12:40 p.m.

Gov. Tim Kaine signed an executive order this morning closing a loophole that allowed a Virginia Tech student to purchase firearms used to kill 32 people and himself on the campus two weeks ago.

Kaine's order requires that the names of individuals who are deemed dangerous and ordered by a court to undergo outpatient mental health treatment must be reported to a federal database of those ineligible to buy firearms. Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho had been ordered to seek outpatient treatment in December 2005. Because he was not committed to a hospital, his mental health information was not reported to a federal database that gun dealers use to conduct background checks.

Cho bought handguns in February and March that were used in the worst campus shooting in U.S. history.

Kaine's order clarifies that the state will make no distinction between inpatient or outpatient treatment when reporting information to the database.

"The key criteria that should trigger a report is a finding of danger," Kaine said at a press conference this morning with Attorney General Bob McDonnell.

Kaine's order applies to executive branch agencies, including the state police, but the governor said he expects judicial agencies "will be very cooperative."

The executive order is the first in what figures to be many efforts to address mental health and gun control issues raised by the Tech shootings. Kaine has appointed an eight-member panel to dissect the Tech shootings and recommend steps to prevent similar calamities.

- Reported by Michael Sluss

WEDNESDAY, April 25, 3:34 p.m.

Police officers climbing a stairwell to the second floor of Norris Hall heard a final gunshot as Seung-Hui Cho shot himself in the head, ending a nine-minute spree in which he fired more than 170 rounds in the classroom building at Virginia Tech last Monday, police said today during a press conference today.

Officers shot their way through a door to get into Norris Hall, Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said. Flinchum said that he and Blacksburg Police Chief Kimberley S. Crannis used bolt cutters to get through one of three doors Cho had chained shut before starting his rampage.

Cho’s body was found in a classroom surrounded by his victims on the second floor.

Flinchum also said that a witness saw Cho standing outside West Ambler-Johnston dormitory shortly before two people were shot to death inside after 7 a.m., beginning the spree on April 16. The chief said he was unaware of anyone seeing him inside the dorm.

Authorities believe that the first victim was Emily Hilscher and that Ryan Clark was killed in the dormitory when he “went to assist,” said Virginia State Police Superintendent Steve Flaherty. A total of two shots were fired inside the dorm.

Authorities confirmed that Cho went back to his own dorm after the first shooting, but police did not discuss what he may have done during the roughly two hours between shootings.

Thirty people were killed in Norris and 25 wounded, including some who were injured after jumping from windows, police said.

Authorities said they had established no motive in the killings or any link between Cho and either Hilscher or Clark. They also said they had not connected Cho to earlier bomb threats on campus.

Flaherty said today that Cho was familiar with Norris Hall because he had had classes there.

Investigators have collected more than 500 pieces of evidence in Norris Hall alone, Flaherty said.

He also said that state police had not yet spoken with Cho’s parents, but that FBI investigators had done so.

All evidence indicates that Cho acted alone, Flaherty said.

-- Reported by Reed Williams

MONDAY, April 23

6:40 p.m.

Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell called today for changes in state law to close the gap that apparently allowed Seung-Hui Cho to buy the guns he used in a shooting rampage on the Virginia Tech campus.

The law allowed Cho to buy the guns despite his mental problems because he had not been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital, McDonnell said.

However, many believe that Cho should have been prohibited under a broader federal law that prohibits gun sales to anyone declared "mentally defective."

While McDonnell said he believes Virginia should take immediate steps to address the discrepancies between the two requirements, he said his office is continuing to study whether two gun sales to Cho in the months before last week’s massacre violated the federal law.

"I know other commentators have rushed to judgment on this and have their opinions, but my job is to advise the governor and other state agencies," McDonnell said.

In December 2005, a temporary detention order was issued against Cho due to his depression and possible suicidal inclinations. But after he was held overnight at a mental hospital, a special justice decided not to commit him to the facility -- even though he posed an "imminent danger" to himself because of mental illness.

-- Reported by Laurence Hammack

5:55 p.m.

Montgomery County Public Schools, closed Tuesday though Friday last week in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting, reopened today with extra counselors on hand, and a show of police presence at schools to ease whatever security concerns might remain, superintendent Tiffany Anderson said in a letter to families.

“Please know that there have been no direct threats to any of our schools,” Anderson wrote. “However, we will continue to proceed though the school year in the safest possible manner."

Schools started their day with discussions about the incident, tailored to the age of the students. The school district also will have counseling stations open tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Auburn, Christiansburg, Kipps and Shawsville elementary schools.

2:40 p.m.

Gov. Tim Kaine will meet privately with Korean-American community leaders in Northern Virginia on Tuesday in a gesture of reconciliation following last week's deadly shootings at Virginia Tech. The South Korean ambassador to the United States, Lee Tae Shik, requested the meeting, said Kaine spokesman Kevin Hall.

South Korean officials expressed shock and sorrow over the shootings after learning that the gunman, Tech student Seung-Hui Cho, was a South Korean who moved to the U.S. with his family at the age of 8. President Roh Moo-hyun sent a telegram of condolence to President Bush and officials offered to donate candles for a vigil held on the Tech campus last Tuesday night.

Hall said the governor hopes to provide some comfort to the Korean-American community at the meeting. The governor's office has heard no reports of a public backlash against the Korean-American community, Hall added.

-- Reported by Michael Sluss

12:13 p.m.

Only two of the 28 students wounded and injured in last week's shootings at Virginia Tech remain hospitalized locally.

Sean McQuade, a 21-year-old mathmatics major from Mullica Hills, N.J. remains in serious condition in Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. McQuade, according to what a relative told the Associated Press, was hit five times.

Kevin Sterne remains in Montgomery Regional Hospital.

Sterne, 22, is scheduled to graduate next month with majors in electrical engineering and media communications. A photograph showing four law enfrocement officers carrying Sterne from Norris Hall, the scene of most of the shooting last Monday, appeared on the front page of The Roanoke Times and was shown by other media around the world. Shot twice in the right leg, the young man from Eighty Four, Pa., fashioned a tourniquet from an electrical cord before emergency medical teams arrived. Dr. David Stoekle, who later operated on Sterne, said the Eagle Scout's training and quick thinking likely saved his life.

11:37 a.m.

Awful Arthur’s and EventZone are partnering with area bands for a fundraiser Thursday in downtown Roanoke. All proceeds will benefit the Virginia Tech Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. Details are:

What: ''Here’s To The Hokies Roanoke Rockin’ Remembrance''

Where: Elmwood Park

When: Noon to 2 p.m., free. 4 to 11 p.m., $5 donation at the door.

Who: The midday concert will feature The Kind, Groova Scape and Electric Chameleon. The afternoon and evening concert will feature Half Moon, Chinese Fire Drill, Shayar & Krooshal Force, The Pop Rivets, Hot Like Cajun, Illbotz, Built To Write, Mid Atlantic Kingz, Crobar Cane, Drivn TK-421, and Jerry Wimmer.

Volunteers needed: EventZone is in need of volunteers to help staff the event. Shifts are noon to 2 p.m. (only a few needed), 4 to 6:30 p.m., 6:30 to 9 p.m. and 9 to 11 p.m. To sign up, e-mail katie@eventzone.org.

9:14 a.m.

The Virginia Tech campus seemed almost tranquil this morning. Students donned flip flops, plugged in their mp3 players and filled their coffee cups for the morning walk to classes. Outside McBryde Hall, birds could be heard chirping alongside the clanging of construction noises echoing from work ongoing on Stanger Street and the unmistakable sound of the Blacksburg Transit buses ferrying students to and from campus.

Every other person seemed to still be wearing orange or maroon. Two television photographers filmed video from in front of Holden Hall, which is across from Norris Hall, where a week ago today the massacre took place.

Students walked past in groups of two and three -- no one was walking alone -- and casting glances at Norris Hall.

Meanwhile, a man carrying a cardboard box approached the groups of students, bidding them to "have a nice day today" and handing out refrigerator magnets bearing the "We are the Hokies" slogan, a black ribbon, a Hokie bird and the infamous date.

People are out and about this morning outside the residence halls on campus. As students head for their morning classes they walk past mental health counselors, who have marked themselves with purple armbands. There is also a strong police presence. Officers are on foot walking around, as well as on bicycles and motorcycles.

-- Jared Turner and Lindsay Key

8:36 a.m.

Virginia Tech students somberly returned to campus today, pausing for a moment of silence to remember the classmates murdered a week ago in a gunman's rampage.

Students and faculty gathered at about 7:10 a.m. near the dormitory where the first victims, Ryan Clark and Emily Hilscher, were killed. They also gathered on the main campus lawn and held several impromptu memorials as the smell of scented candles filled the morning air.

In front of the dorm, a small marching band from Alabama played "America the Beautiful" and carried a banner that read, "Alabama loves VT Hokies. Be strong, press on."

By the time the moment concluded, more than 100 people had gathered to remember the dead. Afterward, a group of students and campus ministers brought 33 white prayer flags - one for each of the dead, including the gunman, Seung-Hui Cho - from the dorm to the school's War Memorial Chapel. They placed the flags in front of the campus landmark and adorned them with pastel-colored ribbons.

--Associated Press

SATURDAY, April 21, 4:45 p.m.

Gov. Tim Kaine late this afternoon announced that a retired Roanoke Valley judge and a victim assistance expert from Fairfax County will round out the eight-member panel he has appointed to review the circumstances of the Virginia Tech shootings.

Diane Strickland, who served as a judge of the 23rd Judicial Circuit Court in Roanoke County, Roanoke and Salem between 1989 and 2003, will join Carroll Ann Ellis, director of the Fairfax County Police Department’s Victim Services Division on the review panel.

“It is important that this independent review include a look at the ways our public safety and judicial systems address the challenges of individuals with mental health issues, and Judge Strickland’s experience and insights in this area will be extremely valuable,” Kaine said in a news release. Before joining the Circuit Court bench, Strickland served two years as a General District Court judge. Strickland now works for The McGammon Group, a mediation and arbitration firm, according to the governor’s office.

Gerald Massengill, a retired superintendent of the Virginia State Police, is heading the panel, which also includes former U.S. secretary for Homeland Security Tom Ridge, former State Council of Higher Education for Virginia director Gordon Davies, FBI retiree Roger L. Depue, child and adolescent psychiatrist Aradhana A. “Bela” Sood and Dr. Marcus L. Martin of the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

FRIDAY, April 20, 6:03 p.m.

The family of Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho told The Associated Press on Friday that they feel "hopeless, helpless and lost," and "never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence."

