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Virginia State Police via AP
Police identified the Virginia Tech gunman on Friday as Ross Truett Ashley, 22, a part-time college student from nearby Radford University.
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- The man who authorities say killed a Virginia Tech police officer was described as a typical college student in many ways, making it difficult to understand why he would commit an armed robbery and then, apparently at random, target the patrolman before killing himself.
The gunman was identified Friday as Ross Truett Ashley, a 22-year-old part-time business student at Radford University, about 10 miles from the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg. He first drew authorities'attention Wednesday when, they say, he walked into his landlord's office with a handgun and demanded the keys to a Mercedes-Benz SUV.
As investigators worked to unravel a motive, thousands of people gathered for a candlelight vigil Friday night on a campus all too familiar with tragedy.
Those who knew Ashley said he could be standoffish. He liked to run down the hallways and recently shaved his head, a neighbor said.
Virginia State Police said he walked up to officer Deriek W. Crouseafter noon on Thursday and shot him to death as the patrolman sat in his unmarked cruiser during a traffic stop. Ashley was not involved in the stop and did not know the driver, who is cooperating with police, they said.
Authorities said Ashley then took off for the campus greenhouses, ditching his pullover, wool cap and backpack as police quickly sent out a campus-wide alert that a gunman was on the loose. Officials said the alert system put in place after the nation's worst mass slaying in recent memory worked well, but it nevertheless rattled a community still coping with the day a student gunman killed 32 people and then himself.
A deputy sheriff on patrol noticed a man acting suspiciously in a parking lot about a half-mile from the shooting. The deputy drove up and down the rows of the sprawling Cage parking lot and lost sight of the man for a moment, then found Ashley shot to death on the pavement, a handgun nearby. No one saw him take his life and he wasn't carrying any ID.
State police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said Ashley appears to have acted alone and didn't know the slain officer: "At this time we have no connection between the two of them, that they knew one another or had encountered one another prior to the shooting," she said.
'Nothing unusual'
Ashley lived in an apartment on the top floor of a worn, gray three-story brick building in the small city of Radford, a college town. He lived above a yogurt shop, consignment store, barber shop and a tattoo parlor.
On Friday night, students popped in and out of the building visiting friends. Mandy Adams, a Radford grad student, said Ashley had recently shaved his head. Other than running down the hallways, he was quiet, she said.
"He would just run down the hallway — never walk, always run," said Adams, who was out on a rear fire escape with a glass of white wine and a cigarette to calm her nerves. "It's going to be really creepy when they come to take his stuff out of here."
Neighbor Nan Forbes, a Radford senior, said Ashley was rarely seen or heard from. She said she knew he was in trouble when she saw two police officers guarding the door to his apartment
"It does freak us out because we live in this building, but there was not one peep of trouble, nothing unusual," she said.
Ashley made the dean's list in 2008 at the University of Virginia-Wise, which is located in southwest Virginia. He took classes at Radford, a former state teachers college in the Blue Ridge Mountains that now has more than 9,000 students.
AP
Deriek Crouse, a 39-year-old Army veteran, was a married father of five. He previously worked at a jail and a sheriff's department. (AP Photo/Virginia Tech)
Officials at Radford or UVA-Wise were not immediately able to talk in detail about Ashley.
At the Virginia Tech campus, thousands of people silently filled the Drillfield for a candlelight vigil Friday night to remember Crouse, a firearms and defense instructor with a specialty in crisis intervention. He had been on the campus force for four years, joining it about six months after the April 16, 2007 massacre.
Crouse was a member of the Army Reserves who served a year in Iraq beginning in March 2004, according to the U.S. Army Human Resources Command. He was assigned to active duty service at Fort Hood, Texas from October 1993 until July 1996, where he was listed as an M1 armor crewman, or tank operator. From July 1996 to May 2001, Crousewas listed as a motor transport operator with the 316th Sustainment Command in Galax, Va. Crouse's last rank was staff sergeant.
For about nine months in 2007, Crouse worked as an officer with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office at the county's jail before leaving for the Virginia Tech police, said Capt. Brian Wright, a spokesman with the department.
Those who worked with Crouse remembered him as a "great employee" and a "hard worker," said Wright, who had worked security with Crouse at Virginia Tech football games.
"He was just very personable, easy to talk to," Wright said. "Everybody liked him."
The Friday night vigil included a moment of silence and closed with two trumpeters stationed across the field from each other playing "Echo Taps" as students raised their candles.
"Let's go!" one student then shouted.
"Hokies!" everyone else responded.
'Go home and hug my mom'
Kathleen O'Dwyer, a fifth-year engineering major at Tech, said it was important to come for Crouse's family. Crouse was married and had five children and stepchildren.
"Also it's for the community, to see the violence that happens isn't what we're about," said O'Dwyer, who will be graduating next week.
Her plans when she leaves school?
"First, go home and hug my mom," O'Dwyer said.
Nobody answered the door Friday evening at Ashley's parents' home in Spotsylvania County, along the Interstate 95 corridor between Richmond and Washington. The house was dark and no vehicles were in the driveway. The two-story, log cabin-style home in a semi-rural area sits about 200 yards off the road up a narrow gravel drive.
Billie Jo Phillippe, who lives three houses down, said she didn't really associate with the family.
"They stay off to themselves a lot," she said. "He was a clean-cut young guy but standoffish."
Authorities declined to answer some questions about Ashley, including whether he had any mental health issues or was licensed to carry a handgun.
But Gov. Bob McDonnell commented briefly on the shooting while helping load presents into a van for the Marine Corps Reserves' Toys for Tots program.
"Some crimes, there's a relationship between a perpetrator and a victim, and some there aren't," said McDonnell, a former prosecutor and attorney general. "There are random acts of violence, they involve either mental health issues, or robbery, or other motivations....Unfortunately in our society random acts of violence do occur, we unfortunately see it every day somewhere in this country."
He said there's an "extra degree of scrutiny" of incidents at Virginia Tech because of the 2007 mass shooting.
