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Edited with XEmacs |
You can see the part of each story below that mentions how Peter O. was captured here, while an index is here
Thu, 17 Jan 2002
ABC’s World News Now headlines
World News Now (2:00 AM ET) - ABC
ALINA CHO, co-anchor:
Here are this morning’s top stories at ABC News:
In a visit to Kabul this morning, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the US would re–remain committed to Afghanistan for a long time, and that Washington would make a significant contribution to its rebuilding. Powell met with interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai immediately after his arrival.
The body of the seventh Marine killed in last week’s crash of a refueling plane in Pakistan was given a color guard salute as it was put on a plane for the trip home.
And a student at the Appalachian School of Law in Virginia is under arrest for the shooting deaths of the school’s dean, a professor and another student. The alleged gunman had been dismissed from the school.
And those are some of the stories we’re following this hour at ABC.
World News Now (2:00 AM ET) - ABC
ALINA CHO, co-anchor:
A dismissed student from a small law school in Western Virginia is under arrest for a deadly shooting rampage. The dean at the Appalachian School of Law, a professor and a student were killed. Three other students were wounded. The alleged gunman is a naturalized US citizen from Nigeria who flunked out last year but was allowed to return, only to be dismissed again this week.
DEREK McGINTY, co-anchor:
On Capitol Hill, the Hart Senate office building is being prepared to reopen tomorrow. Officials say it is now free of anthrax three months after a letter filled with billions of spores was sent to Majority Leader Tom Daschle. And two House office buildings where anthrax was detected are expected to reopen next week.
You know, a good friend of mine works for a senator in another office building who was nice enough to let some other senators use his office.
CHO: Cramped quarters.
McGINTY: He didn’t know they’d be hanging around for three or four months after the thing began last Fall.
CHO: Right. I’m just glad it’s open because now we don’t have to say the words ‘anthrax-free’ anymore. It’s hard to say.
McGINTY: Tough one. That is a tough one.
Man kills three at Appalachian Law School in Virginia
Good Morning America (7:00 AM ET) - ABC
ANTONIO MORA, anchor:
A small Virginia law school is still reeling from a deadly shooting rampage allegedly carried out by a student furious at being thrown out. Police say the man stormed on the campus of Appalachia Law School and killed his dean, a professor and a student. ABC’s Steve Osunsami is in Grundy, Virginia, this morning.
Good morning, Steve.
STEVE OSUNSAMI reporting:
Good morning, Antonio. A memorial service will be held today at noon for the people who died yesterday. Witnesses who were here say the accused gunman, 42-year-old Peter Odighizuwa, appeared mentally distressed. He was here, they say, to speak with professors about failing grades, and it was after he walked out of one office that the shooting began.
Dr. JACK BRIGGS (Alleged Gunman’s Doctor): He went upstairs, I guess, and he–he killed the dean and the professor who was well-liked in an execution style, you know, with powder burns on their shirts and everything.
OSUNSAMI: Dean L. Anthony Sutin, was a former Justice Department official who worked on the Clinton campaign. Both the present and former attorneys general shared their condolences with his wife and two young children. There are also three young ladies, both students at this college who are hospitalized this morning in fair condition. Antonio:
MORA: Thank you, Steve. ABC’s Steve Osunsami.
Three dead, three wounded in US school shooting: report
Agence France Presse
Three people were killed and three others wounded when a foreign-born student, apparently angry over bad grades, opened fire at a law school in southwestern Virginia, a state official said.
The shooter was in police custody after being apprehended by other students at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia after the incident Wednesday afternoon. Confirming the number of victims, a spokeswoman for the governor of Virginia said school dean Anthony Sutin was killed along with a professor and a student. Sutin was a top official in the administration of former president Bill Clinton.
Three wounded students were hospitalized, the spokeswoman, Ellen Qualls, said.
“The suspect was tackled by a group of students,” she said.
The student—whose identity and nationality had not yet been revealed—fired a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol several times.
Founded in 1997 in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, the school has about 170 students.