"He has made the world weep. We are living a nightmare," said a statement issued by Cho's sister, Sun-Kyung Cho, on the family's behalf.

It was the Chos' first public comment since the 23-year-old student killed 32 people and committed suicide Monday in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.

Raleigh, N.C., lawyer Wade Smith provided the statement to the AP after the Cho family reached out to him. Smith said the family would not answer any questions, and neither would he.

"Our family is so very sorry for my brother's unspeakable actions. It is a terrible tragedy for all of us," said Sun-Kyung Cho, a 2004 Princeton University graduate who works as a contractor for a State Department office that oversees American aid for Iraq.

"We pray for their families and loved ones who are experiencing so much excruciating grief. And we pray for those who were injured and for those whose lives are changed forever because of what they witnessed and experienced," she said. "Each of these people had so much love, talent and gifts to offer, and their lives were cut short by a horrible and senseless act."

The Chos' whereabouts are unclear. But Virginia State Police said they are under law enforcement protection.

"We are humbled by this darkness. We feel hopeless, helpless and lost. This is someone that I grew up with and loved. Now I feel like I didn't know this person," Cho's sister said. "We have always been a close, peaceful and loving family. My brother was quiet and reserved, yet struggled to fit in. We never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence."

She said her family will cooperate fully and "do whatever we can to help authorities understand why these senseless acts happened. We have many unanswered questions as well."

-The Associated Press

5:07 p.m.

Police are still trying to find a link between Cho Seung-Hui and Emily Hilscher, the first person who was fatally shot Monday morning on Virginia Tech's campus.

In two search warrant affidavits filed today in Montgomery County Circuit Court, special agents with the Virginia State Police say they are seeking Cho Seung-Hui's cell phone records and any e-mails that may have been exchanged between Cho and Hilscher, who was killed in West Ambler Johnston Hall, the dormitory where she lived.

In one affidavit, police say Cho's family members said he normally called them on Sunday evenings from his cell phone. Cho, police say in the affidavit, "may have communicated with others concerning his plans to carry out attacks on students and faculty at Virginia Tech." Police want to review the numbers dialed and received, text and picture messages and voicemail information spanning the life of the cell phone account.

In another affidavit, police say they are seeking information from Tech's computer servers for Cho's two known e-mail accounts -- SC2@vt.edu, his school account, and blazers5505@hotmail.com, an account that was used in the purchase of a gun. The latter account was used as recently as February, the affidavit says.

Police also plan to check Hilscher's e-mail address, epixie@vt.edu.

Tech employees have said that the e-mail log information is maintained by Tech for 18 months, the affidavit says.

It remains unclear whether there was a link between Hilscher and Cho. Authorities have determined that one of the two guns used at Norris Hall, where Cho killed 30 people before killing himself, was used to kill Hilscher and Ryan Clark in West Ambler Johnston. But they have not definitely named Cho as the shooter in Ambler Johnston.

-Shawna Morrison

2:36 p.m.

A Wisconsin gun dealer who sold one of the weapons of mass murder at Virginia Tech said today he believes Cho Seung-Hui should not have been allowed to make the purchase because of his mental problems.

"From reading the reports, I do believe this was probably somebody who should not have been able to pass a background check," said Eric Thompson, the owner of TGSCOM Inc. in Green Bay.

Because Cho bought the gun from Thompson’s business over the Internet, the state and federal background checks were conducted at the Blacksburg pawn shop where he picked the gun up on Feb. 8.

Cho passed those background checks and another set in March when he bought a second gun from a Roanoke gun store.

Although a special justice found in late 2005 that Cho presented an "imminent danger" to himself because of mental illness, state police say that information would not have barred him from buying a gun because he was not committed to a mental hospital against his will.

But the law on the issue is murky, and Del. Dave Nutter, R-Christianburg has asked the attorney general’s office for clarification.

Thompson said he was an "absolute shock" to hear that Cho used a .22-caliber handgun sold by his business along with a second gun to kill 32 people and then himself on the Tech campus.

"I was torn up about it before I knew we had sold the weapon, and even more so after we found out," he said.

-Laurence Hammack

12:36 p.m.

The moment of silence observed across the state Friday stretched for 10 minutes at Montgomery Regional Hospital. With five of the wounded students inside, hospital staff gathered beneath the flags the hung at half mast in the noontime sunshine.

People drove up in cars decorated with Hokie flags, windsocks and magnets and joined the maroon and orange clad crowd. Just after noon, a single clear voice sang "Amazing Grace," and the observance was over.

In observation of the noon moment of silence to honor victims of the Tech massacre, the Virginia State Police held all non-emergency radio traffic until 12:01.

Huge maroon and orange bows were tied around four trees that stand in front of the Montgomery County Courthouse.

-Shawna Morrison and Tim Thornton

11:07 a.m.

Victims of Monday's Virginia Tech shootings are being interviewed, probably today, by CNN and a pool of journalists. Look for more of their stories here as they become available.

Today is an orange and maroon effect day, with people across the country wearing Tech's colors to show their solidarity with the university and numerous memorial events taking place, including bell ringings at noon.

9:25 a.m.

Another victim of Monday's shootings has been discharged from Montgomery Regional Hospital. Montgomery Regional has treated 17 of the students, more than any other hospital in the region.

Five remain at the hospital, four of them in intensive care.

HCA spokesman Mark Foust described them all and stable and improving.

"All five are up and walking an feeling better," Foust said.

He also one or two others may be discharged within the next 24 hours.

On Thursday, the Marching Virginians serenaded patients.

-- Reported by Tim Thornton

THURSDAY, April 19, 6:06 p.m.

University officials have not met with the parents of Cho Seung-Hui, and do not know if they are under police custody, Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker said.

At an afternoon press conference, Hincker said there is little new information the university can provide about Monday's shooting of 33 people. Most remaining questions may be answered by state police and a newly appointed state commission that will review Monday's events, Hincker said.

"From the university's standpoint, we've got to move forward," he said. "We'll do whatever we can to get this place on speed again."

School officials said they have received positive responses from students about returning to school Monday to finish course work. The university has given students the option of taking the grade they've already earned this semester.

5:19 p.m.

Virginia Tech police appear to be trying to find a link between Cho Seung-Hui and the first person who was fatally shot Monday morning on Virginia Tech's campus.

In search warrant affidavits filed this afternoon in Montgomery County Circuit Court, a detective says that she recovered a cellphone and laptop computer belonging to the victim in 4040 Ambler Johnston Hall. The victim, 19-year-old Emily Hilscher, is not named in the affidavit.

The detective said in the affidavits that the laptop and the cellphone could be ways "the suspect could have communicated with the victim." The warrant seeks any information off the two items.

It remains unclear whether there is a link between Cho and Hilscher, who was one of two people killed in West Ambler Johnston more than two hours before Cho went on a shooting rampage in Norris Hall, killing 30 people before turning the gun on himself. Authorities have said one of the two guns used in the Norris shootings was used to kill Hilscher and Ryan Clark in West A-J, but they have not definitively named Cho as the shooter there.

4:50 p.m.

Gov. Tim Kaine said this afternoon that an independent panel of experts will review all of the circumstances surrounding Monday’s deadly shooting spree at Virginia Tech, looking at how university and law enforcement officials responded to the emergency and whether “warning signs” about the student gunman should have been evident.

Kaine outlined plans for panel’s work at a press conference with retired Virginia State Police Superintendent Gerald Massengill, who will head the group. The panel’s eight members also will include former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, as well as experts in academia, law enforcement, mental health and medicine.

Kaine said the panel will “examine everything that happened and hopefully learn from it” and produce recommendations before colleges and universities start a new academic year in the fall.

Tech officials asked the governor to appoint an independent panel even as they conduct their own internal review. Kaine said university officials rightfully want to focus on assisting shooting victims and families and completing the school year.

“They don’t need to have the additional burden of the after-review of these events distracting them from these core missions,” Kaine said.

Kaine said the panel will explore three topics: the details of the shootings, how Tech officials, law enforcement authorities and medical responders reacted to the emergency, and “everything we know about gunman Cho Seung-Hui.

Kaine said the panel’s work will be “as public as transparent as possible” but later acknowledged that many sensitive matters will have to be probed in private.

Massengill, the panel’s chairman, served 37 years with the state police and ran the agency during two major emergencies – the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon and the 2002 serial sniper shootings in Northern Virginia.

Ridge was tapped by President Bush to coordinate domestic anti-terrorism planning after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. Ridge served as Pennsylvania’s governor before joining the Bush administration. He stepped down from his Cabinet post in 2004.

Other members include:

Gordon Davies, former director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.

Roger L. Depue, former FBI official who served as administrator at the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime.

Aradhana A. “Bela” Sood, a physician and chair of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.

Marcus L. Martin, also a physician and assistant dean for the School of Medicine at the University of Virginia.

The governor said he intends to add at least two more members to the panel soon, including a retired judge who can address a thicket of legal issues.

3:39 p.m.

Camera equipment seized by the state police when they detained a photographer from Virginia Tech's school paper who was taking pictures of police response to Monday's shootings in Norris Hall was returned this afternoon, said Kelly Furnas, editorial advisor for the paper.

The photographer, Shaozhuo Cui, who was born in China, has said police said they "had one suspect matching the profile" when he was detained. The Norris Hall shooter was born in South Korea.

1:58 p.m.

Virginia Tech students will be given the option of whether to finish the academic year out or go home with the grade they've earned this semester, according to a letter from Provost Mark McNamee posted today on the school's Web site.

12:37 p.m.

Virginia Tech's president and the rector of the university's board of visitors formally have requested that Gov. Tim Kaine appoint a panel to review the actions taken in response to Monday's campus shootings.

Kaine already has announced plans for such a panel and will hold a press conference this afternoon with retired Virginia State Police Superintendent Gerald Massengill, who will lead the group.

In a letter sent to Kaine today, Tech President Charles Steger and board Rector Jacob Lutz asked the governor to "appoint a panel to review the actions taken in response to the events that occurred on April 16, 2007, to include the actions of all agencies that responded that day."

"While we believe it would be most beneficial to have an independent review, we offer the full assistance of all personnel and resources at Virginia Tech to assist a review committee," the letter states.

The university already has begun its own internal review, Steger and Lutz noted in the letter.

-- Reported by Michael Sluss

10:10 a.m.

The disturbing video of an armed Cho Seung-Hui delivering a snarling tirade about rich "brats" and their "hedonistic needs" had some marginal value to the official investigation, but it didn't add much to what police already know, Virginia State Police said Thursday in Blacksburg.