"It's just unfortunate and almost inexplicable that you could have a series of these events happen in a short four-year period," the governor said.
Flowers lie on the ground as a memorial to Virginia Tech police Officer Deriek Crouse who was gunned down Thursday during a traffic stop on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Friday. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Lewis reported from Radford. Associated Press writers Michael Felberbaum, Larry O'Dell, Steve Szkotak and Dena Potter in Richmond, Va., Brock Vergakis in Norfolk and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
What is it about the VA Tech campus that just makes people want to shoot other people. Weird stuff.
Maybe it is just bad luck.
some people are just; ticking time- bombs.......
The brain is really complex. Could this happen to any one of us? I don't know.
It's very sad, but I wouldn't want to judge.
Could have started off years ago with a large group of stuck-up, elitist a-holes going to the school. Then the freshmen pick up the same traits from their senior-level mentors. Then even more freshmen from the next generation pick up the traits and eventually you get a depressing school filled with bad-minded, un-mannered people.
I've gone to one school like this, then transferred to another school and the difference in attitude is like night and day. Just a theory based on my own experiences...
I have no answer as to why people are choosing this way out but, I have a clue........People in general are rude and mean these days to one another. It is true the caring concerned days of the yesteryear's are gone. People have no caring for their neighbors and want to be rude and very cruel any chance they get to take out their aggression and life's frustrations out on a complete stranger. This is the trouble because there are some people that are weak minded and can not let it go mentally. They replay the rude cashier , the girl that turned them down on a date, the professor that gave them a failing mark on a perfectly great paper....are you guys following me??...It is called Karma and we need to strive to be better people and better neighbors to one another. There is enough stress in life with out being rude or mean to someone who has done nothing to deserve it and guess what that person may just be one that decides to go postal about the treatment they received for no reason. They are tired of the poor excuse for a society that we have become with no caring and selfishness that is dominate today.
William, there have been senseless mass killings throughout history. Charles Whitman, the Boston Strangler and the Green River Killer are a few examples. The difference was...the committed their crimes before the advent of 24 hour news.
I agree 100% percent with you people are rude and mean specially to other people perceived as weak or harmless. But no one knows what can these harmless people do when put under pressure.
i always wonder how their interaction went.was the killer angry or did the officer go too far with his power.doesnt matter now.as more of us fall under the"have nothing to lose"category those with power over others will find it prudent to use their power with compassion.im not saying the cop deserved this.but ill bet if he was kinder it wouldnt have happened
@ johnQ the officer wasnt interacting with the killer he was in his car after stopping another car when the guy walked up and shot him
Holy crap JohnQ, don't you even read the news articles before you start shooting off your mouth!!
@johnQ, "i'm not saying the cop deserved this, but I'll bet if he was kinder it wouldn't have happened", actually, that he deserved it is exactly what you are saying. I'm curious, truly, did you know Officer Crouse personally or on any level? How do you know if he was kind or not, generally? And read the article, he was sitting in his unmarked car, not even interacting with the gunman.
It would seem that Virginia Tech Is not the only school in Virginia with its share
of students with psychological issues. I think both of the schools entire
student body should undergo some kind of intervention for emotional trauma to
prevent any future possibilities of tragic repetition.
Shaving your head before going out to shot or rob, is never a good sign. Especially if you have nice hair like he did.
Don't blame the guns but the wrong people who get those guns in their posession.
William Mcarthur - This is not the case at VT. I know many students and alums from VT and everyone I know is quite down to earth; not at all snobby or unkind. And the gunman was a Radford student, not a VT student.
This is so tragic, random acts of violence are so incomprehensible.
Seems like the authorities don't have much information on the shooter (hard to believe) or they just aren't giving out the information that they do have (for whatever reason). This entire scenario is strange that this kid would come on campus and randomly pick this particular police officer to shoot and kill, then go off and kill himself. Kind of far-fetched, but hey, kid saved a lot of trouble having to do a manhunt, stand-off, eventual arrest, court appearance, incarceration, possible death penalty, death row confinement for years, appeals, etc. Savings to taxpayers was in the millions.
Very sad event.
I always suspect the sanity of any young bald-headed guy. Guys like that are loose-screw loose triggers just waiting to happen. The ONLY young guys who should have bald heads are those experiencing premature baldness, and chemo patients. All OTHER bald heads: they are suspect of a PreCrime, you know it; I know it.
The Tucson mass killer Jared Lee Loughner was also bald for no good reason. Ohhh, and there's ANOTHER thing... lots of killers and psychos have the middle name Lee. WHAT'S UP WITH THOSE TWO THINGS?!?!
1) BALD HEADED YOUNG GUYS, BALD-HEADED FOR NO GOOD REASON
2) MIDDLE NAME LEE.
@William MacArthur: You have no idea what you're talking about. Virginia Tech is a down-to-earth, friendly, wonderful place. I am a twice-alum. Even with the awful things that have taken place, I would still feel safer at VT than I would almost anywhere else. Hokies are wonderful people. They care about each other. You obviously have some kind of suppressed, psychological issue.
To all those gun control freaks, because I know you will comment, ANY CRIMINAL CAN GET A GUN. I believe a psych test should be given when purchasing, but other than that, you don't need anything else. This situation is very horrible, but the fact of the matter is criminals will always get guns.
The fact that any criminal can get a gun is the fault of people like...you.
You should take pride in your accomplishments. You managed to kill a cop and veteran without lifting a finger. And if you only now just figured out that maybe we ought to prevent the mentally ill from having access to firearms, well, the rest of us who do not view guns as genital enhancers already knew that.
WTF? Genital enhancers??? Look I enjoy shooting as a sport and I really enjoy hunting...I'm sure there are plenty of others out there that do too. I lock my guns up so there's no way they're getting it unless they break down my bolt locked door and drag my 400 pound gun safe down some stairs and through a neighborhood. I keep my things safe, especially firearms. I have a daughter and another on the way and they definitely won't have access to it. So, where the hell did you get that idea that's it's a "genital enhancer?" I admit, I'm a gun nut, because I love how they work, I love the physics of it, but I'm not for killing or hurting people. You really need to think before you speak my friend.
