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Virginia shootings man surrenders Virginia shootings man surrenders
(about 1 hour later)
A man suspected of shooting dead eight people in rural Virginia has given himself up after a manhunt in which a US police helicopter was fired on.A man suspected of shooting dead eight people in rural Virginia has given himself up after a manhunt in which a US police helicopter was fired on.
The suspect was personally acquainted with all the victims, who were adult men or women, police in the Appomattox area said. Bomb teams are searching the area for explosive devices which may have been planted in the man's house and surrounding woods.
Seven victims were found at a house and the eighth was found dying on a road. Police said medical examiners would try to identify the victims once the area has been secured.
A sheriff said he believed the killer had had weapons training, based on arms found in the house. The suspect is reported to have been personally acquainted with the victims.
The suspect, named as Christopher Speight, 39, turned himself in at about 0710 (1210 GMT) after an all-night stand-off with police, who had surrounded woodland just outside the town of Appomattox. The man, named as Christopher Speight, 39, turned himself in at about 0710 (1210 GMT) after an all-night stand-off with police, who had surrounded woodland just outside the town of Appomattox.
He was taken into custody at an undisclosed location, pending charges, police said. The local sheriff said Mr Speight was wearing a bullet-proof vest when he surrendered, but was not armed and did not need any medical attention.
The helicopter that was fired upon was forced to land with a ruptured fuel tank but no police officers were hurt. Police are searching the area where he was hiding overnight for a high-powered rifle they believe he used to shoot at a helicopter which had been called to the scene.
Sgt Thomas Molnar, of the Virginia state police, said he did not know if Mr Speight had been armed when he surrendered. The helicopter's fuel tanks were hit by four bullets, forcing it to land.
News of the shootings broke on Tuesday afternoon and everyday life in the area was paralysed, with local schools closing down as police hunted for the gunman. A sheriff said he believed that the killer had had weapons training, based on arms found in the house.
Mr Speight has been taken to Appomattox regional jail, pending charges.
A spokesman for Virginia's governor said the suspect was being debriefed and was being very co-operative, although a motive for the shooting was still being investigated.
'Lock your doors''Lock your doors'
The authorities were first alerted when they received a call about an injured person lying in the middle of a road in need of medical assistance. News of the shootings broke on Tuesday afternoon and everyday life in the area was paralysed, with local schools closing down as police hunted for the gunman.
The authorities were first alerted when they received a call about an injured person lying in the middle of a road.
When a deputy arrived at the scene, he heard gunfire and called for back-up.When a deputy arrived at the scene, he heard gunfire and called for back-up.
The injured man was taken to hospital where he died of his wounds.
Police from across the state were brought into the densely wooded area, which is about 100 miles (160km) south-west of Virginia's capital, Richmond.Police from across the state were brought into the densely wooded area, which is about 100 miles (160km) south-west of Virginia's capital, Richmond.
Police dogs and a National Guard helicopter with thermal imaging equipment were used to search the woods.Police dogs and a National Guard helicopter with thermal imaging equipment were used to search the woods.
The motive for the shootings was not immediately clear. Mr Speight is the co-owner of the house in Snapps Mill Road, where the first reported victim was found.
Mr Speight was living in Snapps Mill Road, to the west of Appomattox, where police concentrated their search. He also owns a large tract of land next to the house.
The Washington Post quoted local officials as saying two of the dead were believed to be his wife and son.The Washington Post quoted local officials as saying two of the dead were believed to be his wife and son.
Police said they were still working to positively identify the victims and notify their families. Police found three bodies inside the house and another four outside. The eighth victim was the man found injured in the street.
A number of people living in the wooded area being searched by the police were evacuated. County Administrator Aileen Ferguson said it was one of the worst mass killings in Virginia's history, "probably the worst since the Virginia Tech killings in 2007", when a student shot 32 people .
Bethel Hawkins - who lives about two miles from where the shootings happened - said police had warned families to lock their doors.
"We're just being cautious, keeping our doors locked, not going outside," she told told the Associated Press news agency.
Appomattox is famous as the site where the Confederacy's General Robert E Lee surrendered in 1865, effectively ending the American Civil War.
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