Gunman Loose After Campus Shootings

2 Delaware State University Students Wounded, One Critically

(CBS/AP)  Two students were shot and wounded, one seriously, at Delaware State University early Friday, prompting administrators mindful of the massacre at Virginia Tech to order a swift shutdown of the campus while police searched for the gunman.

Police identified two students as "persons of interest," questioning both of them, while students remained locked in their dorms and officers lowered gates to keep anyone from coming onto the campus of the 3,690-student historically black university.

"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 shooting, reported to police at 12:54 a.m., happened as a group of students were returning from an on-campus cafe. A 17-year-old male student was in stable condition; a female student, also 17, was shot in the abdomen and in serious condition.

The two students were shot on the Campus Mall, between the Memorial Hall gymnasium and Richard S. Grossley Hall, an administrative building. Investigators believed the shootings may have been preceded by an argument at the cafe, and Holmes said it did not appear to be random.

The male student, who was wounded in the ankle, 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.

"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.

Campus officials acted much more swiftly than officials at Virginia Tech did five months ago, when administrators delayed notifying students nearly two hours after gunman Seung-Hui Cho killed his first two victims. By then, he had already started shooting 30 other people in a classroom building across campus.

Students, most sequestered in their dormitories, admit their thoughts turned immediately to shootings at Virginia Tech, reports CBS News correspondent Thalia Assuras. Sophomore Austin Dickerson was alerted to stay in his room, but only heard about the shooting hours later from his mother.

"The only thing I heard was a loud knocking on my door," Dickerson said.

A report by a panel appointed by Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine concluded that lives could have been saved if alerts had been sent out earlier and classes canceled after Cho killed his first two victims.

At Delaware State, officials didn't wait. Within about 20 minutes of the shooting being reported to police, even as the victims were being taken to hospitals, campus police and residence hall advisers were telling students to stay in their dorm rooms, although not all were told there had been a shooting.

By 2:11 a.m., campus police Chief James Overton was meeting with another university official to discuss the school's response. Notices were posted in dormitories and the school Web site by about 2:40 a.m., and the decision to cancel classes was made shortly after 5 a.m., well before the school day started.

The shootings happened under different circumstances. The Virginia Tech rampage began at 7 a.m. as students thronged the campus and headed to morning classes; at Delaware State, it happened in the middle of the night, when many students were in their dorm rooms.

The panel that investigated the response to the Virginia Tech shootings noted that it would have been tough to shut down the 2,600-acre Tech campus; Delaware State is only about 400 acres. But it appears Delaware State responded to the crisis well, said Gerald Massengill, who led the group.

"I think just like post-9/11, there's a post-April 16 mentality," he said.

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.

Students were warned within about 15 minutes, Bishoff said. "I think they handled it pretty well," he said.

Timmara Gooden, 20, of Philadelphia, said in a phone interview from her dorm room that she and her suite mates kept each other calm and were making sure that their parents understand that they're OK.

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.

Students were still being advised Friday afternoon to remain in their dorms, but were being escorted to the cafeteria for meals. Officials also made arrangements for students who wanted to leave campus for the weekend, during which hordes of race fans and recreational vehicles converge on the town for NASCAR action across the street at Dover Downs Speedway.

University president Allen Sessoms emphasized the shooting was not random.

"This is an internal problem," said Sessoms. "There are no externalities ... this is just kids who did very, very stupid things."

At the start of the semester, the campus held a memorial service for three students and an incoming student who were shot execution-style Aug. 4 as they hung out at an elementary school in their hometown of Newark, N.J. Natasha Aeriel, 19; her brother, Terrance Aeriel, 18, and Dashon Harvey, 20, were students. Iofemi Hightower, 20, had planned to attend Delaware State this fall. Natasha Aeriel, the only survivor, helped police identify six suspects who have been arrested.

Holmes said there was no indication that Friday's shooting was related in any way to the Newark, N.J., killings. Both of the victims in Friday's shootings were from the Washington, D.C., area, officials said.

[michellem99-2009]

manyzfelix, Legally blind persons can see some to read and write. It is not easy. I don''t have any sp software just a hand magnifier. I wish every thing was in large print but I read and write my own posts. I can trully understand yer fear. It happened to me, abuse. I have one blind eye and some sight in the other. What I can set up in big prirt is done. I go from there. I feel my say helps as does every ones. I have a sighted room mate but he don''t use computer.
I have never understood this kind of violance. I don''t like TV programmes that pash this as I will change the channel. I know it is out there. There is no sense to this. We are talking about lives ruined over what ever issue they had.. a WASTE ..

[my2centss]

"The male student, who was wounded in the ankle, refused to answer questions by police about the shootings..."

Cannot find the shooter if you do not tell them who it is. More afraid of being labeled a snitch than getting killed. What a sad time we live in.

[mandyzfelix]

MichelleM99,

I''m not trying to be rude or ignorant or anything... but I''m genuinely curious about something... You''re blind? How do you post and read others'' posts? Do you have someone with you that reads them to you and posts for you? Or is there some sort of computer program that assists you? Again, I''m not trying to be ignorant, I''m just really really curious because I find it cool that you can converse on the internet as a blind woman. I''m legally blind in one eye and I always worry about losing the other eye!

[mandyzfelix]

MichelleM99,

I''m not trying to be rude or ignorant or anything... but I''m genuinely curious about something... You''re blind? How do you post and read others'' posts? Do you have someone with you that reads them to you and posts for you? Or is there some sort of computer program that assists you? Again, I''m not trying to be ignorant, I''m just really really curious because I find it cool that you can converse on the internet as a blind woman.