Amen, I keep my guns under lock and key, gun ownership is a huge responsibility. Dont let a few weidos stop our freedom to own guns. Who knows if our country is ever invaded the gunowners will ban together as minutemen to keep our freedoms in our borders. So to all whom are against guns, remember mostly all of our freedoms were gained through the use of guns on the battlefields.
Agreed! Are you forgetting all about the illegal ways to get guns? You can ban them all together but all that would do is trample over the rights of actual law abiding citizens, because if someone wants something bad enough they'll always find a way.
Gun ownership is a huge responsibility... So anyone should be able to own a gun? There should definitely be a training course, background check, and psychological test required before a person is allowed to buy a hunting gun. I think handguns should be illegal, as the only purpose of them is to shoot other people. It is possible to defend your home/country with a rifle or a shotgun. If people are allowed to own guns, they should be guns that are impossible to hide. Also, banning handguns will not make them impossible to get, but it will make them much harder and more expensive to get, so there will be far less of them on the street.
i think that people keep things locked inside until it becomes hard to handle.some that were abused badly may never recover from the things in there heads.i know.and one more thing.hey we need a holiday to confront our abusers and take the proper action thats needed.i think thats better than the poor person who got molested,beat,or raped....etc.and think before you abuse someone;because one day they may literally take you out.i love my guns,but i also love freedom.and i found in my 30's that living a deseant life is'nt so bad.i am sorry for the stupity of mankind,and especially for the innocent people who has to suffer over things that should'nt happen.
Elpea then the only ones that will carry a handgun in concealment will be the criminal with the intent to kill you or your family. Think about it , I just found out last year that you could have a CDL license and obtain a hazmat endorsement to haul dangerous cargo and this country did not do any background checks for mental issues with the applicants until the 9-11 incident with the trade centers. Now you have to have an extensive background check that covers criminal and mental issues. I believe this kind of check should be done rather than limit freedoms of sane americans.
Don't bother trying to explain anything to gun-control fools; they will never listen if told they are wrong. For some reason it won't register that those of us with legal firearms take the proper actions to prevent accidents.
Rene278 your probrably right, but when the shiczz hits the fan they will hide behind the americans that fight for our freedoms to keep them able to go to walmart shopping without permission.
Mikefromoklahoma is the typical douche-bag gun-hater that uses every opportunity to arouse himself by placing blame for all gun crime against anyone that expressed support for legal, private ownership of firearms in accordance with our country's Second Amendment to the Constitution.
My condolences go out to the law officer's family for this senseless criminal act performed by a very sick person.
I fully agree that anyone who wants to own a gun should have to have a background check, but they should also be required to take a *real* course on how to fire a gun. Currently in Florida you can carry a concealed weapon after taking a 2 hour course where you only fire one shot.
A scenario: someone tries to rob a convenience store. Another person is there with a concealed weapon, they try to shoot the robber, but, since they don't really know how to fire a gun, accidentally shoot the store clerk instead.
Besides, there is always the price issue. Handguns are already pretty expensive. If they are illegal to buy, they will be even more expensive, so at least only wealthy criminals will have them.
The gun control laws in Mexico are positively draconian but that hasn’t prevented one person that wants a gun from having one. The country is awash with all kinds of weaponry.
Well I don't know about your State but in Ohio you have to be able to hit a target the about 10" in diameter at a distance of 25 feet with 10 consecutive rounds. If you cannot do this, no license to carry.
Further, most CCW permit holders practice, practice and practice somemore so the senario which you are describing does NOT happen. The robber goes down, clerk goes home and the citizen that did the right thing gets to spend the night in jail, hire an expensive lawyer and perhaps face criminal charges and perhaps a civil lawsuit because he/she acted to stop a felony and protect his/hers and the clerks life. That is the state of our gun laws in the country today.
In this lousy situation the police officer had no chance. All the training and practice in the world wouldn't have saved him. Don't know how many bullets he took, the caliber or any other details.
According to GOP....guns prevent deaths. Maybe we should send more guns to Mexico.
laura, the Justice Department controlled by Obama appointed democratic heads has done just that through Project Gun-Runner and the "Fast and Furious" sub-program with the intent to create manipulated evidence in support of additional gun-control legislation in the US. Problem is it back-fired in the democrats faces when a US border patrol agent was killed by the guns the Justice department allowed to be illegally smuggled into the hands of criminals in Mexico. Seems the criminal democrats in this country will stop at nothing to support their gun-hater agenda.
Laura,
WE do and they end up killing Border Control agents.....
To all those making blanket statements about "liberal gun-haters" - think again. I consider myself in the moderate-to-liberal range on the political spectrum. I don't own a gun, because I have no use for one - not because I don't think my life will ever be in danger, but because I'm not sure that even in that situation, I would have the courage to pull the trigger and kill someone else. Do I think certain TYPES of guns should be banned? Absolutely. Do I think ALL guns should be banned? No, I don't. I realized a long time ago that banning guns would do NOTHING to stop incidents like this one. If someone wants a gun badly enough, he'll get one, by legal means or otherwise. Yes, doing background checks when someone is making a LEGAL gun purchase helps, but doesn't solve the problem. Some years back there was a case where a man in CA that was a convicted felon still managed to get a gun and kill members of his stepdaughter's family. Overly strict gun laws don't stop criminals - they stop average citizens from being able to protect themselves.
A well regulated Militia, being to the security of a free state, The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. For all the idiots out their other-wise HERE IS THE Meaning the right to keep and bear arms can not be regulated on how they are used or the nature of the nature of the gun is also covered under to keep and bear arms. Militia means Police under the security of a free state. The right of the people to keep and bear arms, means the citizens to own a gun.
On 9/11 we were under attack; our freedoms were under attack. The people who did this we call terrorist; what do the people who assault the meaning one way or another of our freedoms to the own firearms call themselves?
