Investigation underway in fatal shooting at Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, VA (AP) — An investigation is under way into the fatal shootings today at Virginia Tech.

A gunman killed a campus police officer in a school parking lot and was later found dead, with a gun nearby, in another lot.

Virginia Tech was the scene of the deadliest shooting rampage in modern US history nearly five years ago. In an ironic twist, the shootings took place on the same day Virginia Tech officials were in Washington, fighting a government fine over their alleged mishandling of the 2007 bloodbath that left 33 dead.

Before it became clear that the gunman in today’s attack was dead, the school locked down the campus and used a high-tech alert system to warn students and faculty members to stay indoors.

Police say the officer was killed after pulling a driver over in a traffic stop. The gunman – who was not involved in the traffic stop – walked into the parking lot and shot the officer. Authorities won’t talk about a motive.

The officer had served on the campus police force for fouryears. Police don’t know if he had been specifically targeted.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)