It is the second shooting to occur in two days at a US education establishment. On Tuesday, two New York youths were wounded at a high school in Manhattan by an armed student.
Nigerian law student charged in Virginia triple homicide
Agence France Presse
A Nigerian law student charged with shooting three others to death in Grundy, Virginia was apparently unhappy that he had been placed on academic suspension, a police source said Thursday.
Police say Peter Odighizuwa, 42, went on a shooting spree Wednesday that wounded three others at Appalachian Law School in Grundy, Virginia. “(He was) apparently angered at his academic suspension,” according to a source at the Buchanan County Sheriff Department in the western part of the state.
“He is currently held at the Buchanan’s County Jail. He’s been charged with three counts of capital murder and three counts of using a firearm to commit a felony,” according to the sheriff’s department.
Odighizuwa has also been charged with using a firearm with the intention of committing a crime and could face the death penalty.
A former Chicago taxi driver and father of four, Odighizuwa hoped to earn a law degree.
The scenic college with 170 students was founded in 1997.
Wednesday afternoon, Odighizuwa argued about his suspension with a professor. When he left the office, Odighizuwa asked the professor to pray for him. He went to the office of the dean, Anthony Sutin, a former high Justice Department official in the Bil Clinton administration and shot him with a .38 semi-automatic pistol before killing another professor who was there, said police.
Downstairs, he again opened fire, killing a 33-year-old student and wounding three others, according to police.
As he was about to leave, three students held him until police arrived.
This was the second US school shooting in two days. Tuesday, two New York youths were allegedly wounded by an armed high school student in Manhattan.
LAW STUDENT KILLS 3 IN SHOOTING SPREE
Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio)
A failing student allegedly shot three people to death and wounded three more yesterday at the Appalachian School of Law in western Virginia.
The midday attack ended when students overpowered the gunman and held him for sheriff’s deputies, officials said.
Dean L. Anthony Sutin and Professor Thomas Blackwell were gunned down in their offices, according to school officials. Police said the third person slain was student Angela Dales, 33.
Shooting rampage at Virginia law school kills three, leaves three wounded
Roger Alford
The Associated Press
A student who had been dismissed from law school went on a campus shooting spree Wednesday, killing the dean, a professor and a student before he was tackled, authorities said.
The attack also wounded three female students at the Appalachian School of Law. They were hospitalized in fair condition.
“When I got there, there were bodies laying everywhere,” said Dr. Jack Briggs, one of the first to arrive after the shooting in this tiny mountain community in western Virginia.
Dean L. Anthony Sutin and professor Thomas Blackwell were gunned down in their offices, according to school officials. Police said the third person slain was student Angela Dales, 33.
Authorities said the 42-year-old suspect, Peter Odighizuwa, had arrived at school to meet with the dean about his academic dismissal, which went into effect Wednesday.
Briggs said Odighizuwa, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nigeria, had flunked out last year and been allowed to return to the school.
Odighizuwa first stopped in the office of professor Dale Rubin to talk about his grades and as he left reportedly asked Rubin to pray for him, police said. Rubin, reached by telephone, declined to comment.
He then walked to Sutin’s and Blackwell’s offices and shot them with a .380-caliber pistol, State Police spokesman Mike Stater said. Blackwell had taught contract law to Odighizuwa.
Witnesses said Odighizuwa then went downstairs into a common area and opened fire on a crowd of students, killing Dales and seriously wounding three others.
Todd Ross, 30, of Johnson City, Tenn., was among the students who were outside when Odighizuwa left the building. Ross said the suspect was holding his hands in the air and dropped the gun at his prompting.
Odighizuwa was tackled by students and “struggled after we got him on the ground, but then just laid there,” Ross said. He said the suspect kept shouting, ‘“I have nowhere to go. I have nowhere to go.”’
The suspect was being held at the Buchanan County Jail on three counts of capital murder and three weapons counts, authorities said.
Ellen Qualls, a spokeswoman for Gov. Mark Warner, said Odighizuwa had a history of mental instability that school officials knew about.
First-year student Justin Marlowe from Richwood, W.Va., said the suspect had been in all of his classes.
