The Virginia Tech massacre (Updates)

In case you don't already know, a gunman has killed at least 29 students at Virginia Tech university. (Update: The most recent number is 32.) Right now, the details are hazy. Early reports held that a gunman was in custody, but more recent accounts indicate that he is dead. Stranger still, there are reports that the shootings took place in two separate locations. There have also been bomb threats against the campus, perhaps unrelated.

According to ABC News,

Law enforcement sources tell ABC News the shooting may have been set off by an off-campus incident.

Obviously, the conflicting details will be resolved as the day progresses. Nearly every blogger will be looking into this one. Right now, our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims.

UPDATE: The student newspaper at Virginia Tech offers a unique perspective, including this odd detail:

Three people were escorted out of Norris Hall by police. The three were handcuffed, separated, questioned, unhandcuffed and then canine teams were sent into Norris Hall said junior computer engineer Nick Saunders who watched the events unfold from the the second floor of Randolph Hall.

The cops were probably simply acting out of caution. Still, worth keeping in mind. That incident may have given rise to this earlier report:

At this time, University Relations is reporting one individual in custody and is searching for a second shooter. The Collegiate Times will publish information as it is made available.

We know a little more about the "two locations" scenario -- and what we know leaves me a bit flummoxed. This is from the statement by Virginia Tech President Charles Steger:

Now here are some of the facts as we know them. At about 7:15 this morning, a 911 call came to the university police department concerning an event in West Ambler Johnston Hall. There were multiple shooting victims. While in the process of investigating, about two hours later, the university received reports of a shooting in Norris Hall. The police immediately responded.

Two hours later? This is from the student newspaper:

The first shooting occurred at 7:15 a.m. in West Ambler Johnston. Twenty of the fatalities occurred in Norris Hall, which happened approximately two hours later.

And:

Police are still investigating whether the two shootings are related.

Seems possible to me that the initial CNN report of one fatality stems from the West Ambler Johnson incident. Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't this mean that CNN was reporting on the shooting before the cops had caught the shooter, and before they locked down Norris Hall? How can there have been a two hour gap?

Cudos to student reporters Kevin Anderson and Saira Haider, who are doing a great job.

Update 2: These mobile phone camera images (and sounds) will no doubt become famous.

This Sky News (UK) report has the most details so far. It identifies the gunman as an Asian "looking for his girlfriend." It also reports that the lockdown had been lifted on West Ambler Johnson Hall after the initial shootings and before the Norris Hall massacre. That seems rather odd. Why sound the "all clear" before the bad guy has been caught?