I'm a gun owner, hunter, target shooter, etc. At the same time, I don't see why we make it so damn easy for crazy people to buy guns. I believe that anyone wanting a gun should have to go through a thorough background check, psychologica evaluation and inspection to make sure they are suitable.
Unlike many on this board, I'm willing to put up with some inconveniences to enhance public safety. If you feel that your right to buy an AK47 with no restrictions is more important than the right of the people to be free from violence, then God help you.
Guns don't kill people..FREAKING WACKO'S..kill people!
You Stevie T are a idiot; if I what’d to; I could kick in your door to whatever the hell I; what you going to do. Nice all your guns are in a locked away in a safe; away from me and YOU!
If he's like me, he has a packed clip ready. Turn a key or punch in the combo. You'll get a 7.62mm through the chest, or i'll grab my machete...that's my solution for CQB...Plus I'd definitely hear ya come in...just saying I feel bad for anyone who breaks into my home
BTW, you'd get 1 verbal warning 1st unless you're right in front of me
Gunfighter, if you think Ohio is tough, go to New York State and try to get a concealed permit. I've heard it takes months to get one.
In PA, you go to the courthouse, fill out a form, give 2 or 3 references, give $20 in cash (the most omportant part!), submit it and after a background check, have a concealed permit.
Amazing how so many folks in PA need a permit for "Self Defence" The main reason given for needing one.
It's obscenely easy to get a carry permit in PA.
I will only post this once so listen up people,
It was the malitia and the average american that afforded us the ability to win a war agianst the English. Without citizens having firearms we would not only be more vonerable to crimes by criminals but also nations or factors that wish us harm and want our freedoms gone. I have spent time in the army fighting agianst these types and I can tell you this for sure if you keep us from owning our weapons then we will only enable criminals to have them. When a criminal buys a gun he doesnt do it at a retailer he does it on the street the same as he does drugs. So with this in mind think before you speak those of us that purchase our guns in a legal way do so for reasons of enjoyment and safety. The punishment for a gun crime in this country should carry EXTREME PENALTIES.along with crimes against children and the elderly and mentally handicap and drugs. I believe these crimes should carry punishment of death this will detour the low lifes that committ them and if not then we do not need them in our society. May our freedoms be forever charished and remembered becuase of those that have fought and died for them. May the family of this officer find peace in knowing that God will walk with them in thier time of sorro and pain. May god bless America.
In Alaska, Vermont, Colorado and Arizona ALL law abiding citizens are allowed to carry concealed without any need for a permit. Our founding fathers decided the second amendment to our country's Constitution automatically provides that human right.
I'll bet criminals, especially in these states, think long and hard before they choose to violate potential victims!
Morons like Mike from Oklahoma are too dumb to realize that even if all of the firearms were taken from ALL American citizens that our buddies from Mexico and China for example, would just smuggle them into our country for ALL of the criminals here to enjoy.
@Elpea - You're an idiot. Only "wealthy" criminals will own guns? Oh yes this will make our world just peachy won't it, nothing like your local crack dealer being the only gun owner on your block wtf.
@Mike in Oklahoma - Obviously you do equate your gun ownership with phallic symbolism or you wouldn't have brought it up. Get help.
@Laura - Take a good long look and the democrats instead of blaming everything on the gop. Operation Fast and Furious took place on Obama's watch moron. Both parties suck.
I have absolutely no objections to the necessary steps to legally own a gun. Most of us don't b/c we are not criminals so a background check is nothing.
@Laura
To clarify a little... in areas where legal gun ownership is the norm, there are not as many home invasions resulting in owner injury or death while someone is there. Any criminal with just a small amount of the self-preservation instinct is less likely to break into a home when the odds are extremely high that there are not only guns in the household, but also occupants that know how to use them.
Sherbud don't get excited over someone who has no inkling what they are talking about. It's very easy to post the same dribble about how banning hand guns or guns in general will stop all this killing, although little do they realize that it doesn't matter what type of weapon is used, if a killer sociopath wants to kill, he/she will find a way to do it. Laws need to be enforced with regard to murder. These are already "on the books" and just need to be enforced to the fullest extent of the law. All too often plea deals are made by District Attorneys because they have weak cases so they'll plead criminals to lesser charges. This is what's wrong with the judicial system, not having people with legal gun ownership. So for those who spend time yapping about taking away guns from law abiding citizens maybe they should put their efforts into having murderers taken off the streets for good and anyone using a gun or any type of weapon in the commission of a crime should receive a minimum twenty years in jail with no early release. Then maybe we'd see fewer idiots trying to be macho jerks using guns in a commision of a crime.
Would just like to say condolences to the slain officers family before this thread turns political.....which it will.
AMEN......
That was officer Deriek Crouse, age 39, married father of five, Army veteran. May he rest in peace.
To all those that created and contributed to this story, Thank you. indeed. I was really wanting to know more details about the shooter. I really feel its going to help with my day if I learned where he went to school,up bringing and who he hung out with.. More details please.
The "unfortunate and inexplicable" part is how a powerful right wing political lobby can twist the right of the people to organize themselves in a "well ordered militia" to defend their liberty into the right of the mentally ill to buy guns with about the same scrutiny that accompanies purchasing a twelve-pack.
Another clueless gun-hater jack-a$$ throwing a temper tantrum over a constitutional issue they know absolutely nothing about.
My sincere condolences to the law officer's family for a senseless act of violence perpetrated by yet another of our societies mentally flawed individuals.
Did you read this story? This young man displayed no symtoms of a mentally ill individual. Yes, I agree 110% that a person with a HISTORY of mental illness should be prohibited from owning or purchasing a firearm. Unfortunately this does not seem to be the case here. For some unknown reason a normal young man went totally nuts. Maybe his girl dumped him, maybe he discovered he was gay and didn't want to live with it (I had an aquaintance who committed suicide rather than be a homosexual). Maybe they will find out what set him off or maybe we will never know.