“He was a real quiet guy who kept to himself. He didn’t talk to anybody, but he gave no indication that he was capable of something like this,” Marlowe said.
He said that after Odighizuwa flunked out a year ago, “the dean bent over backward to get him enrolled again.”
The private law school, with an enrollment of about 170 students, was closed for the rest of the week.
School president Lucius Ellsworth was meeting with government officials in Richmond and flew back when he learned of the shootings.
“Each of us is suffering, but as a family, we can find strength to pass through this terrible dark and tragic valley,” he said.
The governor, who had served on the school’s board until he took office last week, said he was shocked by the shooting.
“I commend the students who acted swiftly to apprehend the suspect,” Warner said. “My heart goes out to the school and the community.”
Sutin, a 1984 graduate of Harvard Law School, was also an associate professor at the school. He left the Justice Department to help found the school after working for the Democratic National Committee and Bill Clinton’s campaign in 1992, according to the Web site of Jurist, the Legal Education Network.
Attorney General John Ashcroft issued a statement expressing his condolences to Sutin’s wife and their two children.
The school opened five years ago in a renovated junior high school in Grundy, a town of about 1,100 a few miles south of the Kentucky and West Virginia state lines.
School officials hope to ease a shortage of lawyers in the coalfields of southwest Virginia, help change the region’s image and foster renewal in Appalachia. The American Bar Association rejected the school’s first application for accreditation in 1999, but the school graduated its first class of 34 in 2000.
There are about 15 faculty members, including alumni of law schools at the University of California at Berkeley and Columbia, Harvard and Howard universities.
“You read about it in other areas, but when it comes home it really hurts,” said state Del. Jackie Stump of Grundy, fighting back tears as he hung his head and walked away from a news conference in Richmond.
Students tackled gunman in law school shooting spree, held him down until police arrived
Chris Kahn
The Associated Press
Tracy Bridges didn’t have much time to think when he saw Peter Odighizuwa on the front lawn of the Appalachian School of Law moments after he allegedly went on a killing spree.
“I just reacted,” said Bridges, a student and sheriff’s deputy who tackled Odighizuwa with classmates Todd Ross and Ted Besen after the Wednesday shootings.
The three men pinned Odighizuwa to the ground, and Bridges handcuffed the man’s arms behind his back.
Odighizuwa, 42, a former student who was dismissed on Tuesday for bad grades, is accused of shooting and killing Dean L. Anthony Sutin, Professor Thomas Blackwell and student Angela Dales.
As screaming students started climbing out of windows, Bridges and Besen said their police and military training took over.
“I’m a former Marine, former police officer,” said Besen, 37. “Who better to do that? I’m trained to do that. I’m not going to let him shoot anyone else if I could.”
Odighizuwa, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nigeria, was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Grundy General District Court on capital murder charges.
Chris Clifton, the school’s financial officer, said he met with Odighizuwa on Tuesday afternoon along with other school officials to notify him that he was being permanently dismissed for poor grades. Odighizuwa had flunked out and then was readmitted a year before.
On Wednesday, Odighizuwa stopped in the office of professor Dale Rubin to talk about his grades and as he left reportedly asked Rubin to pray for him, police said. He then walked to Sutin’s and Blackwell’s offices and shot them with a .380-caliber pistol, State Police spokesman Mike Stater said. Blackwell had taught contract law to Odighizuwa.
“There were three quick shots, then we heard, I think, three more,” said Bridges, 25.
Bridges and Besen, a former police officer from Wilmington, N.C., crept down a back stairwell to the parking lot, and Bridges got his gun out of the car.
Odighizuwa had walked outside and stood with a confused look on his face, Bridges said.
“I planned on blindsiding him from behind,” Besen said. “He sat the weapon down and raised his hands up in the air. I didn’t know if he was praying.”
Besen said he ran toward Odighizuwa and told him to get on the ground.
“He kind of came at me. He swung and hit me in the jaw,” Besen said.
Once pinned down, he kept shouting, “I have nowhere to go. I have nowhere to go.”’