At the morning news conference, university officials said Cho's victims would be awarded their degrees posthumously during commencement.

Cho's mental state was much discussed during the news conference. Tech officials said they followed school procedures and laws based on the information they had on Cho's behavior until Monday's massacre. Now, officials said, they know much more.

7:30 a.m.

The chilling images of the gunman who was responsible for the massacre at Virginia Tech silenced crowds near campus as they played on television screens.

When the video of Cho Seung-Hui brandishing weapons, gripping a hammer and reciting his angry, violent manifesto aired Wednesday night on "NBC Nightly News," some stared grimly at the screens. Many shook their heads. Others cried.

"Seeing those pictures - that just makes it more real," said Laura Sink, 22, an elementary education major, as tears rolled down her face. She was gathered with about 50 others at a restaurant just steps away from the campus where 32 people and Cho were killed Monday.

More reaction from the Associated Press.

WEDNESDAY, April 18

8:10 p.m.

Midway through his murderous rampage, the Virginia Tech gunman went to the post office and mailed NBC a package containing photos and videos of him brandishing guns and delivering a snarling, profanity-laced tirade about rich "brats" and their "hedonistic needs."

"You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today," 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui says in a harsh monotone, in an excerpt shown on "NBC Nightly News." "But you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off."

NBC said the package contained a rambling and often-incoherent, 1,800-word video manifesto, plus 43 photos, 11 of them showing him aiming handguns at the camera.

The package, which arrived at NBC's headquarters in New York two days after Cho killed 32 people and committed suicide in the deadliest one-man shooting rampage in modern U.S. history, bore a Postal Service stamp showing that it had been mailed at a Virginia post office at 9:01 a.m. Monday, about an hour and 45 minutes after Cho first opened fire.

The package was sent by overnight delivery but did not arrive at NBC until Wednesday morning. It had apparently been delayed because it had the wrong ZIP code, NBC said.

NBC News President Steve Capus said that the network received the package around noon and notified the FBI. He said the FBI asked NBC to hold off reporting on it so that the bureau could look at it first, and NBC complied, finally breaking the story just before a police announcement of the package at 4:30 p.m.

-- Associated Press

6:50 p.m.

Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Tiffany Anderson sent an e-mail to parents and staff saying that public schools will be closed for the rest of the week. She wrote that law enforcement requested the closing based on "additional safety concerns" related to Monday's shootings at Virginia Tech. She did not specify what the additional concerns were, and no one could be contacted in her office this evening. Montgomery schools were closed Tuesday and today but had been scheduled to reopen Thursday.

4:52 p.m.

Sometime after he killed two people in a dormitory but before he slaughtered 30 more in a classroom building Monday morning, Cho Seung-Hui mailed NBC News a package of rambling communication and videos about his grievances, the network said Wednesday.

Network officials turned the material over to the FBI and said they would not immediately disclose its contents pending the agency’s review beyond characterizing the material as “disturbing.” It included a written communication, photographs and video.

NBC said that a time stamp on the package indicated the material was mailed in the two-hour window between the first burst of gunfire and the second.

"This may be a very new, critical component of this investigation. We're in the process right now of attempting to analyze and evalute its worth," said Col. Steve Flaherty, superintendent of Virginia State Police.

Tech spokesman Larry Hincker, at an afternoon press conference, described the package of photos, video and writings as "extremely troubling."

-- Associated Press

3:41 p.m.

Gov. Tim Kaine has declared Friday a statewide day of mourning for the victims of Monday's shootings at Virginia Tech. In a statement this afternoon, Kaine encouraged communities throughout the state and country to hold noon observances and prayer services.

“As our commonwealth begins the long and difficult healing process, I am filled with images of a Virginia Tech community that is resilient and unified,” said Kaine, who attended a campus convocation on Tuesday and visited injured shooting victims on Wednesday. “I ask that everyone in Virginia pause at noon on Friday to offer prayers of support for the victims, their families, and for all those affected by this tragedy.”

Kaine will attend an interfaith prayer service in Richmond near Virginia Commonwealth University.

-- Reported by Michael Sluss

2:43 p.m.

Virginia State Police special agents filed two search warrant affidavits in Montgomery County Circuit Court this morning, seeking the medical and mental health records of Cho Seung-Hui from Tech's Schiffert Health Center and New River Community Services.

It "is reasonable to believe that the medical records may provide evidence of motive, intent, and designs of Seung-Hui Cho" based on conversations with members of the investigative team, special agents said in both affidavits.

2:41 p.m.

Counseling stations will be set up at four Montgomery County elementary schools tomorrow, the first day students return after being off Tuesday and today because of the shootings at Virginia Tech. The stations will be at Auburn, Christiansburg, Kipps and Shawsville elementary schools, Tiffany Anderson, school superintendent, said by e-mail.

Counselors will be at the stations from 6-8 p.m. to meet privately with families. While schools will be open tomorrow, attendance is not mandatory and absences will not be counted against students who choose to stay out this week, Anderson said.

1:07 p.m.

Joe Dowdy, owner of JND Pawn Brokers, clarified today that he did the background check and other paperwork that allowed Cho Seung-Hui to purchase one of two handguns used in Monday's mass shootings on Virginia Tech's campus.

It has been reported that Cho bought the Walther P22 from JND; however, Dowdy says he only collected a $30 processsing fee, and that the actual seller was out of state. He declined to identify the seller or the seller's location. He noted that this sort of transaction is common in firearms purchases.

12:41 p.m.

Federal and state governments are granting income tax filing and payment extensions to individuals affected by Monday's shootings at Virginia Tech.

The Internal Revenue Service announced Tuesday that it has granted a six-month extension for filing 2006 income tax returns, moving the deadline from April 17 to Oct. 15. The extension is available to shooting victims and their families, emergency responders, Tech students and university employees.

“Taxes are the last thing the Virginia Tech family should be worried about at this time,” said IRS Commissioner Mark Everson in a press release. “Our hearts go out to the people affected by this tragic event.”

The IRS will not apply penalties for those eligible for the extension if returns and payments are made by Oct. 15.

To claim the relief, eligible taxpayers must call the IRS at 1-866-562-5227 and identify themselves before filing or making a payment.

The same taxpayers will get an additional six months to file their state income tax returns. The Virginia Department of Taxation announced this morning that it has moved its May 1 filing deadline to Nov. 1 for people impacted by the Tech shootings.

“By granting this income tax filing and payment extension, the Tax Department is doing its small part to work with other state agencies to provide whatever support may be needed,” said Tax Commissioner Janie Bowen. “At a time like this, families need to be together and concentrate all of their efforts on healing."

To claim the state relief, eligible taxpayers must write the words "Virginia Tech" across the top of their Virginia tax returns.

The state tax department will consider granting extensions for filing other taxes on a case-by-case basis. Taxpayers who have questions about the Virginia extension can call the department at (804) 367-8031.

-- Reported by Michael Sluss

12:23 p.m.

Gov. Tim Kaine has announced the first member of the independent review commission that will evaluate Virginia Tech's response to Monday's campus shootings. Gerald Massengill, retired head of the Virginia State Police accepted Kaine's invitation to join the commission Tuesday night, the governor said. Massengill is the only commission member named so far.

It's too early to draw any conclusions, Kaine said.

"We now know the end of the story," he said. "We have the benefit of hindsight."

But it is appropriate to ask hard questions, Kaine said. "The reason to do that is to learn and maybe do something different," the governor said.

Maybe that can help campuses across the nation, he said.

-- Reported by Tim Thornton

12:23 p.m.

Montgomery County Public Schools just announced it will not resume after-school activities this afternoon as it had indicated it would this morning. The school division issued a release citing unspecified "precautionary measures being taken today in some of the town offices and buildings" as the reason.

-- Reported by Albert Raboteau

12:10 p.m.

Virginia Tech students still on edge after the deadliest shooting in U.S. history got another scare early Wednesday morning as police in SWAT gear with weapons drawn swarmed Burruss Hall, which houses the president's office, following a threat on school President Charles Steger's life.

The threat of suspicious activity turned out to be unfounded, Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said, and the building was reopened. But students were rattled.

Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum, at a 10:15 news conference, said that Cho Seung-Hui, the 23-year-old Tech student who killed 32 people Monday in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, stalked two female students and had been taken to a mental health facility in 2005, but no charges were filed.

Cho worried one woman enough with his "annoying" calls and e-mail in 2005 that police were called in, said Flinchum said.

He said the woman declined to press charges and Cho was referred to the univeristy disciplinary system. The case was then outside the scope of the police department, he said.

Neither woman was a victim in Monday's shootings.

In one incident, the department received a call from an acquaintence of Cho who was concerned that he might be suicidal, and he was taken to the St. Albans mental health facility in Radford on Dec. 13, 2005, Flinchum said. He said university police had no contact with Cho after that December incident.

Flinchum didn't know if Cho voluntarily consented to the temporary detention order, nor could he say anything about the results of the evaluation of Cho.

In Christiansburg this morning, Montgomery County Courthouse was evacuated when a judge heard a ticking sound in a drink machine.

12:05 a.m.

Gov. Tim Kaine said probably the most amazing thing about the shooting survivors he met Wednesday morning is how little they wanted to talk about themselves and how interested they were in their professors and classmates.

Kaine visited Montgomery County Regional Hospital, where most of the survivors are hospitalized.

"Most of them are sitting up in bed smiling," Kaine said. "A few of them have walked for the first time today." Kaine said he had a special message for Kevin Sterne, the young man who had part of his right femoral artery shot away and put a tourniquet on his own leg.

"I said, 'I hope you called your scoutmaster and thanked him for that first aid lesson,' " Kaine said.

Sterne is the student whose picture appeared on the front page of The Roanoke Times and other newspapers and media outlets around the world. The governor said Sterne's parents met with one of the state troopers photographed carrying him from Norris Hall.

Sterne has the photo hanging in his hospital room, hospital chief executive officer Scott Hill said.

-- Reported by Tim Thornton

10:25 a.m.

Montgomery County’s public schools will resume after-school activities today and classes Thursday, Superintendent Tiffany Anderson announced by e-mail.

The school division’s counselors are meeting today to discuss how to address student questions about the shootings, and the division plans to operate counseling centers to help families as well as students.

“At this time we know some former students and some parents of current students were victims,” Anderson said without identifying those people.

She said schools are sending small, staff teams to visit families of the victims.

7:28 a.m.