[iceman_1960]

"The male student, who was wounded in the ankle..."

Unlike the Virginia Tech killer, they were bad shots, apparently. Thank goodness for that.

[jcr103]

Imagine that. Another republican sucking up to the lunatic fringe in society.

[mh4cbs1]

Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, wrote:
%u201CI am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: The [Iraq] war is largely about oil.%u201D

Duh! Bush LIED about WMDs, he LIED about a fake Saddam-Osama link, he LIED in order to Invade Iraq. We need to END this NeoCon Nightmare!

JAIL BUSH JAIL CHENEY

Jail the Blackwater cilvilian-killers

[michellem99-2009]

We can ask why all we want. I would say it could be many things. School is for learning not violance. So we can blame this/that. I have lived in the big city where they shoot one another over nothing. Values have changed. Not for the beat. We never know if we will be cott in the cross fire as crzmeat said or walk/live for that matter. welcome to the break down of America.

[cfin5]

Here we go again! Le''me guess,.....Another "GUN-FREE ZONE", but not an "ANTI-DEPRESSANT DRUG FREE ZONE".

[michellem99-2009]

We see that women and men fight over each other. We stay out of it. IT IS NOT OUR BUSINESS. I think the schools have to deal with this issue. Lessons and not dating each other. The gun be locked up. This nation has to rewrite the gun laws. I read the article. Rage be dealt with.

[Krazcarl]

M99 vision ok for an old goat it wouldn''t go up so I pressed again to no avail we see the results so on some level it was my fault usualy goes right up most have been a lot posting at one time. As for the lady the first time I met her 2 black eyes half her hair pulled out it was ome of those long drug addicted abusive relationships that end tragic and I was in the way from his point of view.

[michellem99-2009]

crzmeat don''t think it is yer computer..When I was in high shcool I met a boy whose eye was shot out. Nice boy. He was the only one that understood my late of good sight. Good kid. THE BUTTON IS HARD TO SEE. Yer maybe could not see that well.
Yer know that a guy fighting over a girl isn''t smart and why a shooting match.

[michellem99-2009]

That is right crzmeat, After I was placed in foster homes,my birth mother wanted to be my friend,I said no way to her. It don''t work that way. I know what yer saying crzmeat, kids raise themselve as care givers too busy working. multi tasking. They say *kid get out of my face*so the poor kid does just that. Then stuff like this happen. It don''t surprise me. This is what they failed as care givers. And still failing as the youngest ones do as they please. No back bone.

[Krazcarl]

SORRY I DID NOT POST THAT MORE THAN ONCE I APOLIGIZE IT WAS THE SITE OR MY WACKY COMPUTER

[Krazcarl]

FIRSTSTATE...My thoughts exactly hate to say it but drugs come to mind. I was shot 10 years back knew the assailent had no trouble ratting the guy out. It was rather comical was shot over a girl I never kissed he was a crack head and I had given his ex a ride to work without intentions and he shot her twice we both survived he''s servinig 40 years. When I hear of trash like this I jump to that conclusion insanity or drugs. If it were a love triangle I think it would be in his best interst to get the guy out of the way so the shooter has something on him....

[Krazcarl]

FIRSTSTATE...My thoughts exactly hate to say it but drugs come to mind. I was shot 10 years back knew the assailent had no trouble ratting the guy out. It was rather comical was shot over a girl I never kissed he was a crack head and I had given his ex a ride to work without intentions and he shot her twice we both survived he''s servinig 40 years. When I hear of trash like this I jump to that conclusion insanity or drugs. If it were a love triangle I think it would be in his best interst to get the guy out of the way so the shooter has something on him....

[Krazcarl]

FIRSTSTATE...My thoughts exactly hate to say it but drugs come to mind. I was shot 10 years back knew the assailent had no trouble ratting the guy out. It was rather comical was shot over a girl I never kissed he was a crack head and I had given his ex a ride to work without intentions and he shot her twice we both survived he''s servinig 40 years. When I hear of trash like this I jump to that conclusion insanity or drugs. If it were a love triangle I think it would be in his best interst to get the guy out of the way so the shooter has something on him.

[Krazcarl]

FIRSTSTATE...My thoughts exactly hate to say it but drugs come to mind. I was shot 10 years back knew the assailent had no trouble ratting the guy out. It was rather comical was shot over a girl I never kissed he was a crack head and I had given his ex a ride to work without intentions and he shot her twice we both survived he''s servinig 40 years. When I hear of trash like this I jump to that conclusion insanity or drugs. If it were a love triangle I think it would be in his best interst to get the guy out of the way so the shooter has something on him....

[Krazcarl]

FIRSTSTATE...My thoughts exactly hate to say it but drugs come to mind. I was shot 10 years back knew the assailent had no trouble ratting the guy out. It was rather comical was shot over a girl I never kissed he was a crack head and I had given his ex a ride to work without intentions and he shot her twice we both survived he''s servinig 40 years. When I hear of trash like this I jump to that conclusion insanity or drugs. If it were a love triangle I think it would be in his best interst to get the guy out of the way so the shooter has something on him....

[Krazcarl]

FIRSTSTATE...My thoughts exactly hate to say it but drugs come to mind. I was shot 10 years back knew the assailent had no trouble ratting the guy out. It was rather comical was shot over a girl I never kissed he was a crack head and I had given his ex a ride to work without intentions and he shot her twice we both survived he''s servinig 40 years. When I hear of trash like this I jump to that conclusion insanity or drugs. If it were a love triangle I think it would be in his best interst to get the guy out of the way so the shooter has something on him.