Dean, professor, student killed in shooting rampage at Virginia law school
Chris Kahn
The Associated Press
A student upset about flunking out of law school shot his dean and a professor to death in their offices and opened fire on a crowd of students, killing one and injuring three others, authorities said.
Peter Odighizuwa, 42, was tackled, pinned to the ground and handcuffed by students after the shooting and was later taken into custody by police. He was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Grundy General District Court.
Odighizuwa went to the campus of the Appalachia School of Law on Wednesday to talk to his dean, L. Anthony Sutin, about his dismissal, officials said. He shot Sutin and professor Thomas Blackwell, who taught contract law to Odighizuwa, with a .380-caliber pistol, authorities and students said.
Police said the third person slain was student Angela Dales, 33. The injured students were in fair condition at area hospitals.
The suspect, known around the rural campus as “Peter O,” had been struggling with his grades for more than a year and had been dismissed once before. Chris Clifton, the school’s financial aid officer, met with Odighizuwa a day earlier when the student learned he was to be kicked out of school.
“He was angry. He thought he was being treated unfairly, and he wanted to see his transcript,” Clifton said. Odighizuwa, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nigeria, scheduled a meeting for Wednesday to talk to school officials about his grades.
“I don’t think Peter knew at this time that it was going to be permanent and final,” Clifton said.
Odighizuwa is being held in the Buchanan County Jail on three counts of capital murder and three counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, authorities said.
Dr. Jack Briggs, who has a private practice a half-mile from the school, said Odighizuwa went downstairs from Sutin’s and Blackwell’s offices to a commons area and opened fire on students.
“When I got there, there were bodies laying everywhere,” Briggs said.
Odighizuwa left the building and dropped his gun after being confronted. Students then tackled him and helped hold him down. A student who is a sheriff’s deputy handcuffed Odighizuwa.
Odighizuwa kept saying, “I have nowhere to go. I have nowhere to go,” said student Todd Ross, 30, of Johnson City, Tenn., who helped subdue the alleged shooter.
Justin Marlowe, a first-year law student from Richwood, W.Va., said the suspect had been in all of his classes.
“He was a real quiet guy who kept to himself,” Marlowe said. “He didn’t talk to anybody, but he gave no indication that he was capable of something like this.”
“The dean bent over backwards to get him enrolled again” when Odighizuwa flunked out last spring, Marlowe said.
Other classmates, however, described the suspect as an “abrasive” person who would regularly have outbursts in class when he was challenged by classmates or the professor.
“I knew he’d do something like this,” said Zeke Jackson, 40, who tried to recruit him for the school’s Black Law Students’ Association.
The private law school has an enrollment of about 170 students. It opened five years ago in a renovated junior high school to help ease a shortage of lawyers in the region and foster renewal in Appalachia.
Sutin, a 1984 graduate of Harvard Law School, also was an associate professor at the school. He left the Justice Department to help found the school, and had worked for the Democratic National Committee and Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, according to the Web site of Jurist, the Legal Education Network.
Attorney General John Ashcroft issued a statement expressing his condolences to Sutin’s wife and their two children.
Blackwell, who enjoyed running and playing the trumpet, moved to the area from Dallas about three years ago.
Constance C. Bausell, 52, of Grundy, served with Blackwell on a committee at her church searching for a new pastor. Even though Blackwell was somewhat new to the area, she said, “he fit in like a glove.”
Dean, prof, student dead in shooting rampage at Virginia law school; man who flunked out held
Chris Kahn
The Associated Press
A former law student who is accused of killing his dean, a law professor and another student told a judge Thursday that he is sick and needs help.
Peter Odighizuwa shuffled into Buchanan County General District Court in leg chains, surrounded by police officers.
Hiding his face behind his green arrest warrant, Odighizuwa told Judge Patrick Johnson, “I was supposed to see my doctor. He was supposed to help me out. … I don’t have my medication.”
Odighizuwa, a 43-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Nigeria, went to the Appalachian School of Law on Wednesday to talk to his dean, L. Anthony Sutin, about Odighizuwa’s dismissal for failing grades, officials said. He shot Sutin and professor Thomas Blackwell, who taught Odighizuwa’s contracts classes during the fall and winter, with a .380-caliber pistol, authorities and students said.
