BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -- Returning to classes for the first time since last week's fatal shootings, thousands of Virginia Tech students and faculty have paused today for moments of silence to remember those who were killed.
Mourners met this morning at the main campus lawn, listening quietly as a bell rang for each of the 32 victims and the gunman. And they watched as 33 white balloons were released into the air in their memory.
The chimes of the bell echoed through the campus, which is covered with memorials and tributes.
One moment of silence began at 9:45 a.m., around the time the gunman killed 30 students and faculty members in a classroom building before committing suicide.
A moment of silence was also observed at about 7:15 a.m., near the dormitory where the first victims were killed.