The Supreme court busted up your point.
live with it
Wow....according to some of the theories so far....the shooter went nuts because his girl dumped him when she found out that he was gay so he had to shave his head and decided what the hell I might just as well go out in a blaze of glory and kill a cop and then kill myself. Did I manage to get it all down?
The reason that rich people get elected is because candidates have huge infusions of cash that they can buy media time to get exposure to the masses of people in their districts. When the 99% of the masses figure out how to get elected without the influences from those that are of the 2%, things could change. Don't hold your breath because it will take a long time to convince that a candidate from the 98% would make this nation better for all.
Problem is that if your not part of the "CLUB" then you will never get anything done. Even if you have good intentions you need support from the others in the House or Senate. Good luck trying to change the way their clubs work.
What people need to do is stop fighting over Dems and Repubs. Don't you see this is what they want? They want to keep you from seeing the real issues. United we stand, Divided we fall.
HEY MSNBC! I'm sick of this hysterical BULL@!$%#. One person was kilt at VA via a gun--how many died in the last year due to alcohol overdose, auto accidents, intoxicated behavior,....??? GET OFF IT. This is a trivial story.
"kilt" ?????
yes, Kilt: A thing that highlanders wear, or a BillyBob gun-nut word for the result of a gun shot wound to the head.
(Kilt is a childish term.) The point is I get my life threatened by homicidal punks behind the wheel of autos every week and they kill thousands every year in America. I have only once had my life on the line due to a 'gunman' and that was a rouge cop. How about you? This story is significant ONLY because we have all been conditioned to respond to gun violence while taking 'automan' murders in stride. Why? Because 'auto homicide happens constantly and we ALL have cars.
A "rouge" cop? Pink cheeked? And what are automan murders? Most deaths from road accidents are not perpetrated by people with a plan to go out and use their car to kill someone.
I have lost track of how many times my life was almost taken or at least senselessly threatened by angry out of control PUNKS whom should have been given BACKGROUND CHECKS and never a drivers license. I don't know if they go out on the road intending to kill or not but the results are the same--32 thousand died on our roads last year--the safest in American history. At least half of those were predictable. (repeat intoxicated driving, road rage or other habitual disregard for others)
They're called traffic accidents for a reason.
And every one of these "accidents" is preventable
I believe what Fuel is saying is there are people that carry a great amount of road rage out on our highways and ends up killing innocent people. And dont forget the laws on the books that a car can be used as a murder weapon. Especially when you run someone down due to road rage resulting in a death. When someone is angry enough behind the wheel and engages in reckless actions with their motor vehicles it goes from accident to premedatated.
Maybe this VA punk didn't intend to actually pull the trigger on that gun--was that a forgivable accident then? When one uses vehicle in an obviously threatening or excessively dangerous fashion the results are predictable--some one dies--and we call it an accident. Very often it's not so accidental. BUT hey! This is America, it's cool to kill with a car. How many ppl do you know whom have died or been maimed in sensless auto crashes? How about bullets? (Yes cars are a lot more necessary. I just get sick of media hyp driven hysteria warping the publics risk assesment to an absurd degree.)
@Fuel
Your argument is not on point. The point is that guns were made to harm living things (people and animals). Automobile were made for transportation. Sure you can do harm with an automobile, just like lawn mower or many other things if you are reckless or have intent.
Hand guns, on the other hand, weren't meant to kill or injure things, specifically other people. I am not necessarily against gun ownership, but those are the facts.
A word to Fuel...
This is not a 'trivial' story to the families and friends of both the officer and the shooter. What an insensitive human being you must be!
Jon Nichols
He is on point, the article is about senseless killing, and no it isn't trivial. You as a liberal would like to shape the discussion into one about something that most people disagree with.
Stick with the subject, it's not about you and what you would like to do in society.
There is no mention of mental illness in the story, but I guess some are claiming that he must have been mentally ill. Then use that assumption to shape the discussion to a second amendment rant. You people need to get over yourselves. It's not about you.
My prayers go out to the family, the victims of this random act of violence.
“Most deaths from road accidents are not perpetrated by people with a plan to go out and use their car to kill someone.”
Yet they Do.
All the “Training courses’ and proficiency tests required by law to operate a motor vehicle and yet they “DO” cause more deaths than anything, intentional or not. Why is that?
Maybe it's the training with the gun or auto. The better trained your are the more efficient you should be with the gun or auto. Bottom line is if you want to kill wouldn't you want training to become more efficient?
This kind of incident is going to keep happening as long as they don't make it more difficult for people to buy handguns. They should make each prospective hand gun buyer go through a year long, or longer, class and background check...it would weed out the mental defects. For the people that are going to start crying we have the right tp bare arms...might I remind you that at the time that was said a hand gun fired one maybe two shots and was too big to conceal AND for the people that will say "the criminals will still buy hand guns on the black marget" might I remind them that the last oh ten or so of these incidents it was mental people legally buying a hand gun.
Very good points. However--over that same time frame thousands have died from knife attacks and vehicular manslaughter (just at our colleges) and you don't notice or care. Why?
Knives have other intended uses besides killing. Likewise, so do cars. Guns are used for killing or maiming only, and, therefore, belong strictly in the hands of those who are trained to use them and who undergo periodic psychological evaluation or monitoring: the police and the military. The Second Amendment has been grossly misinterpreted, and that misinterpretation has been upheld by the SCOTUS, the same institution that once ruled that separate but equal was lawful, and, more recently, that corporations are people.
Guns don't kill people, people kill people
Guns are used for target shooting too, but I guess you forgot the part.
Not arguing with you, ChristabelMai, but.....aren't guns used for target shooting and hunting, as well? And as far as having guns only in the hands of the police and military....thats the EXACT reason for the Second Amendment. What better way to enforce a ' Government by the people, for the people'? And again, I'm not knocking our LE/military folks.....I work with and train them....just merely stating a counterpoint to your point.
What if only handguns were banned (which I think was the OP was saying), but hunting guns were still allowed? You can defend your home and country with a rifle or a shotgun, and you can shoot animals, but criminals won't be able to hide them as easily.