Also killed was student Angela Dales, 33, said State Police spokesman Mike Stater. Three other students were injured and were hospitalized in fair condition.
Prosecutors charged Odighizuwa with three counts of capital murder, three counts of attempted capital murder and six charges for use of a firearm in a felony.
A few minutes before his arraignment, Odighizuwa told reporters as he was led into the courtroom, “I was sick, I was sick. I need help.”
When Johnson said he would appoint lawyer James C. Turk Jr. to represent him, Odighizuwa asked for another attorney who he named. But Johnson appointed Turk and said, “Once you’ve talked with him, I’m sure you’ll see he can help you.”
Odighizuwa will remain held without bond pending a preliminary hearing March 21.
Students ended the rampage by confronting and then tackling the gunman, officials said.
“He was angry. He thought he was being treated unfairly, and he wanted to see his transcript,” said Chris Clifton, the school’s financial aid officer.
“I don’t think Peter knew at this time that it (dismissal) was going to be permanent and final,” Clifton added.
Odighizuwa was arrested Aug. 15 for hitting his wife in the face and bruising her eye, according to court records. A hearing on assault and battery charges is scheduled for Aug. 6.
He and his wife, Abieyuwa Odighizuwa, have four children. Residents said the family had been having financial trouble and townspeople were trying to help out.
The suspect, known around the rural campus as “Peter O,” had been struggling with his grades for more than a year and had been dismissed once before. Clifton met with Odighizuwa a day earlier when the student learned he was to be kicked out of school.
Dr. Jack Briggs, who has a private practice a half-mile from the school, said Odighizuwa went downstairs from Sutin’s and Blackwell’s offices to a commons area and opened fire on students.
“When I got there, there were bodies laying everywhere,” Briggs said.
Odighizuwa left the building and dropped his gun after being confronted. Students then tackled him and one who is a sheriff’s deputy handcuffed him.
Odighizuwa kept saying, “I have nowhere to go. I have nowhere to go,” said student Todd Ross, 30, of Johnson City, Tenn.
Justin Marlowe, a first-year law student from Richwood, W.Va., said the suspect had been in all of his classes.
“He was a real quiet guy who kept to himself,” Marlowe said. “He didn’t talk to anybody, but he gave no indication that he was capable of something like this.”
Other classmates, however, described the suspect as an “abrasive” person who would regularly have outbursts in class when he was challenged by classmates or the professor.
“I knew he’d do something like this,” said Zeke Jackson, 40, who tried to recruit him for the school’s Black Law Students’ Association.
The private law school has an enrollment of about 170 students. It opened five years ago in a renovated junior high school to help ease a shortage of lawyers in the region and foster renewal in Appalachia.
Sutin, a 1984 graduate of Harvard Law School, also was an associate professor at the school. He left the Justice Department to help found the school, and had worked for the Democratic National Committee and Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, according to the Web site of Jurist, the Legal Education Network.
Attorney General John Ashcroft issued a statement expressing his condolences to Sutin’s wife and their two children.
‘I was sick’ - murder charges filed against former law student in deadly school rampage
Chris Kahn
The Associated Press
The expelled law school student accused of killing his dean and two others in a campus shooting spree was so paranoid and prone to outbursts that at least one classmate said he saw the violence coming.
At Thursday’s arraignment on three counts of capital murder, Peter Odighizuwa, 43, told the judge he was sick and needed help.
“I was supposed to see my doctor,” Odighizuwa said, hiding his face behind a green arrest warrant. “He was supposed to help me out … I don’t have my medication.”
Police say Odighizuwa opened fire with a handgun at the Appalachian School of Law on Wednesday, a day after he was dismissed from the school for a second time.
Dean L. Anthony Sutin and Professor Thomas Blackwell were slain in their offices and student Angela Dales, 33, died later at a hospital. Three other students were wounded.
Prosecutor Sheila Tolliver said she will seek the death penalty.