The two-hour delay between the shootings is linked to a bad lead, The New York Times reported today as details continue to emerge about Cho Seung-Hui, the 23-year-old Virginia Tech student who killed 32 people Monday in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

According to search warrants and statements from the police, campus investigators had been busy pursuing what appears to have been a fruitless lead in the first of two shooting episodes Monday.

After two people, Emily Jane Hilscher, a freshman, and Ryan Clark, the resident adviser whose room was nearby in the dormitory, were shot dead, the campus police began searching for Karl D. Thornhill, who was described in Internet memorials as Hilscher’s boyfriend.

According to a search warrant filed by the police, Hilscher’s roommate had told the police that Thornhill, a student at nearby Radford University, had guns at his town house. The roommate told the police that she had recently been at a shooting range with Thornhill, the affidavit said, leading the police to believe he may have been the gunman.

But as they were questioning Thornhill, reports of widespread shooting at Norris Hall came in, making it clear that they had not contained the threat on campus. Thornhill was not arrested, although he continues to be an important witness in the case, the police said.

7:26 a.m.

Cho Seung-Hui was referred to counseling last year after writing an extremely graphic and violent play, entitled "Richard McBeef," for his English class.

Click here to read the play, which has been posted on The Smoking Gun Web site. WARNING: Contains graphic and disturbing content.

Another play purported to be written by Cho for his English class surfaced Tuesday on AOL. Click here to read the second Cho play on the AOL News Web site. WARNING: Contains graphic and disturbing content.

Cho was found with the words “Ismael Ax” written in red ink on one of his arms, the Washington Post reported law enforcement sources as saying. The New York Post tried to explain what “Ismael Ax” means:

The reference may be to the Islamic account of the Biblical sacrifice of Abraham, where God commands the patriarch to sacrifice his own son. Abraham begins to comply, but God intervenes at the last moment to save the boy … Abraham uses a knife in most versions of the story, but some accounts have him wielding an ax.

A more obscure reference may be to a passage in the Koran referring to Abraham’s destruction of pagan idols; in some accounts, he uses an ax to do so.

TUESDAY, April 17

11:34 p.m.

Hear audio and see photos from the vigil on Virginia Tech's Drillfield Tuesday evening.

7:01 p.m.

Former Hokie quarterback Michael Vick is helping launch an effort to help victims of Monday's shooting at Virginia Tech. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback's foundation is making a $10,000 donation to a newly established United Way fund.

Kymn Davidson-Hamley, executive director of the United Way of Montgomery, Radford & Floyd, said the money will provide assistance for funeral expenses, transportation for victims' relatives and mental health services, among other costs.

Donations can be made via the United Way chapter's Web site, which can be found here.

Contributions also can be mailed to the United in Caring Fund for Victims of the VA Tech Tragedy at UWMRF, P.O. Box 6202, Christiansburg VA 24068. Davidson-Hamley asks that contributors indicate clearly that they want their donation to go to the fund.

6:38 p.m.

It looks like moving day this evening on Virginia Tech campus. Cars are backed up on Washington Street and students are carrying suitcases and laundry bags out of the dormitories.

Adults stand outside parked vehicles with open trunks, helping stow items inside. Parents seem to be taking their children home. With classes cancelled the rest of the week, many students are leaving Tech and the aftermath of Monday's campus killings, the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

Student Brittany Brown of Richmond stood on the sidewalk across from Cassell Coliseum with a friend. They had two large suitcases, bags of clothes and other belongings.

"I'm going back home to stay with my parents. Everybody wants to go where they feel safe right now," Brown said.

-- Reported by Ralph Berrier Jr.

6:32 p.m.

A search warrant filed this afternoon in Montgomery County Circuit Court says that chain, a computer and a Dremel tool were among the items seized from the dorm room of Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-Hui.

Virginia State Police searched Cho's room at 2121 Harper Hall just after 9 p.m. Monday, the document said. A state police special agent wrote in an affidavit that the purpose of the search warrant was to look for tools, documents, computer hardware and software, weapons, instructional manuals for acts of mass destruction or acts of terror, and writing utensils and/or paper similar to those used to write three bomb threats found at Tech recently, including one that the affidavit said was found at Monday's Norris Hall shooting.

Also seized during the search was a credit card statement, several books and notebooks, and six sheets of graph paper. The warrant does not describe the books or notebooks, or say what, if anything, was written on the graph paper.

-- Reported by Shawna Morrison

5:46 p.m.

The 12-van motorcade carrying President Bush and other dignitaries headed to Tech's War Memorial after leaving the convocation ceremony this afternoon at Cassell Coliseum. At the War Memorial, there is a a makeshift tribute to the victims of Monday's campus shooting.

Onlookers said President and Mrs. Bush, and Gov. Kaine and his wife got out of their vehicles and laid a bouquet of orange and maroon roses at the tribute. President Bush and Kaine signed the cardboard VT using a Sharpie magic marker. Bush wrote, "God bless," then signed his name. It was unclear what Kaine wrote among the hundreds of signatures and messages already on the memorial.

The memorial was made last year by Jose Torres, a 28-year-old Blacksburg resident. Torres said the cardboard and lumber tribute figured in a game party where family and friends watched last year's match with Miami.

"My neighbors and I were sad yesterday, and we looked at this VT in my house and decided to bring it here," Torres said.

Scott White, a Tech senior, had arrived at the War Memorial to stake out a spot for tonight's vigil. When he arrived, state police had cordoned off the area where the president's motorcade was about to stop. White saw the president, governor and their wives sign the memorial, then leave again in a route that took a paved path away from the Drillfield. The motorcade's passengers would have had a view of Norris Hall, where most of Monday's shootings occurred.

-- Reported by Ralph Berrier Jr.

5:41 p.m.

Police said in a press conference now under way at Virginia Tech that there is no evidence that Cho Seung-Hui left behind a suicide note, or that he acquired the weapons used in Monday's mass shooting in anything other than a legal fashion. Police have collected a variety of items from Cho's residence in Tech's Harper Hall dormitory and are continuing their investigation.

Gov. Tim Kaine spoke at the press conference, pledging state resources to help the investigation and the Tech community's recovery from the shootings.

Kaine said there will be a thorough review of the university's actions Monday morning, as well as other aspects of the shooting, calling it standard practice after any significant incident. He said he is not positive yet who will be appointed to a review commission.

Kaine said he hoped there would be no backlash against Asian students at Tech. "This is an incident that cuts across all the barriers," he said.

The governor said his first priority is to help families affected by the shooting, then to assess what happened and finally to decide if policy changes were needed.

Police said they are not sure if Cho had accomplices in the shootings in West Ambler Johnston and Norris halls. There is no evidence to suggest he had help, but there is nothing that yet rules it out, Col. W. Steven Flaherty of the Virginia State Police said.

Asked if police had done enough when Tech's English department raised concerns about Cho's mindset some time before the shootings, Flaherty said he was not familiar with those concerns.

5:26 p.m.

By this afternoon, groups established on thefacebook.com under some version of Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui's name had disappeared from the Web site. Sites supporting survivors or memorializing victims remained.

Since Monday morning, more than 300 support groups have sprung up on thefacebook.com, established by students from Tech and across the country.

After Tuesday's release of Cho's identity, more than 20 groups were established in his name, including "Forgive Cho Seung Hui" and "I hope Cho Seung Hui Burns in Hell."

"Instead of playing the blame game, how about we do the logical thing and blame the coward that actually shot these students?" wrote a Marshall University student who created the group "Blame Cho Seung Hui." The student went on to say that Tech's administration and police should not be judged harshly.

5:05 p.m.

One survivor of Monday's shooting in Virginia Tech's Norris Hall saved his own life.

David Stoeckle, chief of surgery at Montgomery Regional Hospital, said one Tech senior used Boy Scout training to stop the flow of blood from his right leg. About 3 centimeters of the student's femoral artery had been shot away, Stoeckle said. The student wrapped an electrical cord around his leg, tightening it with the aid of another student. When emergency medical technicians arrived in the classroom, they put a proper tourniquet on the leg.

But the self-administered first aid was crucial, Stoeckle said.

"Without him taking care of himself ... I think there's a good chance he would have died," the surgeon said.

The young man is doing well, Stoeckle said, but added "I think he's going to be here awhile."

-- Reported by Tim Thornton

4:57 p.m.

The New York Times is describing Virginia Tech gunman Cho Seung-Hui as a loner with no friends, at least none known by his two roommates. They describe Cho as antisocial and given to spending most of his time in the shared dormitory suite in front of his computer.

4:39 p.m.

The motorcade of 12 black Chevrolet vans carrying President George Bush, Gov. Tim Kaine and others just left Virginia Tech's Cassell Coliseum, about an hour and 15 minutes afterthe university's convocation service to mark Monday's mass shooting.

-- Reported by Ralph Berrier Jr.

4:29 p.m.

Homer Hickam, author of "Rocket Boys" and a Virginia Tech graduate, today sent Tech President Charles Steger a letter that read, in part, "Today, there is pain everywhere in our community, and our hearts are troubled. Yet, I am certain our university will persevere. The spirit of Virginia Tech cannot allow otherwise. We who once walked its halls and studied in its classrooms were trained to represent all that is good and right in the world, and we will prevail. Evil can never succeed, not while there are yet men and women like the people of Virginia Tech who reach every day for success, and endeavor for the improvement of the human condition across the planet."

4:19 p.m.

All Virginia Tech Department of Music concerts scheduled through April 22 are cancelled.

Also, the Blacksburg Aquatic Center has canceled its programs because most instructors are Virginia Tech students. Free swim will continue depending on available staffing. Call 961-1852 for aquatic center info.

3:43 p.m.

Thousands of people came to Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium to watch the simulcast of the memorial convocation event in the neighboring Cassell Coliseum basketball arena. Many sat or stood on the field, while others sat in the stands. Some made their way into the normally expensive luxury boxes.

The stadium's giant video screen gave a clear view as President Bush, Gov. Kaine and others expressed their sorrow at Monday's deaths of 33 people on Tech campus in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. The stadium's audio setup proved unequal to the task, however, and many of the speakers' remarks were unintelligible.

"I thought the sound was going to be pretty good. It's always pretty good for football," said Ryan Hewitt, a 23-year-old Tech senior from Swoope. Fortunately, Hewitt noted, the event was televised.

"I'm glad that I TiVo'd it so I could watch it later," he said.

But Nicole Goodwin, 22, a senior from Columbia, S.C., said she was glad to be there despite not being able to make out much of what was being said.

"It was good to have people come speak to us as a community," Goodwin said.

