Pic of the Suspect? (thegools - 8/21/2006 6:07:55 PM)
Check this out:http://www.wdbj7.com...
William Charles Morva
From the Daily Press:
"The fact that the guy can blend in so well with campus students is kind of scary," said Josh Burnheimer, 20, a Virginia Tech junior from Ashburn, Virginia, "Everywhere you look there are police snipers on the roof."
Things are a bit surreal here in the Burg. It's not that often we experience risk of armed and dangerous persons. But it does happen. My earlier naive view that small town America is safer has long ago been put to rest though. Over the past twenty years, two female Virginia Tech students disappeared after accepting a ride with strangers. We have an occasional bank or convenience store robbery. Just last week two women were robbed at gunpoint in the downtown restaurant district. And a half dozen years ago or so a student was carjacked and killed only one block from my home. I haven't looked at small-town life the same ever since. We have had other frightening episodes on the trail system in the area. But nothing like today.
Here we sit. As I reported elsewhere, I got a robo-call from the Blacksburg PD this AM saying to stay inside with doors locked. "But I've got to get to work and teach today," said the husband. "Classes have been cancelled," I soon reported. Tech classes were slated to begin. Indeed early classes did begin. But eventually, classes for the rest of the day were cancelled. Blacksburg Transit has reported that all buses are in service transporting students away from the campus and downtown. Dorm students are locked in their dormrooms. Some faculty remain in their offices. Many are still at home.
But it's not the ordinary day off, not a day for a walk or a swim in the neighborhood pool. Lets hope and pray it's not a day for any more shootng deaths. We will already have two here, a hospital guard and also Sheriff's Deputy Erick Sutphin, local hero, now gunned down.
He is still at large as of a 1:00 PM briefing by the Blacksburg PD.
[UPDATE: Suspect has been captured.]
Posted by: Doug | August 21, 2006 at 02:13 PM
Also on the shooting, the sherrif's deputy was reported shot at 7:00 am. Southgate was cordoned off by 7:40 - when I was heading to work. It seems likely to me they have him contained in the large cordon from the south portion of campus to the bypass, to airport road and then down to the CRC.
Posted by: Doug | August 21, 2006 at 02:15 PM
The terrain where the fugitive hid for the past day-and-a-half is highly varried. From the hospital and onward toward the Huckleberry toward Blacksburg, there is considerable wooded ara and farmland. The suspect is not the first to evade in the Merrimac area either. To make matters worse, the suspect had lived outdoors (he had been homeless), and so had experience finding inconspicuous places . So, it's hard to describe the task law enforcement faced.
As a former Blacksburg resident, I am not only upset by the needless suffering, and loss of life (the officer had twin daughters), but I'm angry that my ideal little town, which I brag about to everyone, made national news for THIS. Its such a great place. The local music scene; the pride in Virginia Tech football; the beautiful mountains; the lively college students. I hate that this incident will add a morbid taint to everyone's understanding of Blacksburg. I hated the scenes of scared kids running to their cars or dorms. Brand-new students, on one of the most exciting days of their lives, traumatized by an obviously mentally unstable killer. Its a sad day.
I wouldn't be surprised if next year people forgot the where-&-when of the whole incident.
It is easy to forget things that don't affect you.
William Charles Morva
For the Source see:
http://www.nrvtoday....
Doug Gaarnett-Deakin has posted in his diary here at RK information on trust funds established for the families of both McFarland and Sutphin.
I also want to note that I omitted above the Virginia Tech Police, who did a great job.