Odighizuwa also faces three counts of attempted capital murder and six weapons charges. A few minutes before his arraignment, Odighizuwa told reporters as he was led into the courtroom, “I was sick, I was sick. I need help.”
Police said Odighizuwa was evaluated and given medication in jail, but declined to identify the drug.
On Thursday, students wept in small, shivering circles, many of them wondering about the classmate who always seemed aloof and was prone to vulgar outbursts.
Kenneth Brown, 28, said his friends always joked that Odighizuwa was one of those guys who would finally crack and bring a gun to school.
“He was kind of off-balance,” Brown said. “When we met last year, he actually came up and shook my hand and asked my name. Then, like five minutes later he came back and said, ‘You know I’m not crazy, but people tick me off sometimes.’ Out of the blue.”
Zeke Jackson, 40, said he stopped trying to recruit Odighizuwa for the school’s Black Law Students’ Association after Odighizuwa sent the dean a letter complaining that Jackson was harassing him.
“I knew he’d do something like this,” Jackson said.
Odighizuwa was arrested on Aug. 15 for allegedly assaulting his wife. The police report said he hit her in the face, bruising her right eye.
Police said Odighizuwa repeatedly approached them with concerns about people breaking into his house on the outskirts of this small town in western Virginia.
Chief Deputy Randall Ashby said Odighizuwa told police last year that someone placed a bullet in a stairway at his home. Three months ago, he complained again that his home has been broken into.
“Both times my deputies checked it out and found nothing,” Ashby said.
Odighizuwa also regularly visited the sheriff’s office to nitpick with deputies over the wording of the police reports he’d filed, Ashby said.
Despite Odighizuwa’s problems, the dean and others tried to help him through school. Last year, Sutin raised enough money to buy Odighizuwa a used car, clothes and food, according to students and staff.
Chris Clifton, the school’s financial aid officer, said Sutin also helped get Odighizuwa a $19,000 loan last fall.
“That’s what doesn’t make sense,” said Mary Kilpatrick, a third-year student, wondering aloud why Odighizuwa would kill the dean. “He’s the one who allowed him to stay here.”
Odighizuwa, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nigeria, had been struggling in school for more than a year and had been dismissed before. His grades were poor again last semester, and school officials told Odighizuwa on Tuesday that they were flunking him.
“I don’t think Peter knew at this time that it was going to be permanent and final,” said Clifton, the financial aid officer. “He slung his chair across the room and slammed the door.”
The next day, after the rampage, witnesses say Odighizuwa left the building, dropped a gun and was tackled by several students.
After a tearful memorial service at Grundy Baptist Church, hundreds of people gathered to place flowers at the base of the school’s stone sign, under an American flag flying at half-staff.
“We feel in our hearts the deepest pain,” said Rabbi Stanley Funston of a synagogue in Bluefield, W.Va., that Sutin attended during the holidays.
Students Tackle Gunman in Law School
Chris Kahn
Associated Press Online
Tracy Bridges didn’t have much time to think when he saw Peter Odighizuwa on the front lawn of the Appalachian School of Law moments after he allegedly went on a killing spree.
“I just reacted,” said Bridges, a student and sheriff’s deputy who tackled Odighizuwa with classmates Todd Ross and Ted Besen after the Wednesday shootings.
The three men pinned Odighizuwa to the ground, and Bridges handcuffed the man’s arms behind his back.
Odighizuwa, 42, a former student who was dismissed on Tuesday for bad grades, is accused of shooting and killing Dean L. Anthony Sutin, Professor Thomas Blackwell and student Angela Dales.
As screaming students started climbing out of windows, Bridges and Besen said their police and military training took over.
“I’m a former Marine, former police officer,” said Besen, 37. “Who better to do that? I’m trained to do that. I’m not going to let him shoot anyone else if I could.”
Odighizuwa, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nigeria, was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Grundy General District Court on capital murder charges.
Chris Clifton, the school’s financial officer, said he met with Odighizuwa on Tuesday afternoon along with other school officials to notify him that he was being permanently dismissed for poor grades. Odighizuwa had flunked out and then was readmitted a year before.