-- Reported by Ralph Berrier Jr.

3:20 p.m.

Virginia Tech President Charles Steger took the podium to long, loud applause at the university's still-ongoing convocation ceremony in Cassell Coliseum.

"It's overwhelming, almost paralyzing," he said of Monday's shootings, which claimed the lives of 33 people on Tech's campus and was the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

He expressed gratitude for an outpouring of support in the wake of the massacre, and said he appreciated President George Bush, his wife Laura Bush, Gov. Tim Kaine, Sen. John Warner and Sen. Jim Webb for attending the mourning ceremony. "The events that occurred in our community yesterday had an impact not just on our community, but on millions of people around the world," Steger said.

Kaine, who flew back Monday from a trade mission in Japan, congratulated students for showing "incredible community spirit" in the face of tragedy. "How proud we were in the midst of a sad day to see how well you represented yourselves and this university," Kaine said.

Anger at the gunman and the circumstances is natural, Kaine continued, as is wondering whether something could have been done differently. In the midst of such questions, "do not lose touch with that sense of community," he urged.

Bush also urged grieving students to rely on community. "This is a day of sadness for our entire nation," the president said. "We've come to express our sympathy. In this time of anguish, I hope you know people all over this country are thinking of you and asking God to provide comfort for all those affected."

Sedki Riad, director of the Islamic Center of Blacksburg and one of several clergy and religious group representatives speaking at the event, said "Death strikes home when we least expect it ... in the battlefield or the classroom."

"... We should not let this tragedy make us lose confidence" in community leaders, he said.

Sue Kurtz, executive director of the Hillel student organization at Tech and special events coordinator for Judaic Studies, said "Let us carry the memories of our friends and teachers with us always so that ... the memory of the righteous will be a blessing."

Paramedics arrived during the speechs and helped an older man seated behind the president walk out of the arena.

Many in the audience wept during the ceremony, which took place in a sea of orange and maroon clothing and banners. Tech's marching band members played hymns before and during the event.

"No one deserves a tragedy," said poet and Tech professor Nikki Giovanni. "... We will continue to invent the future. Through our blood and tears, through all this sadness we are the Hokies."

1:57 p.m.

The remainder of Tech's spring football session, including Saturday's Spring Game, has been canceled, Virginia Tech announced on its Web sites. Tech was scheduled to practice Wednesday and Friday before holding the Spring Game on Saturday.

1:52 p.m.

As Virginia State Police officers kept the crowd back along Blacksburg's Spring Street, a motorcade of about 10 black vans, accompanied by motorcycle police and a state police armored vehicle, whizzed by on the way to Cassell Coliseum. This likely was President Bush, said onlookers, or maybe the governor or senators. Or maybe all of them.

As soon as the motorcade turned behind the coliseum, police stepped back and the crowd sprinted for Lane Stadium, which is taking the massive overflow from the already-filled Cassell basketball arena.

At 2 p.m., a convocation to mourn the victims of Monday's shootings is to begin inside Cassell.

-- Reported by Ralph Berrier Jr.

1:25 p.m.

Cho Seung-Hui bought one of the two handguns used in yesterday’s Virginia Tech massacre at a Roanoke gun shop.

John Markell, owner of Roanoke Firearms on Cove Road, said today that three agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives visited his shop yesterday. One of the agents told him that the Glock 19 that Markell’s shop sold Cho about five weeks ago was used in the mass shooting.

Markell said he was not in the shop when Cho bought the gun but said nothing stood out about the purchase. Cho produced a Virginia driver’s license, a checkbook with a matching address and an immigration card. Cho was a resident alien from South Korea.

Cho paid $571 for the gun and a box of 50 9mm bullets, Markell said.

Markell said the ATF told him the serial number was removed from the Glock, but authorities traced the weapon by a Roanoke Firearms receipt found in Cho's pocket.

Markell said he opened Roanoke Firearms in 1998.

"I've sold 160,000 guns, and out of those, half a dozen have been used for homicides or suicides," he said. "I know it's a tiny percentage, but it just absolutely tears me up every time it happens."

"... It's bad enough watching the news to find out what he did," Markell continued. "... But to find out he bought it here makes it so much worse."

-- Reported by Reed Williams

1:21 p.m.

Montgomery County schools will be closed Wednesday, Superintendent Tiffany Anderson announced in an e-mail this afternoon.

Several of the victims of Monday's shooting at Virginia Tech were parents of students in the school system, Anderson's e-mail said.

The school system is offering its counseling services to the Red Cross to help people affected by Monday's events.

Schools are closed today. Continuing the closure, Anderson wrote, "will allow teachers and administrators to have a workday where they can plan how best to support all of our students given the tragedy."

-- Reported by Tim Thornton

1:11 p.m.

Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium has been opened to the overflow crowd from the shooting memorial event set to begin in at 2 p.m. at Tech's Cassell Coliseum.

People are crowding onto the field in a throng that begins at the north end zone beneath the giant video screen and stretches across midfield to about the opposite 30 yard line. People also are taking seats in the stands.

Everyone is looking toward the video screen, which presently displays the color bars of a test pattern and the words "Va Tech Convocation 2:00 pm 4-17-07".

-- Reported by Ralph Berrier Jr.

12:59 p.m.

Over 7,000 people are already inside Virginia Tech's Cassell Coliseum, and a line outside stretches down Washington Street, curves around the tennis courts and disappears toward Lane Stadium and the Cranwell International Center. On Spring Street, the line was past Lane Stadium.

A convocation ceremony to mourn the victims of yesterday's campus shooting is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. President George Bush, Gov. Tim Kaine and other dignitaries plan to attend.

Three friends, all freshmen at Tech, were at the very end of the immense line. Wearing Tech T-shirts and standing near the international center, Matt Banick, an 18-year-old from Centreville; Nihar Samal, an 18-year-old from Rockville, Md.; and Kevin O'Connor, a 19-year-old from Vermont, said they wished the event was being held in much-larger Lane Stadium.

"This looks exactly like Game Day," Banick said of the crowd. "I'm not surprised to see this. It's a close campus."

The three said that if they can't get into the coliseum, they plan to go back to Pritchard dormitory, where they live, and watch the event on television.

O'Connor had a digital camera slung around his neck. "If I can't get pictures inside," he told his friends, "I'll get pictures of the line."

-- Reported by Ralph Berrier Jr.

12:32 p.m.

Although CNN reported another death among the victims of Monday's shootings at Virginia Tech, area hospitals say no one else has died today.

The official death toll from the shootings remains at 33 people.

Eric Earnhart, spokesman for Carilion hospitals, said three victims remain at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center in stable condition. One of the victims taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital died yesterday. Two remain at the hospital. One is listed in serious condition, the other as critical.

Suzanne Barnett, spokeswoman for Montgomery Regional Hospital, said nothing has changed at her facility or at Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem since the hospitals issued an 8 a.m. update. Nine victims remain at Montgomery Regional Hospital. All are in stable condition, including three who were in critical condition Monday night. Another three people are in stable condition at Lewis-Gale, and one of these is expected to be discharged today.

Montgomery Regional has scheduled another update between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

-- Reported by Tim Thornton

12:01 p.m.

At mid-day today, Blacksburg's South Main Street looks much the same as it always does.

Traffic is manageable. Businesses are open. But the flag at A Cleaner World drycleaner is at half mast.

Farther down the street, in downtown Blacksburg, it looks a little like a Virginia Tech Game Day. Plenty of students are crossing streets and walking along sidewalks. Almost every one of them is wearing an orange or maroon shirt or sweatshirt. Near Cassell Coliseum, there are marching band members on the sidewalk and more crowds of orange-and-maroon-clad students.

Not unlike Game Day, there's already a tremendously long line at the front doors of the coliseum. But these people waiting along Washington Street and down Spring Street are in line for the 2 p.m. convocation to mourn Monday's mass shooting that killed 33 people, including a shooter identified as 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui, a senior majoring in English at Tech.

Someone is holding a sign that reads "Support Steger," a reference to Tech President Charles Steger, who with other officials has drawn criticism for the decision to continue classes after two students were found shot Monday morning. Two hours later, 31 more died by gunfire and at least 15 were injured, some as they leapt from classroom windows to escape.

By the coliseum, someone else holds a flag that reads "4-16-07 VT United."

Reporters are interviewing students. Uniformed members of the Corps of Cadets are gathering. Two fighter jets blast overhead, perhaps a precursor to President George Bush's planned attendance of the memorial event this afternoon.

Rachel Fleischmann, a 20-year-old Tech junior from Baltimore, and Maggie Peirce, a 21-year-old sophomore from Woodbine, Md., arrive at the coliseum in the back of a friend's pickup truck. They are carrying a plastic container of orange-and-maroon ribbons safety-pinned together into small loops. They plan to pass them out to people in line.

Peirce says, "We were up until 2 a.m. making these. We want to unite the students. A lot of bad things have been said about the school and we want people to know this is the best school."

They didn't personally know anyone involved in the shootings, though a friend's roommate was killed in Norris Hall, they say.

Fleischmann says that on their ride to the coliseum, they saw what they thought was Air Force One landing at the Virginia Tech-Montgomery Executive Airport, presumeably delivering the president.

"It's an honor for he and Mrs. Bush to be here," Fleishmann says. "We're excited they're here."

-- Reported by Ralph Berrier Jr.

11:26 a.m.

Dateline correspondent and Virginia Tech grad Hoda Kotb's "Not at My Alma Mater" essay is here.

11 a.m.

The town of Blacksburg has canceled all meetings and events today in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings. Parks and rec events will proceed as scheduled, however.

Also, Blacksburg Transit is operating a special shuttle until 5 p.m. today between campus and the Inn at Virginia Tech. It can be boarded at Washington and Spring streets near Cassell Coliseum, or at the Inn.

10:20 a.m.

A bomb threat directed at Virginia Tech engineering school department buildings was found Monday at the scene of the mass shooting at Norris Hall, an engineering building, according to a search warrant affidavit filed this morning in Montgomery County Circuit Court.

The affadavit said the suspect in the shootings, who has been named as 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui, was believed to have multiple firearms, including but not limited to Walther P22 and Glock 9mm handguns. The affadavit goes on to say that an investigation has revealed the suspect recently purchased a handgun at a Roanoke firearms store.

"It is further reasonable to believe suspect is the author of the bomb threat note," reads the affadavit written by a Virginia State Police special agent.

