Virginia mall shooting leaves two injured, one suspect in custody; Shooter reportedly posted 'details' of his plan to a message board beforehand
The shooting happened at a New River Community College campus located inside the New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg, Va. Two women suffered gunshot wounds.
A police officer, left, stands guard next to people on a curb outside the New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg, Va. Officials say two women have been shot at the community college section of the mall and a suspect is in custody.
A man shot and injured two women at a mall branch of a community college in Virginia Friday before he was subdued by police, a city official said.
The suspected gunman was being interviewed by police Friday evening as law enforcement continued to clear the New River Valley Mall, said Christiansburg city spokeswoman Becky Wilburn. The mall in this town of approximately 21,000 in southwestern Virginia includes a branch campus of New River Community College. Christiansburg is less than 10 miles from Blacksburg, home to Virginia Tech.
The suspect's name was not immediately released and a motive for the shootings was not known.
One of the victims was airlifted to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, but spokesman Eric Earnhart could not provide additional information on her identity or condition.
The other victim was taken by ambulance for treatment. She was in stable condition Friday afternoon but was transferred to another hospital to get specialized care, said Nancy May, a spokesman for Lewis Gale Hospital at Montgomery.
Authorities evacuated students from the campus, the mall and surrounding stores.
Minutes before the attack, a person who identified himself as Neil Macinnis reportedly started a 4chan message thread that detailed his intentions to commit a crime on the New River Community College campus, Wired.com reports.
"I'm gonna give y'all the details because the news never gets it right," Macinnins wrote on the thread, according to a screenshot acquired by Wired.com.
The poster detailed the type of weapon he had in his possesion and included links to his personal website. He allegedly wrote the post while he was still at school.
"I'm a bit nervous because I've never really handled a shotgun but a few times," the poster writes.
When the shooting started, other anonymous users started replying to his message.
The suburban mall is located near Blacksburg, home to Virginia Tech.
"Guys...this is going on right now," one user commented at 2:01 p.m.
Wilburn said emergency officials received a 911 call around 2 p.m. about someone with a gun and shots fired at the college's satellite location in the New River Valley Mall outside of Blacksburg, home to Virginia Tech.
On campus, student Josh Brown said he was working on a computer near the classrooms when he heard the commotion.
"I heard one gunshot, and I didn't know what it was. ... I saw people running out," he told The Roanoke Times.
Brown then got up and ran out himself.
Only one third of the community college’s 1,500 students were at the New River mall campus when the shooting took place, a staff member said.
"I'll be scared to come back to school," he told the newspaper as he started to cry. "What's wrong with people? Who would do something like this?"
Friday isn't usually a busy day at the school's mall campus, Ben Kramer, an activities counselor for the community college, told the newspaper. Enrollment is roughly 1,500, and about a third of those students likely were on campus, he said.
Authorities do not believe there's any continuing threat to the community, Wilburn said.
The community college was closed Friday following the shooting and Saturday classes were cancelled, according to its website.
Montgomery County Schools were briefly locked down as a precaution.
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/virginia-mall-shooting-leaves-injured-suspect-custody-article-1.1315174
The shooting happened at a New River Community College campus located inside the New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg, Va. Two women suffered gunshot wounds.
A police officer, left, stands guard next to people on a curb outside the New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg, Va. Officials say two women have been shot at the community college section of the mall and a suspect is in custody.
A man shot and injured two women at a mall branch of a community college in Virginia Friday before he was subdued by police, a city official said.
The suspected gunman was being interviewed by police Friday evening as law enforcement continued to clear the New River Valley Mall, said Christiansburg city spokeswoman Becky Wilburn. The mall in this town of approximately 21,000 in southwestern Virginia includes a branch campus of New River Community College. Christiansburg is less than 10 miles from Blacksburg, home to Virginia Tech.
The suspect's name was not immediately released and a motive for the shootings was not known.
One of the victims was airlifted to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, but spokesman Eric Earnhart could not provide additional information on her identity or condition.
The other victim was taken by ambulance for treatment. She was in stable condition Friday afternoon but was transferred to another hospital to get specialized care, said Nancy May, a spokesman for Lewis Gale Hospital at Montgomery.
Authorities evacuated students from the campus, the mall and surrounding stores.
Minutes before the attack, a person who identified himself as Neil Macinnis reportedly started a 4chan message thread that detailed his intentions to commit a crime on the New River Community College campus, Wired.com reports.
"I'm gonna give y'all the details because the news never gets it right," Macinnins wrote on the thread, according to a screenshot acquired by Wired.com.
The poster detailed the type of weapon he had in his possesion and included links to his personal website. He allegedly wrote the post while he was still at school.
"I'm a bit nervous because I've never really handled a shotgun but a few times," the poster writes.
When the shooting started, other anonymous users started replying to his message.
The suburban mall is located near Blacksburg, home to Virginia Tech.
"Guys...this is going on right now," one user commented at 2:01 p.m.
Wilburn said emergency officials received a 911 call around 2 p.m. about someone with a gun and shots fired at the college's satellite location in the New River Valley Mall outside of Blacksburg, home to Virginia Tech.
On campus, student Josh Brown said he was working on a computer near the classrooms when he heard the commotion.
"I heard one gunshot, and I didn't know what it was. ... I saw people running out," he told The Roanoke Times.
Brown then got up and ran out himself.
Only one third of the community college’s 1,500 students were at the New River mall campus when the shooting took place, a staff member said.
"I'll be scared to come back to school," he told the newspaper as he started to cry. "What's wrong with people? Who would do something like this?"
Friday isn't usually a busy day at the school's mall campus, Ben Kramer, an activities counselor for the community college, told the newspaper. Enrollment is roughly 1,500, and about a third of those students likely were on campus, he said.
Authorities do not believe there's any continuing threat to the community, Wilburn said.
The community college was closed Friday following the shooting and Saturday classes were cancelled, according to its website.
Montgomery County Schools were briefly locked down as a precaution.
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/virginia-mall-shooting-leaves-injured-suspect-custody-article-1.1315174