On Wednesday, Odighizuwa stopped in the office of professor Dale Rubin to talk about his grades and as he left reportedly asked Rubin to pray for him, police said. He then walked to Sutin’s and Blackwell’s offices and shot them with a .380-caliber pistol, State Police spokesman Mike Stater said. Blackwell had taught contract law to Odighizuwa.
“There were three quick shots, then we heard, I think, three more,” said Bridges, 25.
Bridges and Besen, a former police officer from Wilmington, N.C., crept down a back stairwell to the parking lot, and Bridges got his gun out of the car.
Odighizuwa had walked outside and stood with a confused look on his face, Bridges said.
“I planned on blindsiding him from behind,” Besen said. “He sat the weapon down and raised his hands up in the air. I didn’t know if he was praying.”
Besen said he ran toward Odighizuwa and told him to get on the ground.
“He kind of came at me. He swung and hit me in the jaw,” Besen said.
Once pinned down, he kept shouting, “I have nowhere to go. I have nowhere to go.”’
Accused College Shooter Says He’s Sick
Chris Kahn
Associated Press Online
The expelled law school student accused of killing his dean and two others in a campus shooting spree was so paranoid and prone to outbursts that at least one classmate said he saw the violence coming.
At Thursday’s arraignment on three counts of capital murder, Peter Odighizuwa, 43, told the judge he was sick and needed help.
“I was supposed to see my doctor,” Odighizuwa said, hiding his face behind a green arrest warrant. “He was supposed to help me out … I don’t have my medication.”
Police say Odighizuwa opened fire with a handgun at the Appalachian School of Law on Wednesday, a day after he was dismissed from the school for a second time.
Dean L. Anthony Sutin and Professor Thomas Blackwell were slain in their offices and student Angela Dales, 33, died later at a hospital. Three other students were wounded.
Prosecutor Sheila Tolliver said she will seek the death penalty.
Odighizuwa also faces three counts of attempted capital murder and six weapons charges. A few minutes before his arraignment, Odighizuwa told reporters as he was led into the courtroom, “I was sick, I was sick. I need help.”
Police said Odighizuwa was evaluated and given medication in jail, but declined to identify the drug.
On Thursday, students wept in small, shivering circles, many of them wondering about the classmate who always seemed aloof and was prone to vulgar outbursts.
Kenneth Brown, 28, said his friends always joked that Odighizuwa was one of those guys who would finally crack and bring a gun to school.
“He was kind of off-balance,” Brown said. “When we met last year, he actually came up and shook my hand and asked my name. Then, like five minutes later he came back and said, ‘You know I’m not crazy, but people tick me off sometimes.’ Out of the blue.”
Zeke Jackson, 40, said he stopped trying to recruit Odighizuwa for the school’s Black Law Students’ Association after Odighizuwa sent the dean a letter complaining that Jackson was harassing him.
“I knew he’d do something like this,” Jackson said.
Odighizuwa was arrested on Aug. 15 for allegedly assaulting his wife. The police report said he hit her in the face, bruising her right eye.
Police said Odighizuwa repeatedly approached them with concerns about people breaking into his house on the outskirts of this small town in western Virginia.
Chief Deputy Randall Ashby said Odighizuwa told police last year that someone placed a bullet in a stairway at his home. Three months ago, he complained again that his home has been broken into.
“Both times my deputies checked it out and found nothing,” Ashby said.
Odighizuwa also regularly visited the sheriff’s office to nitpick with deputies over the wording of the police reports he’d filed, Ashby said.
Despite Odighizuwa’s problems, the dean and others tried to help him through school. Last year, Sutin raised enough money to buy Odighizuwa a used car, clothes and food, according to students and staff.
Chris Clifton, the school’s financial aid officer, said Sutin also helped get Odighizuwa a $19,000 loan last fall.
“That’s what doesn’t make sense,” said Mary Kilpatrick, a third-year student, wondering aloud why Odighizuwa would kill the dean. “He’s the one who allowed him to stay here.”