The warrant was taken out to search a dorm room at 2121 Harper Hall for tools, documents, computer hardware, weapons, ammunition, explosives, instructional manuals for criminal acts of mass destruction, writing utensils and/or paper similar to that used to communicate threats to Tech's campus in the recent past.

-- Reported by Shawna Morrison

10:16 a.m.

Classes at Virginia Tech will be canceled for the remainder of the week, the university announced this morning. Tech will be open for administrative functions on Wednesday.

9:34 a.m.

Authorities identified the deceased shooter in yesterday's Virginia Tech massacre as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a South Korean native in U.S. as a resident alien. His residency was in Centreville and he was staying at the Harper residence hall on Tech's campus.

No possible motive was disclosed.

"The only thing that we know about him is that he was a loner and we are having difficulty finding information" about him, university spokesman Larry Hincker said.

Authorities said they are not releasing names of the victims until all have been identified.

President Bush and Gov. Tim Kaine are going to appear at 2 p.m. memorial service at Cassell.

Tech President Charles Steger and the university's police chief, Wendell Flinchum appeared at the 9 a.m. press conference where the shooter was identified but declined to field reporters questions on security measures taken in the two hours between the first and second shootings Monday, a gap that has been questioned by students, parents, and the media.

Flinchum said the second shootings started as police were questioning a male associate of a female victim of the first shooting.

Results of ballistic tests conducted at a federal lab in Maryland overnight confirmed that the same weapon was used in both on campus shooting events on Monday, a detail that proves they incidents were related, Flinchum said.

Authorities assert response to shootings was timely -- A full report on the morning press conference

-- Reported by Albert Raboteau

9 a.m.

Scott Hill, chief executive officer of Montgomery County Regional Hospital, said this morning that nine victims of yesterday's shooting at Virginia Tech, all students, remain at Montgomery Regional.

All are in stable condition, including three who were in critical condition last night. Another three victims are in stable condition at Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem. One of those is expected to be discharged later today. Hill was unsure of the conditions of patients taken to Carilion New River Valley Hospital and Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Four patients at Montgomery Regional underwent major surgery yesteday, Hill said, and two had minor sugery.

Hill refused to say how many of the 22 victims taken to Montgomery Regional and Lewis-Gale yesterday have died, though he did say the vicitms of yesterday's first shooting came the Montgomery Regional. Those students were killed.

The survivors' families are at their bedsides and their friends are being allowed to visit, if the families approve, but Hill said the hospital is trying to limit visitors today so the victims can rest.

Speaking to a herd of reporters and a wall of 10 television cameras, Hill praised the work of his staff and offered condolences to the victims, their friends and families.

"Our hearts go out to the families and the folks at Virginia Tech that are dealing that are dealing with this tragic situation," Hill said.

-- Reported by Tim Thornton

7:48 a.m.

The eyes of the world are on Blacksburg this morning. About 60 television trucks are parked at the end of Virginia Tech campus. The media crush is so great that only one reporter per news organization is being allowed into the room where press conferences are being held.

"We are just going to reach the capacity too fast," a woman posted at the door told a line of reporters from newspapers including the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Fox's Geraldo Rivera was among the reporters in the pressroom.

Morning news coverage by organizations including the BBC has questioned why stronger security measures were not taken after the earlier violence Monday.

Douglas said the crush of reporters means media access to the 2 p.m. memorial service at Cassell Coliseum will be limited to pool coverage.

-- Reported by Albert Raboteau

7:30 a.m.

The Salvation Army brought a truck from Roanoke to serve meals to victims to families, emergency workers and others gathered at the Inn at Virginia Tech. Richard White, a captain of the organization, estimated 500 meals had been served so far, about 10 of which were brought to a grief-sticken family staying upstairs at the Inn at Virginia Tech. "There's not a lotyou can say," White said.

7:18 a.m.

According to Virginia Tech student newspaper's Web site, collegiatetimes.com, the following are the names of confirmed fatalities in Monday's shooting rampage on the Virginia Tech campus.

Maxine Turner
Vienna, Va.
Senior, Chemical Engineering

Henry Lee
Roanoke
Freshman, Computer Engineering

Matt La Porte
Dumont, N.J.
Freshman, University Studies

Jamie Bishop
Instructor, Foreign Languages and Literatures (German)

G.V. Loganathan
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Juan Ortiz
Graduate Student, Civil Engineering

Jarrett Lane
Narrows
Senior, Civil Engineering

Ryan Clark Columbia County, Ga.
Senior, Biology, English, Psychology

Leslie Sherman
Sophomore, History and International Studies

Caitlin Hammaren
Sophomore, International Studies and French

Liviu Librescu
Professor, Engineering Science & Mechanics

Kevin Granata
Professor, Engineering Science & Mechanics

Reema Samaha
Centreville
Freshman

Emily Hilscher
Woodville
Freshman, Animal and Poultry Sciences, Equine Science

CNN reported today that Ross Alameddine, a student from Saugus, Mass., was another shooting victim.

MONDAY, April 16

The Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday night that authorities are investigating whether the gunman was a 24-year-old Chinese man who arrived in the U.S. last year on a student visa issued in Shanghai. Police believe three bomb threats on the campus last week may have been attempts by the man to test the campus' security response, the newspaper reported.

11:08 p.m., April 16

A student from Georgia was one of the first victims shot to death at Virginia Tech on Monday.

Ryan "Stack" Clark was shot in the neck in West Ambler Johnston Hall where the gunman started his rampage, said Vernon Collins, the coroner in Columbia County, Ga.

Collins said the Virginia State Police asked him and a deputy sheriff to notify Clark’s family in his hometown of Martinez, Ga.

His mother, Letitie Clark, "was in shock and disbelief that her son was gone," Collins said. "I had to assure her it was real. It’s the hardest part of the job to make a death notification. There are no words to describe how horrible it is."

Collins said he didn’t know whether Clark died at the scene or at the hospital. He said an autopsy will be conducted by a medical examiner in Roanoke.

According to a page on Tech’s Marching Virginians web site posted in fall 2006, Clark was a fifth-year member of the marching band program and a resident advisor at West Ambler Johnston.

He had expected to graduate in December 2006 and planned to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology with a focus in cognitive neuroscience.

The online Virginia Tech directory lists a Ryan Christopher Clark at 4042 West Ambler Johnston and says he is studying psychology.

-- Reported by John Cramer

8:33 p.m.

President Bush's staff has talked to Virginia Tech officials about the possibility of Bush visiting campus this week, Tech President Charles Steger said at a press conference this evening.

Authorities said they are still trying to determine whether the shootings at West Ambler Johnston Hall and Norris Hall are related. They have identified a “person of interest” in the Ambler Johnston shootings but do not have anyone in custody. That person is cooperating with authorities, they said.

At Norris Hall, 31 people – including the shooter – were killed. Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said the scene at Norris was “probably one of the worst things I’ve seen in my life.” Authorities have made a preliminary identification of the shooter but don’t plan to release his name, or that of any of the victims, until tomorrow. Another two, a woman and a male resident assistant, were killed at Ambler Johnston.

8:03 p.m.

Tech police Chief Wendell Flinchum said that an estimated 15 people have been injured from today's shootings.

7:48 p.m.

Tech police Chief Wendell Flinchum said police had made a preliminary identification of the shooter but were not releasing the identity at a press conference that is currently happening. He also said that two weapons had been recovered but declined to say what they were.

7:06 p.m.

Norris Hall, where 31 of today's 33 victims died and 15 more were injured, is a crime investigation scene tonight. Police block passersby from approaching closer than Burruss Hall, Virginia Tech's main administrative building that sits between Norris and the Drillfield.

A long piece of yellow police tape is tangled in a tree and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents seemed to be looking through windows of cars parked near Burruss. No vehicles are being allowed onto campus.

A half dozen police trucks are parked near Norris, and officers are coming and going from the building. Very few other people are outside on that side of campus.

At the Inn at Virginia Tech, a university hotel that has served as a staging area for today's press conferences and for students and family members seeking information, guards at the front door are only allowing friends and relatives of victims to enter. Media representatives are being sent to another door. The Inn is trying to keep rooms available for friends and family.

"Hokies United" an ad hoc group that has brought together Virginia Tech's student organizations during past tragedies, is organizing a candlelight vigil tomorrow night on Tech's Drillfield. The event is open to the public and will begin at 7:30 p.m. Students are planning on passing a flame to light 10,000 candles at the event. It will also feature a yet-to-be-named speaker.

Students are building a writing wall so people at the vigil can write messages in support of the victims.

5:53 p.m.

Gov. Tim Kaine has declared a state of emergency due to today's events at Virginia Tech. State agencies are directed to aid in the response to the shootings that killed at least 33 people.

U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th, added his voice to the chorus of officials expressing shock and sadness, issuing a statement saying his "thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and the entire Virginia Tech community.”

Newly announced event schedule changes linked to the shooting include cancellation of tonight's bluegrass and old-time jam at the Coffee Mill in Radford; tomorrow's McGlothlin Celebration of Teaching, administered by Blue Ridge PBS; and the cancelling of Tuesday classes and after-school events Montgomery County Public Schools.

Here are at least some of the vigils scheduled for tonight: 6 p.m., St. John’s Episcopal Church, Roanoke; 6 or 7 p.m., Blacksburg Church of Christ; 7 p.m., Blacksburg Presbyterian Church; 7 p.m., West Eggleston Hall on Virginia Tech campus; 8 p.m., Henderson Lawn on Virginia Tech campus.

Also, Tech students have started a facebook site titled "I'm ok at VT" to let each other know their whereabouts and ask about people who are missing.

5:27 p.m.

Virginia Tech President Charles Steger expressed "horror and disbelief and profound sorrow" at this morning's shootings, and said it killed at least 33 people on campus. The official casualty count has grown throughout the day.

Steger said at a press conference this afternoon that it likely will be tomorrow before the names of the dead are released in order to give authorities time to notify next-of-kin.

Steger also said it is not confirmed that the shootings in Norris Hall, where 31 died and 15 were wounded, are linked to the shootings two hours earlier in West Ambler Johnston Hall, where two people were found shot in a dormitory room. Tech officials said they could not say a single shooter was to blame for both instances, but said there is no search for additional suspects. No one is in custody in connection to the shootings, officials said.

Tech police Chief Wendell Flinchum said the shooter shot himself inside Norris Hall. Officials have not named the shooter, or described him beyond saying he was male. The gunman was not carrying identification and officials say they have not positively identified him.

Tech officials defended their decision to continue classes after the first shootings, saying their information at the time indicated that it was an isolated incident and that the shooter left campus.