I know wally's giving himself a pat on the back for his comment that we've all heard a million times before. So, wally, let me ask you, these crazy people with guns, you think they could inflict nearly as much damage with a pointy stick? Guns make it a hell of a lot easier for weak minded people to kill other people.
If the gun control lobby gets their way then law abiding citizens will be powerless against criminals, terrorists and any kind of invaders. MonteCristo is right that guns don't kill people .. people kill people. Bombs, knives, clubs, airplanes, etc. If someone wants to kill they're going to do it with or without a gun. Segments of our society (the political correctness police) have spent years "softening" the consequences for criminals and essentially neutering our criminal justice and mental health systems. Behold the fruits of your labors.
LA1IMPALA
This comment is for you too...
You as a liberal would like to shape the discussion into one about something that most people disagree with.
Stick with the subject, it's not about you and what you would like to do in society.
There is no mention of mental illness in the story, but I guess some are claiming that he must have been mentally ill. Then use that assumption to shape the discussion to a second amendment rant. You people need to get over yourselves. It's not about you.
My prayers go out to the family, the victims of this random act of violence.
“No free man shall be debarred the right to bear arms”
Thomas Jefferson
@Elpea - Evidently your reading and comprehension skills are lacking. Chicago banned handguns (recently overturned) and it didn't stop gun violence or slow it down. Your fantasy that less gun violence will occur if guns are banned is just that fantasy - check the stats on Chicago the cold hard facts do not back your claim. And your comment only wealthy criminals will have guns goes beyond asinine into the realm of extreme head up your rear stupidity. Great plan. Let's ban guns so the only people possessing a gun is "wealthy" criminals. The reality of life is this - if we ban guns the only people possessing guns will be crimnals. Ever hear of the black market? Grow a brain.
The fact is so far there is no evidence this man was mentally ill or disturbed and until the authorities uncover evidence pointing to mental illness no one knows or will know why this guy popped off. He's dead and can't explain his actions. Everyone likes to have a nice tidy excuse/explanation for why a tragedy takes place. Sometimes there isn't a clear reason people do the things they do.
My condolences go out to the Crouse family. Ms. Crouse has lost her husband and their five children have lost their father. I sincerely hope they receive the help they need to deal with this senseless tragedy.
"Guns don't kill people, people do" is the NRA slogan brainwashed toothless redneck adult equivalent of that time honored playground classic, "I know you are, but what am I."
Kind of odd that this article made a big deal out of the fact that this kid recently shaved his head. Look at the picture of the cop - the cop had a shaved head. So what?
Is the writer trying to suggest that the connection - as yet undetermined - between the shooter and the cop was head-shaving envy? What a weird thing to point out - THREE or more times in one article. LOTS of people - myself included - shave their heads. At one time I suppose that might have been a significant indicator of some extremist position but not for the past 10 years.
The cop had a shaved head because he was partly bald, the Viginia College shooter did it because the voice from his shower head told him to.
Watch out for bald/shaved headed people....you just never know about them ;)
Miker, they mentioned it two times, and breifly, not going into it or speculating about his reasons for shaving his head. It seems it was merely to point out a recent change in his behavior. You're reading more than what is actually there, take a chill pill.
@Miker - Shame on you for not knowing head shaving is synonymous with insane acts of violence LOL.
Very sad story. It may come out that the family are survivalist-militia types that hate any symbols of authority. There is going to be more of this in days and years to come as certain arms of the media push more divisiveness between us. By the way, the writers did a good job on this, it was a well written story.
You're right. I was thinking the same thing about how well-written this article was - thorough and thoughtful. Kudos to the writer.
DH-1294801
Yes it was so well written that I'm at a loss to where you get any indications that the family are,
You liberals do like to assume and stereotype don't you?
There is nothing about any such thing being tied to this young man written in the story.
You people need to get over yourselves. It's not about you.
My prayers go out to the family, the victims of this random act of violence.
I cannot understand the reasoning behind: criminals will ALWAYS get their guns. If NO ONE (apart from cops) has guns, then how will they continue getting them in record numbers? At least make it HARDER to get them, instead of having agencies like the ATF deliver the guns directly into the hands of known drug cartel members and gun runners (yes, that happened).
If you don't have a Mercedes Benz, no one can steal your Mercedes Benz. This applies to guns, too. Fact of the matter is, Europe doesn't have anything approaching our level of gun violence and it's not because we as Americans are more inclined towards violence, it's because guns make violence easier. It makes the violence removed from reality, like you're using a remote control to end a life. Point, click and die.
I personally will not own a gun. But you should be able to have one to protect yourself. Your arguement is just plain silly. It is what the Liberal Media and the Progressive movement has done to our Country. They are trying to convince you that you don't need guns.
In Canada they have strict gun control laws like what you are saying. Well guess who has the guns in Canada? The Police and the Criminals. In the UK, one of the top selling items is baseball bats. Why? Because people have given up their rights to own guns.
Your arguements are just plain silly.
When the criminals come to raid your house I promise not to use my guns to protect you.
How do guns get into the wrong hands? Why not ask Eric Holder? Eric? Eric? Eric? Buhler? Buhler?
It's called self control, and psych tests.
I have a friend named Ashley who used to live in that apartment building. Weird.
Nobody's name was Ashley. That was his last name. Just sayin =)
I have a friend who has a friend who has a friend that went to high school at colombine. Wierd huh?
Just a comment for the "young officer" father,husband,uncle,brother and yes a mother's son, he would of laid down his life for any of us when he was over seas, and in law enforcement let us never forget that! we should be commenting here on how good a human being he was, a praise him so his ( 5 ) children will never believe he died for no reason. I who lost a son can only feel there pain, this was a good man, a kind soul who did not deserve to die like this, and I pray his family will especially at this time of the year , they will be smothered by kindness and friends to help them get through the very next lonely and painful,heart wrenching days, may God give them strength and may they believe that ( he ) is with him and not in pain -----such a sad , sad , thing when this senseless loss of life --a good life has to end so soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All the good ( he ) will no longer be allowed to do here!
