At least 31 killed in separate shootings at Virginia Tech

See Updated Story for current information about this tragedy.

Two separate shootings took place on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia early this morning. A “ball park” figure of 31 fatalities was reported, including the death of a shooter. An additional 29 students were reported injured. Authorities indicated that they did not know if the shootings were related or if a second shooter was involved. Speaking at a press conference, University President Charles W. Steger said that the “University is shocked and horrified” at the killings and called them a “tragedy of monumental proportions.”

At approximately 7:15 a.m. this morning, a call was made to the campus emergency operators informing them of a shooting. Campus police immediately responded and, during the process, a second emergency call was received about shootings in a second building across the campus.

The University is closed today and all classes were cancelled Monday and Tuesday, although the campus will be open tomorrow. A staging area has been set up on the perimeter of campus at the Inn at Virginia Tech for families who wish to meet with students. In addition, counseling services are being made available to meet and work with the campus community and their families. The university will hold a convocation tomorrow at noon at Cassell Coliseum for the community to come together to begin to deal with the tragedy.

Authorities said that most of the victims were students and that the killer was male; his identity is unknown at this time. It was also not known if there was a second shooter or if the gunman was connected to any of the victims.

President Bush held a news conference today to make a statement about the shooting.

The shootings today represent the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. A series of bomb threats was reported on the Virginia Tech campus last week. Authorities do not know if the bomb threats are related to today's shootings.

Virginia Tech was founded in 1872 as a land-grant college named Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College. The University is currently a renowned research university with the largest full-time student population in Virginia.