"You can second-guess all day. We acted on the best information we had," Flinchum said.

"We can't have an armed guard in front of every classroom every day of the year," Steger said.

Flinchum confirmed that police found some of the Norris Hall classroom doors chained shut from the inside, which is not a normal practice. Some of the people hurt in Norris Hall were injured leaping from windows to escape.

Tech spokesman Larry Hincker said there would be another press briefing at 7:30 p.m. Classes are canceled for Tuesday, and there is no decision yet on whether they will resume Wednesday.

4:17 p.m.

Seth Terrell, Virginia Tech campus pastor at Blacksburg Church of Christ, says the congregation will hold a prayer vigil tonight at the church. The time is yet to be determined but will likely be 6 or 7, he said.

4:04 p.m.

President George Bush said "Our nation is shocked and saddened" by today's shootings at Virginia Tech.

He pledged federal assistance in investigating the shootings and expressed condolences to the families of victims.

3:50 p.m.

Montgomery County schools will have counselors available Tuesday to help students deal with today's shootings.

3:47 p.m.

The massacre today at Virginia Tech is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, according to a prominent criminologist.

James Alan Fox of Northeastern University in Boston said the death toll — which now stands at 31 — surpasses the 22 people killed in 1991 when a gunman with a high-powered pistol opened fire on a lunchtime crowd at a cafeteria in Killenn, Texas.

Fox said the death count at Tech makes the shooting the deadliest in the United States, and possibly worldwide.

"I’m not aware of anything else" that approaches the number, Fox said.

3:42 p.m.

College students across the country are expressing their sympathies to Virginia Tech students online through thefacebook.com.

More than 43 groups and climbing have been established to show support for victims and their families, and to keep others updated on the status of mutual friends who attend Tech.

A blogger who posted on the Web site of the “UCONN SUPPORTS VIRGINIA TECH STUDENTS” group said that she hopes to organize a memorial at the University of Connecticut this week.

Meanwhile a University of Alabama student posted on the wall of a group entitled “Pray for the families of the students killed at Va Tech.”

“I am so shocked and disgusted at what has happened this morning. It is scary to think that this could have happened at UA,” she wrote.

Tech students have also created a group called “A Tribute to Those who Passed at the Virginia Tech Shooting" that so far has attracted more than 3,600 members.

3:35 p.m.

A prayer service related to today's shootings is scheduled for 6 tonight at Roanoke's St. John Episcopal Church at Elm and Jefferson.

A candlelight vigil also is being organized for Virginia Tech's Henderson Lawn for 8 tonight.

3:32 p.m.

Radford University has offered to send counselors to Virginia Tech and has also offered what few residence hall rooms are available if Tech needs to find housing for students, spokesman Rob Tucker said.

The Radford campus also increased its own security, calling in off-duty police officers to work, Tucker said.

3:23 p.m.

Four of the 17 students taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital are in surgery, according to spokeswoman Nancy May. They suffered gunshots and other injuries, May said, although she did not know what the other injuries were.

At least one of the five victims taken to Lewis-Gale Medical Center is a faculty member. Two of those victims are in surgery. All are in stable condition.

Four more victims were sent to Carilion New River Valley Medical Center near Radford and two to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Police are guarding Montgomery County Regional's entrance road and doorways.

The hospital has set up a room with pizza and coffee for friends of victims to gather to wait for information. Some students have requested a room be set aside where they could gather to pray.

3:17 p.m.

Wes Barts, a campus minister for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship at Virginia Tech, says he's spoken with four or five other pastors about joint prayer vigils to help their congregations deal with today's tragic shooting.

“We’re trying to figure out, how much do we do as a chapter and how much do we do as a bigger fellowship of believers?” said Barts, a Tech alumnus.

Barts said he learned of the shooting at 10 a.m.

“I’ve pretty much been on the phone all day — ever since this happened," he said. "I’ve been interviewed by people like in Wisconsin. I’ve been trying to make sure all of our students in our fellowship our OK. That seems to be the case.”

Intervarsity will hold an open meeting at 7 tonight in West Eggleston Hall on Tech's campus.

"Hopefully by then we’ll be able to go on campus," Barts said. "That’s for people who are on campus and don’t want to leave campus but want to come together. ... It’s sort of hard because we can’t go on campus and it’s hard for the students to leave that are on campus.”

There also will be a prayer vigil at 7 tonight at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg.

Jim Pace, pastor of New Life Christian Fellowship at Tech, says NLCF rents buildings at 130 Jackson St. and at "Zack's Place" on the corner of Draper and College avenues in Blacksburg where counselors are available.

A collaborative event between several religious organizations on campus is scheduled for Wednesday. A location and time are yet to be determined.

“We’re just really trying to figure out at this point what is the extent of this," Pace said. "I was here during 9/11 and this is so much worse for the campus than that was in terms of the amount of people it hit. ... “With 9/11 [students] didn’t go out to kind of deal with the grief. They huddled up in apartments. They didn’t want to go on campus or go to Squires. This may be the same or it may be different. We’re just waiting to see.”

Seth Terrell, campus minister at Blacksburg Church of Christ, said a prayer vigil is tentatively scheduled to be held at the church tonight.

3:10 p.m.

Freshman Dan Stoken was walking from class to the Schiffert Health Center about 9:45 a.m. when police officers in the doorway of West Ambler-Johnston Hall began yelling at him.

"Get inside! Run! Run!" they screamed as Stoken bolted for the dorm's double doors. Inside, a Blacksburg police officer grabbed his backpack and slid it across the room.

"I had no idea what was going on," Stoken said.

Within an hour, Stoken was joined by about 30 more students in the lobby of West Ambler-Johnston, most of them having been pulled from the sidewalk by police.

Senior Morgan Rezac said she saw police cars zip by as she walked from the gym to Deets to get coffee but figured someone had been hit by a car.

"I didn't think anything else could have happened," she said.

Piled onto two wooden benches and sitting cross-legged on the floor, the students, many of them on their cellphones, tried to find out what was going on. At that point, the only confirmed shootings had taken place at West Ambler-Johnston.

"We've got you right here because this is the safest spot for you to be right now," Blacksburg police Lt. Joe Davis told them. "We've got some things going on outside and you don't need to be walking in the quad right now."

Richard Waldrop, a freshman who lives in West Ambler-Johnston, said he didn't know about the shooting in the building until he tried to go to class and was told not to leave. He said he wasn't worried about the situation, even as ambulance sirens blared and police could be heard shouting outside.

"There's a bunch of police everywhere," he said. "They seem to have it under control."

Outside, the university's emergency alert system activated, with a message for students that they should stay inside and away from windows. The campus was desolate, with no pedestrians visible and very few vehicles on the road other than law enforcement.

About 11 a.m. in Burchard Hall, the architecture building, students were packed into classrooms on the building's bottom floor and told to turn the lights out.

Freshman Casey Reeve said he was in Burchard doing classwork when someone got an e-mail that there was a shooter on campus. He continued to work until about 10:30 a.m., when school officials told him and other students to get away from the windows that surround the building.

"Some people seem pretty scared," Reeve said. "Others aren't that concerned."

The students were given a short bathroom break and then told to get back into the rooms. Reeve said he had missed several phone calls and text messages from his worried mother in Long Island and needed to call her to let her know he was OK before he went back to the rooms.

Reeve said he wasn't really worried about the situation, "I guess because this is the second time this has happened."

Reeve said Monday's incident was reminiscent of the first day of fall semester, when classes were closed because of the manhunt for William Charles Morva, a Montgomery County Jail inmate who had escaped police custody.

3:03 p.m.

Virginia Tech officials now say at least 31 people died in this morning's shootings, up from 22 confirmed dead earlier today.

Also, tomorrow's convocation, an event intended to formalize the university's ongoing grief and recovery, is now scheduled for 2 p.m., not noon, at Cassell Coliseum.

3 p.m.

Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling released a statement on the shootings at Virginia Tech, expressing condolences to the families of victims and wishing full recoveries for the wounded.

“Virginia Tech is one of our nation’s finest institutions of higher education," Bolling said. "As the father of a 2005 graduate of Virginia Tech, I consider myself a part of this family as well. In difficult times like these families pull together, and I have no doubt that the Virginia Tech family will pull together as well in this difficult time."

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, also issued a statement, saying he and all members of the House of Delegates were "deeply saddened by today’s shocking tragedy at Virginia Tech.”

2:53 p.m.

Gene Cole has worked in Virginia Tech's housekeeping services for more than two decades. He was on the second floor of Norris Hall this morning and saw a person lying on a hallway floor. As Cole approached, a man wearing a hat and holding a black gun stepped into the hallway.

"Someone stepped out of a classroom and started shooting at me," Cole said.

He fled down the corridor, then down a flight of steps to safety. Most of this morning's casualties occurred in Norris.

"All I saw was blood in the hallways," Cole said.

Zac Ottoson, a freshman from southern New Jersey, had a class at 8 this morning, then got breakfast. He was on the Drillfield around 9:30 when he heard gunshots and sirens, and saw people running away from the Burruss Hall side of campus, where shootings had just occurred in Norris Hall.

Quiet and safety were among the reasons he chose Virginia Tech, Ottoson said. "It seemed like such a nice safe and friendly place to me. It really makes you think twice about how safe it is," he said.

2:23 p.m.

Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell issued this statement: “My prayers are with the families and friends of those killed in today’s tragic shootings at Virginia Tech. We pray for all those injured, that they will recover from their injuries. I urge my fellow Virginians to pray for all those impacted by this heartbreaking occurrence. The Office of the Attorney General will work with the administration of Virginia Tech, the Virginia State Police, the Governor and all of our client agencies to provide the best legal help possible as the investigation into this situation unfolds.”

McDonnell will attend a memorial event scheduled for noon Tuesday at Tech's Cassell Coliseum.

2:20 p.m.

One man was hanging out the window of a Norris Hall classroom when the gunman entered, according to freshman Douglas Cobb.

Cobb said that Jake Grohs, the resident assistant for the fourth floor of Peddrew-Yates residence hall, told him he climbed out the window of an engineering class as the gunman apparently made his way from room to room in Norris.

"He was in the room next door to the shooting" and decided to try climbing out the second-story window, Cobb said. "He was hanging out the window when the person came in" and heard people being shot, Cobb said. He said that four of six people who were in the room at that time where shot.

Grohs jumped out the window onto a hill and is OK, Cobb said.

Cobb and other friends showed up at the Inn at Virginia Tech this afternoon to try to get information about a missing friend.

1:54 p.m.