Amen. Condolences to Officer Crouse's family, colleagues and friends.
I think the media need to leave the shooter's family alone. They just lost their 22 year old son to suicide - and he became a murderer on the same day. They must be going through absolute hell, as must the officer's family. Let's give all of these people some privacy so they can grieve.
Why can't these people go it alone. They have to take innocent people with them. BUNCHA COWARDS!
Suppose the shooter after he killed the police officer then kill the student , took off his hat and sweat shirt stuck it in the students back pack, put the gun in the students hand to get finger prints then throw the gun down beside him to make it look like a suicide. Just wondering.
That sounds plausible. No one actually did see him kill himself.
I use to be in lawenforcement myself and had the same thoughts jetmech. If the killer was cold enough to kill the cop, what stops him from running up on this kid shooting him and then placing the goods on him, but the story stated that he got the attention when he approached his landlord earlier and demanded the keys to a vehicle using a gun.
A GSR test would show if he fired the weapon, I assume that has already been done.
Ten good reasons no one else was involved!
Disabled Voter - Thank God for somebody with a reasonable thought process.
Reading through the posts I noticed a post expressing grief for the officers family including his 5 children (no votes up) and a post near it expressing concern for the shooters family since he just committed suicide received several votes up. Then several posts that this guy didn't really do it - he's "another victim". Our society is screwey.
It is always tragic when someone is senselessly gunned down. Since this young man and the officer did not know each other, and had no history, this may be some sort of rebellion against authority figures. It will be most interesting to get a better understanding of the dynamics. The tragedy is obvious, however, a father and contributing member to the community has been senselessly shot down, nothing good has come from that. Likewise, an apparently confused young man has perpetrated the horrendous crime and subsequently ended his life. He may have had great potential but had become overpowered with this obsession and had nobody he could trust for help. Lose, lose situation.
i'll bet his parents had noticed changes in his behavior. did they just ignore them? or maybe they were taken by his innocent face. i feel sorry for both families. the whole thing is beyond sad!!
Since he wasn't living at home, how exactly would his parents have "noticed changes in his behavior"? Even if he was visiting them on a regular basis (which doesn't sound like it's the case) - don't most of us act differently around our parents than we do in other situations, especially when we're in our teens and 20s? He could have easily covered up any issues he had when he visited his folks.
I noticed the author of this piece spotlighted the bank account that this kid didnt have like its a crime to be poor. Well could the peer pressure from some of the VT crowd been too much for him to take. Not everyone is born with a silverspoon up their backpack. Its a shame that this ever happened in the first place, I would like to see more information on this kid to see what drove him to this tradgedy. My condolences goes to the police officer's five kids that will have to live without their dad. When will people stop worrying about racial issues and worry about treating everyone the same this will do away with racial and status profiling. And maybe we can be one people again.
VT is a "blue collar" school. There is no peer pressure on lower-income students. And, the shooter didn't go to Virginia Tech - as stated in the article.
Gun control has nothing to do with this. The criminals will always have guns. The guns aren't even registerd to them in the first place for the most part. Guns don't kill people, people do!
It's sad that this happened. What can you do?
@DizoakiusMaximus
You are an idiot. Our FREEDOM TO BARE ARMS should never be taken away.
Amen Brother!!!!!
Our freedoms, when used excessively NOT as protection but as assault and murder, are fair game to be reduced or removed.
AGAIN, I beseech you to consider the 9 modern nations in Europe, Asia and Austrailia that have gun control laws. Their populations collectively match ours in the USA, yet their stats say something very different.
In 2004, our nation had 27,319 deaths by handguns (USA Today, Washington Post). Almost exactly half were suicides, the rest were murders or (about 2%) 'accidental' shootings in the home. Those other nations? They had 14 deaths by handguns.
Are we that much angrier than they? Do we have that much murderous intent as a culture?
The numbers are pretty persuasive, idiot. Gun control works.
whoah, you are a typical gun-hater jack-a$$, idiot, that merely pretends to know what you are talking about. Do more research to learn the truth about the ever falling violent crime rate in the United States as compared to the sky-rocketing crime rates in the countries you claim are so much more civilized due to their gun control measures. Why do you think that 49 of the 50 states in the US allow law-abiding citizens the legal right to obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm. Obviously it's because firearms in the hands of law abiding citizens have proven time and again for several decades since Florida established CCW in 1986, to reduce crime and save innocent victims lives.
And how many homicides did they have that DIDN'T involve handguns? Unless you're going to present ALL of the facts, please stop making spurious arguments.
...almost 14,000 to 14? ...and I'M the idiot?
There are all kinds of reasons why measure pass in this country, and the wishes of an informed public is rarely the top reason anymore.
How many people in this great nation actually use their right to vote? Voter apathy is a serious problem. Media hysteria also is an issue, spreading fear like it's margarine on a hot biscuit to get people to tune in, click on or buy their next publication.
"...because firearms in the hands of law abiding citizens have proven time and again for several decades...
to reduce crime and save innocent victims lives."
I've tried to research this claim, but am having trouble. Can you provide me some numbers and the backgound research to show that armed citizens have been safer? Except for Crocodile Dundee, I haven't seen any stories of people stopping a crime with their own weapon.
...yeah, I know all about great-grandma who shot 3 burglars in her home in Arkansas (did that actually happen?) It's an illusion that ignorant bozos tout as an easy (though fallacious) out to bolster their point.
Great Britain, Germany, France, Japan etc. determined that if NO ONE had guns, the murder rate would drop and people wouldn't need to protect themselves from the armed boogeyman.
The numbers seem to back their reasoning.
Even if Arkansas Grandma does exist, it doesn't balance the horror of criminal minds having easy access to deadly force. Ask Va. Tech, ask Columbine, ask Paducah, Kentucky or other places where CHILDREN can get ahold of guns and exercise their juvenile ideas of justice.
