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Virginia Tech: One handgun used in two deaths Virginia Tech gunman acted alone, police say
(about 2 hours later)
Police have confirmed one handgun was used in Thursday's fatal double shooting on the Virginia Tech campus. The man who shot dead a police officer at Virginia Tech before turning the gun on himself nearby on campus acted alone, investigators have said.
Ballistics tests proved that the weapon used to shoot dead a university policeman was the same as the one that killed a man found dead nearby. Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says they are still trying to determine why Officer Deriek Crouse was attacked.
Officer Deriek Crouse, a married father of five, was shot in a car park by a man who then apparently killed himself. She told journalists the gunman ran from the scene on Thursday and changed clothes before taking his own life.
Virginia Tech was the site of the worst US school shooting, when a gunman killed 32 people and himself in 2007. The university was the site of the worst US school shooting, in 2007, when a gunman killed 32 people and himself.
Virginia State Police href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7Px6dHfqJPXYWQ0Y2E1ZGQtOWUyNy00NmJlLWI3ZWItZmZlMWM4ZGUyOTlj" >said in a news release early on Friday that "ballistics evidence testing has officially linked the two fatal shootings". Ms Geller told Friday's news conference that the gunman was not a student at Virginia Tech.
Investigators say they do not know the motive for the killing, or if Crouse had known the other man found dead at the campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. But she declined to say more until the medical examiner confirms his identity and next of kin are notified.
'Hearts are broken' Investigators have found no link between the gunman and Officer Crouse, a married father of five and 39-year-old Army veteran.
The Virginia Tech policeman, a 39-year-old Army veteran, was shot while performing a routine traffic stop shortly after midday on Thursday. The officer was attacked while performing a routine traffic stop in a campus car park shortly after midday on Thursday.
The gunman walked up and opened fire at close range, before fleeing on foot to another car park half a mile away. Suspect on tape
The shooter, described as a white male, is not thought to have been linked to the car that was pulled over. The gunman, who was not linked to the car that was pulled over, walked up and opened fire at close range, before fleeing on foot.
Police said footage of the suspect, captured on a video camera inside the officer's vehicle, matched the description of the second man found dead. A video camera inside the officer's vehicle captured footage of the suspect.
"Our hearts are broken again," said university President Charles W Steger at a news conference later in the day. Ms Geller said the shooter then changed his clothes, put them in a backpack and left it behind a greenhouse.
On Thursday evening about 150 students gathered in a candlelight vigil at the campus memorial for the shootings of four years ago. An official event is to be held Friday. He killed himself after he was spotted by a police officer in another campus car park about half a mile away.
Crouse had served on the campus police force for four years, joining the Virginia Tech Police Department about six months after the 2007 massacre. Earlier on Friday, Virginia State Police href="https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7Px6dHfqJPXYWQ0Y2E1ZGQtOWUyNy00NmJlLWI3ZWItZmZlMWM4ZGUyOTlj" >said in a news release that "ballistics evidence testing has officially linked the two fatal shootings".
An official vigil is planned on Friday night.
About 150 students gathered in a candlelight vigil on Thursday evening at the campus memorial for the shootings of four years ago.
"Our hearts are broken again," said university President Charles W Steger.
Officer Crouse received an award in 2008 for his commitment to the department's efforts to deter drink-driving. He was trained as a crisis intervention officer and a defensive tactics instructor.
He was one of about 50 officers on the campus force and had served there for four years, joining about six months after the 2007 massacre.
That tragedy prompted the university, which has about 30,000 students, to implement a highly sophisticated security alert system.That tragedy prompted the university, which has about 30,000 students, to implement a highly sophisticated security alert system.
After the first report of gunfire on Thursday, the emergency procedure was activated. Texts and emails were sent to staff and students warning them to stay indoors. After Thursday's initial report of gunfire, the emergency procedure was activated. Texts and emails were sent to staff and students warning them to stay indoors.
The campus was placed on lockdown for several hours as police swarmed the area looking for the gunman. The campus was placed on lockdown for several hours as police and Swat teams scoured the area.
It came on the same day as Virginia Tech appealed against a $55,000 (£35,200) fine imposed by the government for not reacting quickly enough to the 2007 massacre. The bloodshed came on the same day as Virginia Tech appealed against a $55,000 (£35,200) fine imposed by the government for not reacting quickly enough to the 2007 massacre.
Thirty-two people died in April that year when a 23-year-old South Korean, Seung-Hui Cho, went on a gun rampage before turning the weapon on himself.Thirty-two people died in April that year when a 23-year-old South Korean, Seung-Hui Cho, went on a gun rampage before turning the weapon on himself.