediately thought of the Virginia Tech shootings last April.
“Everybody’s very upset,” Bishoff said.
Timmara Gooden, 20, of Philadelphia, said in a phone interview from her dorm room that she and her suite mates were keeping each other calm and making sure that their parents understand that they’re OK.
“We’ve been locked in here since 1 o’clock this morning,” she said. “Right now, we’re pretty hungry and waiting so we can go to the cafe, or something.”
Students weren’t even going into their dorm hallways. “We don’t want to walk out there, because we don’t know what’s going on,” Gooden said.
University officials informed students about the shooting with phone calls, a notice posted on the campus Web site and notifications in each dormitory. The notice also was posted at off-campus apartments, officials said. The biggest lesson from the tragedy at Virginia Tech, Holmes said, was to notify the campus right away.
“We directed the students not to leave the dormitory from the outset last night,” he said. “They were very obedient. They understood the lessons from the tragedy earlier this year.”
(my emphasis)
Just waiting to see the spin that the brady group et al will have for this .
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20902107/
Police had identified two students as “persons of interest,” and were questioning one of them, university police Chief James Overton said.
"This is an internal problem in the university," school President Allen L. Sessoms said at a news conference Friday. "These are kids who just did very, very stupid things."
Story continues below ↓advertisement
Sessoms said campus officials applied lessons from the tragedy five months ago at Virginia Tech, when a gunman opened fire and killed 32 people before shooting himself. After the shootings were reported to campus police, the university immediately notified dorm leaders to keep students inside, officials said.
“I think the biggest lesson learned from that whole situation at Virginia Tech is don’t wait. Once you have an incident, start notifying the community,” said university spokesman Carlos Holmes.
The students were apparently returning from a cafe with a group of other students just before 1 a.m. when they were shot, Overton said.
A 17-year-old male student was wounded in the ankle and refused to answer questions by police about the shootings, raising the likelihood that he knew his attacker, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
Classes were canceled for the day, and students were being kept inside. Gates at the university’s main entrance kept motorists out. Sessoms said the campus would be opened under limited conditions on Saturday.
One injury could be life-threatening
The two students were shot on the Campus Mall, between the Memorial Hall gymnasium and Richard S. Grossley Hall, an administrative building. Campus police said they were notified about the shooting at 12:54 a.m.
Image: Delaware map
Holmes said the female student, also 17, appeared to have suffered serious wounds. “They could be potentially life-threatening,” he said. The male student’s wounds were not as serious and he was hospitalized in stable condition, Holmes said.
The woman was taken to Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del., with a traumatic wound to the abdomen, said John Wilson, the deputy chief of Kent County Emergency Services. She was in serious condition, Overton said. The man was taken to Kent General Hospital in Dover.
Authorities, with the campus police in charge of the investigation, hoped to get more information once the victims were able to talk. They don’t yet know about the possible motive.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk to them yet, and that’s probably a big reason why the suspect is still at large,” Holmes told KYW-TV of Philadelphia.
He said he was not aware of any big parties Thursday night, although there was a rally organized to honor the “Jena Six,” six black teenagers charged in a high school fight in Louisiana.
“It was a very peaceful, very nice rally, very positive,” Holmes said. There was no reason to believe the rally was connected to the shootings, but Holmes contrasted the atmosphere of the event with the attack, saying, “It’s kind of shocking that this happened afterwards.”
Students react to shooting
Alex Bishoff, 20, a freshman from Washington, D.C., said he heard five gunshots and looked out his dormitory window to see people scattering. He said he immediately thought of the Virginia Tech shootings last April.
“Everybody’s very upset,” Bishoff said.
Timmara Gooden, 20, of Philadelphia, said in a phone interview from her dorm room that she and her suite mates were keeping each other calm and making sure that their parents understand that they’re OK.
“We’ve been locked in here since 1 o’clock this morning,” she said. “Right now, we’re pretty hungry and waiting so we can go to the cafe, or something.”
Students weren’t even going into their dorm hallways. “We don’t want to walk out there, because we don’t know what’s going on,” Gooden said.
University officials informed students about the shooting with phone calls, a notice posted on the campus Web site and notifications in each dormitory. The notice also was posted at off-campus apartments, officials said. The biggest lesson from the tragedy at Virginia Tech, Holmes said, was to notify the campus right away.
“We directed the students not to leave the dormitory from the outset last night,” he said. “They were very obedient. They understood the lessons from the tragedy earlier this year.”
(my emphasis)
Just waiting to see the spin that the brady group et al will have for this .
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20902107/