Much like yours...
and VickiC, we are talking about guns at the moment, making this a non-spurious argument. If you piss someone off and all they have is a spoon, they might make the attempt with it. But they would be more likely to have success with a gun, which is why we don't need spoon-control.
What about the 1st admendment; all the people who die from it or were intisted to kill from that freedom. I don't aruge I just hate dirtbags like you, Your adjust one freedom your adjust them all. You hate American GET OUT!
MBear: Gun control doesn't work and neither do your numbers for your argument here. Those countries have HIGHER suicide rates than the US does. Once again ... people kill (either themselves or others) not guns. Take away the guns and they're still killing themselves.
According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. rate of suicides falls BEHIND the United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, France Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, Norway, Iceland, Romania, Canada, New Zealand, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea as well as several other countries for suicide rates.
whoah, you're obviously a hopeless case and nothing anybody says and no matter how many cases exist of law abiding citizens protecting themselves and family, you will simply ignore the truth and the published FBI crime statistics to maintain your pathetic gun-hater mentality.
And as my favor to you, here is a link to the Department of Justice FBI Crime Statistics, knock yourself out, violent crime trends at record low rates, obviously due to criminals being concerned about violating someone who just might be legally carrying a concealed firearm, of course, you'll no doubt dream up some other reason for plummeting violent crime rates:
(add the www)
.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/violent-crime
Where does the US rank on this list?
.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita
John3781521, what are you talking about? It seems like maybe English isn't your first language. I want to understand what you are saying, especially since you feel so strongly about it.
Can you try again? And help me understand how free speech and religion comes into this argument. You probably want to reference the second amendment, not the first.
I live in a rural area, and owning guns is a way of life here, especially when to comes to protecting my livestock from predators and occasionally poachers. I get that. I support that. I'm lost fiscally without it. But guns meant for killing people in mass numbers (assault rifles, semi or fully automatic weapons, etc) go well beyond the scope of what the Founders probably had in mind.
And mbear, you take a statistic and come up with a conclusion that "obviously" must be correct. Nothing so complex can be concluded with one 'obvious' solution.
I'm willing to listen to reason, but I'm also wanting to consider impact outside our culture and how others address a seemingly hopeless problem.
If someone is angry with you and he has a gun, I am doubting that you come out of the confrontation alive. If he has his fists, a hammer, a knife, I have hope that you can get away.
Have you ever fired a gun before? Have you felt or seen up close the destructive power such a device has?
I have respect for life. I also have had the benefit of welcoming back from active duty 3 soldiers to this community. One has returned, the other 2 are dealing with, according to their families, issues of having killed in the line of duty. No regrets... they did what they had to, but it has had and WILL have a profound effect on them and their children for the rest of their lives.
I wonder why people want to flirt with such consequences, especially when most of their lives are not life-or-death situations. I grieve for families who lost or even nearly lost loved ones in an accidental home-site shooting.
Shot Down: gun law study shows no effect
sydney.edu.au/news/84.html?newsstoryid=2240
"I live in a rural area, and owning guns is a way of life here, especially when to comes to protecting my livestock from predators and occasionally poachers. I get that. I support that. I'm lost fiscally without it. But guns meant for killing people in mass numbers (assault rifles, semi or fully automatic weapons, etc) go well beyond the scope of what the Founders probably had in mind."
“Beyond the scope of what the founders probably had in mind.”
Probably? You need to read the Federalist papers.
The 2nd Amendment isn’t about hunting or protecting livestock. It’s astonishing to me how people can condone the use of firearms to protect the almighty dollar, yet not the lives of their families and self.
The weapons of that time were in fact the latest in technology… The Founders were well aware of the future progression in technologies. After all they were brilliant men far beyond ”YOUR” scope, I can tell you that. They did happen to create a country that has been running on the same rules for over 230 years…. You?
Isn't that a felony? Why wasn't he arrested then?
Yes, exactly. Why was he not in jail for pulling a gun on the landlord and demanding keys to somebody else's car? Why was he free after that? It sounds like a police error in leaving him free, an error that led to the death of another policeman. Terrible.
From reading the story, it doesn't sound like the police ever apprehended him after he threatened his landlord. They were probably trying to track him down at the time he killed the police officer. I don't see anything in the article that indicates a "police error".
what a stupid azz bit-ch!
I don't necessarily think it was police error, the article just didn't give the impression that anyone tried to find or arrest him, just that he drew interest. It also gives little information on location, so maybe it wasn't even the same district.
I just figured it was a little odd, but it is not a police error. So far, it looks like the only one in the wrong was the nutcase with the gun.
Lot's of college cops in the news lately. Hosing down students with pepperspray and getting hosed by students with 9mm.
A 9mm what, socket, bolt, tool (another idiot). Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk. What do you know about firearms? Also where did you come up with a 9mm the info is withheld.
I cannot help but think that this story is FAR from over.
What if the guy is a second victim? Have they searched the discarded hoodie and cap to be sure (thru DNA) that the clothes DID belong to Ross Ashley? If not, then the shooter could have found him just minding his own business, shot him as he did the cop, wiped down the gun and placed it to look like a suicide, taken his ID and disappeared...
And if Ross really is the shooter, then questions are gonna fly until answers emerge or are manufactured to satisfy a terrified public.
... what, you think only the TRUTH gets published?
Except he stole his landlords vehicle at gunpoint that same day. Would be a wierd coincidence don't you think?
What about the hollywood , ca shooting yesterday, hell it interupted the price is right.....
Jon, look into the history books or military information where you will find the colt 1911 automatic pistol used as a sidearm to kill in war time on the battlefield. All guns are made to kill or target practice, but lets see you can take a toothpick and kill a man if you have criminal intent to do harm to another. I have seen a man killed with a pencil. so should all pencils be banned. Oh the pencil was shoved through the eye and penetrated the brain cavity killing the supect. Just saying.
killing the su(s)pect? hmmm did the cops do it? What was he su(s)pected of?