Virginia Sen. Jim Webb released this statement about today's shootings: “I am truly saddened to hear of the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech. My heart goes out to the parents and families of the victims of this senseless act. My office has been in communication with the Governor’s office and officials at Virginia Tech to offer any assistance.”

1:50 p.m.

By 12:26 p.m., Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, had an entry for the shootings entitled "Virginia Tech massacre" that included a photo from the event.

The entry was soon changed to "2007 Virginia Tech shooting." Within an hour it included information gleaned from a variety of news sources including CNN, National Public Radio and WDBJ. In the style of Wikipedia, contributors continued to update the information -- correcting errors in early news reports, adjusting language and generally keeping the encyclopedia entry accurate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Virginia_Tech_shooting

1:45 p.m.

As the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke prepared to conduct autopsies of all the dead, the undermanned office was waiting for reinforcements.

Nine state employees — including medical examiners, administrators and investigators — were making the trip today from Richmond, Tidewater and Northern Virginia to assist William Massello, who is the only medical examiner in the Roanoke office following the departure last year of two of his colleagues.

It was not clear when the bodies will be transported from Blacksburg to the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke, said Tracie Cooper, the district administrator.

1:40 p.m.

Gov. Tim Kaine has issued a statement regarding today’s shootings at Virginia Tech. “It is difficult to comprehend senseless violence on this scale," Kaine said. “Our prayers are with the families and friends of these victims, and members of the extended Virginia Tech community."

Kaine said he is leaving Tokyo, where he was on a trade mission, to return to Virginia.

1:27 p.m.

Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital is treating two of the gunshot wound victims, one from the first shooting and another from the second shooting, said Eric Earnhart, hospital spokesman.

Monday afternoon, hospital staff waited at the ambulance entrance for one of the victims, who arrived about 12:45 in a Carilion ambulance. The victim, who could not be seen beneath blankets, was rushed into the emergency room.

Earnhart said he did not know the condition of either patient.

1:25 p.m.

Pedestrian traffic is slowly returning to Blacksburg's College Avenue, which runs along the edge of Virginia Tech's campus. The campus loudspeakers that broadcast echoing warnings of "This is an emergency, seek shelter indoors immediately" have been silent for at least an hour.

Two Tech freshmen walking back toward campus said the day's events seem unbelievable, especially given that the school year started with campus being shut down during the manhunt for acccused murderer William Morva.

"At first I thought it was something like a joke because going through something like this twice in one year didn't seem possible," said Dennis Hollich, an 18-year-old from Jupiter, Fla.

"It's pretty brutal," added Jessica Parrish, also 18, from Louisa County.

Pauletta Robins, a Blacksburg resident, said she'd spent the morning trying to contact her husband, Todd, a painter at Tech. Cellphone circuits were jammed and she hadn't been able to talk to him.

"What's happening to this town?" Robins asked.

1:07 p.m.

Virginia Tech police Chief Wendell Flinchum said it's unclear what could have prompted today's shootings. An investigation is under way, he said.

At this point, Flinchum said, "we believe campus is secure. We are releasing people to leave campus if they wish."

Tech police got a 911 call at 7:15 a.m. about the shooting in West Ambler-Johnston. At least two people were shot there and some panicked students are reported to have jumped out the dorm's windows.

The Norris Hall shootings happened about two hours later. Classes were canceled and anyone out walking was quickly pulled inside by police or university officials.

"The university is shocked and horrified that this would befall our campus," Tech President Charles Steger said at the noon news conference. He called the incident a "tragedy of monumental proportions."

Counseling centers have been set up in Ambler-Johnston and the Cook Counseling Center, he said, and the school is planning a convocation at noon tomorrow at Cassell Coliseum "for the university community to come together to begin to deal with this tragedy."

1:06 p.m.

Virginia Tech campus is quiet, with few students walking about. Most buildings are evacuated and police are telling people to leave and not come back today. Dormitories are locked down.

A heavy police presence is evident, with armed officers visible all around the Drillfield.

Freshman Hector Takahashi said he'd been in a class in Pamplin Hall, near Norris Hall, around 9:30 a.m. Students were talking about a shooting in West Ambler Johnston.

"Then all of a sudden, we were like, 'Whoa -- were those shots?'" he said. There were two quick bangs, then a pause, then a fusillade of at least 30 shots, he said.

1:05 p.m.

Multiple people in the Virginia Tech athletic department have said all players have been accounted for on the football, men's basketball, women's basketball, softball, golf and men's tennis teams. Reporters are trying to contact coaches of the other teams.

The next scheduled on-campus athletic event is a baseball game Wednesday against William and Mary.

Blacksburg town offices are closed for the day.

12:58 p.m.

At least 22 people, including a suspect, are confirmed dead after a series of shootings this morning on the Virginia Tech campus, Tech police Chief Wendell Flinchum said.

At a noon news conference at the Inn at Virginia Tech, Flinchum said that some of the dead were students, though he could not say how many. Authorities are in the process of notifying next of kin, he said.

Twenty of the victims were shot in Norris Hall, a classroom building, Flinchum said. One was shot early this morning in West Ambler-Johnston, a residence hall. A second person was shot in West Ambler-Johnston but survived.

Authorities are not releasing the name of the suspect or saying whether he killed himself or was killed by authorities.

12:48 p.m.

The mass shooting is the nation’s worst on any school or college campus, according to Catherine Bath, executive director of Security on Campus Inc., a non-profit group that tracks school shootings.

"There is no national precedent for this," Bath said.

"This is a Columbine-type situation," Bath said, referring to a schooting at a Colorado high school that left 12 students and a teacher dead in 1999.

"It’s actually much, much worse than that."

12:45 p.m.

Virginia Tech is offering counseling to employees who want assistance after today's events. The counseling is available in the Bowman Room in the Merriman Center.

12:35 p.m.

Seventeen students are being treated for gunshot wounds and other injuries at Montgomery Regional Hospital, spokeswoman Nancy May said. Two more gunshot victims are in stable condition at Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem, and three others are on their way to Lewis-Gale, she said.

12:32 p.m.

At least four gunshot victims are at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center, three stable and one in critical condition, spokeswoman Debbie Sydnor said. Another victim is in the trauma unit at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital and two more are en route to Roanoke, Sydnor said.

12:18 p.m.

Virginia Tech police Chief Wendell Flinchum is saying there at least 20 fatalities in this morning's shootings.

12:07 p.m.

Virginia Tech has closed for the day and announced that classes also are canceled for Tuesday, though administrative functions are scheduled to resume then.

Faculty and staff on the Burruss Hall side of the Drillfield are being asked to go home immediately. Faculty and staff on the War Memorial side are asked to leave at 12:30 p.m.

The university's convocation ceremony is still scheduled for noon Tuesday at Cassell Coliseum. The Inn at Virginia Tech has been designated as the site for parents to gather and obtain information.

Carilion spokesman Eric Earnhart said four patients injured in the Tech shootings this morning have been taken to Carilion New River Valley Medical Center.

Two more patients are on the way to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Earnhart said. One other patient already had been taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Both Carilion helicopters are grounded because of high wind conditions, he said. Ambulances are being sent from Roanoke to Blacksburg.

Wayne Pike, U.S. marshal for the Western District of Virginia, said he sent four deputy marshals to Tech to help however they could.

Pike said he has heard so far about one male suspect in the shootings. “The info we got is there is one person that is out of commission -- under arrest or otherwise -- and they are searching for other possibilities now," Pike said.

Pike said there is a lot of confusion and he has heard that there have been anywhere from two to 12 arrests, and some very serious injuries.

11:57 a.m.

Sophomore Stephen Luhman was among the students locked down in Newman Library, waiting for events to calm down enough to leave.

He said he'd recently talked to a friend who is thinking of transferring to Virginia Tech. His friend asked him how safe Tech is.

"Very safe," Luhman remembered answering. "Nothing ever happens here. Even with the thing at the beginning of the year [the manhunt for accused murderer William Morva], we felt safe."

11:53 a.m.

Scott Hendricks, an associated professor of engineering science and mechanics, said he was on Norris Hall's third floor this morning around 9:45. "I started hearing some banging and some shots, then I saw a student crawling on the ground."

Hendricks said he was not sure if he saw any of the casualties, but "I saw a bloody T-shirt."

Hendricks said he went into a classroom with students, closed the door and waited until things were quiet before leaving the building.

11:49 a.m.

The Associated Press is reporting eight to nine casualties, attributing the information to an unnamed official source.

Virginia Tech's Newman Library became a shelter as university staff urged students and passersby to come in from the sidewalk. Library staff estimated that hundreds of people are in the building now, far more than would be usual at this time of day.

Sarah Ulmer, a freshman from Covington, sat on the floor and recounted how she'd been walking between buildings this morning when she saw police officers near McBryde and Norris halls.

"The police said, 'Get out of the way, get out of the way,' and then they said ‘Run,’" Ulmer said. She couldn't return to her dorm room in East Ambler Johnson hall because it was near one of the shooting sites, so she headed toward Newman.

"I figured it was safe," she said. "It was the library."

Watching police from the library's fourth-floor windows, David Russell, a sophomore from Montgomery County, Md., echoed a common sentiment, comparing today's events to last year's manhunt for accused murderer William Morva.

"This year with Morva, the bomb threats and this now, it's crazy. It's not really what you'd expect from a small farm school."

Updated: 11:06 a.m.

The Associated Press is reporting there at least one person dead as a result of multiple shootings on the Virginia Tech campus this morning. Wounded have been removed from buildings. Tech student Steve Hanson was working in a lab in Norris Hall at 10:15 a.m. when he hears what he thought was loud banging from construction. Hanson was soon scrambling out of the building and he said he saw one person who was shot in the arm. At Pritchard Hall, a dormitory near one of the shooting sites, students were being pulled into the buildings and told to stay away from windows and off the phone.

Updated: 10:17 a.m.

Multiple shootings have occurred at Virginia Tech this morning involving multiple victims. The second shooting happened in Norris Hall, the engineering building near Burruss Hall. Police are on the scene and rescue workers have set up a temporary treatment facility. The campus is on lock down. All classes and activities have been cancelled for the day.

Montgomery County public schools are all on lock down. In Blacksburg, no one is being allowed in any school building without approval by the school administrators, said Superintendent Tiffany Anderson.

The university has posted a notice of the incident on its Web site and is urging the university community to be cautious and contact Virginia Tech police at 231-6411 if they notice anything suspicious. No further details were available. The Roanoke Times will update with new information as it become available.