Odighizuwa, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nigeria, had been struggling in school for more than a year and had been dismissed before. His grades were poor again last semester, and school officials told Odighizuwa on Tuesday that they were flunking him.
“I don’t think Peter knew at this time that it was going to be permanent and final,” said Clifton, the financial aid officer. “He slung his chair across the room and slammed the door.”
The next day, after the rampage, witnesses say Odighizuwa left the building, dropped a gun and was tackled by several students.
After a tearful memorial service at Grundy Baptist Church, hundreds of people gathered to place flowers at the base of the school’s stone sign, under an American flag flying at half-staff.
“We feel in our hearts the deepest pain,” said Rabbi Stanley Funston of a synagogue in Bluefield, W.Va., that Sutin attended during the holidays.
Chris Kahn
Associated Press Worldstream
Tracy Bridges didn’t have much time to think when he saw Peter Odighizuwa on the front lawn of the Appalachian School of Law moments after he allegedly went on a killing spree.
“I just reacted,” said Bridges, a student and sheriff’s deputy who tackled Odighizuwa with classmates Todd Ross and Ted Besen after the Wednesday shootings.
The three men pinned Odighizuwa to the ground, and Bridges handcuffed the man’s arms behind his back.
Odighizuwa, 42, a former student who was dismissed on Tuesday for bad grades, is accused of shooting and killing Dean L. Anthony Sutin, Professor Thomas Blackwell and student Angela Dales.
As screaming students started climbing out of windows, Bridges and Besen said their police and military training took over.
“I’m a former Marine, former police officer,” said Besen, 37. “Who better to do that? I’m trained to do that. I’m not going to let him shoot anyone else if I could.”
Odighizuwa, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nigeria, was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Grundy General District Court on capital murder charges.
Chris Clifton, the school’s financial officer, said he met with Odighizuwa on Tuesday afternoon along with other school officials to notify him that he was being permanently dismissed for poor grades. Odighizuwa had flunked out and then was readmitted a year before.
On Wednesday, Odighizuwa stopped in the office of professor Dale Rubin to talk about his grades and as he left reportedly asked Rubin to pray for him, police said. He then walked to Sutin’s and Blackwell’s offices and shot them with a .380-caliber pistol, State Police spokesman Mike Stater said. Blackwell had taught contract law to Odighizuwa.
“There were three quick shots, then we heard, I think, three more,” said Bridges, 25.
Bridges and Besen, a former police officer from Wilmington, North Carolina, crept down a back stairwell to the parking lot, and Bridges got his gun out of the car.
Odighizuwa had walked outside and stood with a confused look on his face, Bridges said.
“I planned on blindsiding him from behind,” Besen said. “He sat the weapon down and raised his hands up in the air. I didn’t know if he was praying.”
Besen said he ran toward Odighizuwa and told him to get on the ground.
“He kind of came at me. He swung and hit me in the jaw,” Besen said.
Once pinned down, he kept shouting, “I have nowhere to go. I have nowhere to go.”’
‘I was sick’ _ murder charges filed against former law student in deadly school rampage
Chris Kahn
Associated Press Worldstream
The expelled law school student accused of killing his dean and two others in a campus shooting spree was so paranoid and prone to outbursts that at least one classmate said he saw the violence coming.
At Thursday’s arraignment on three counts of capital murder, Peter Odighizuwa, 43, told the judge he was sick and needed help.
“I was supposed to see my doctor,” Odighizuwa said, hiding his face behind a green arrest warrant. “He was supposed to help me out … I don’t have my medication.”
Prosecutor Sheila Tolliver said she will seek the death penalty.
Police say Odighizuwa, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nigeria, opened fire with a handgun at the Appalachian School of Law on Wednesday, a day after he was dismissed from the school for a second time.
L. Anthony Sutin, the dean, and professor Thomas Blackwell were slain in their offices and student Angela Dales, 33, was shot in an ensuing shooting rampage and died later at a hospital. Three other students were wounded.
He dropped his weapon when tackled by several students.
Odighizuwa also faces three counts of attempted capital murder and six weapons charges. A few minutes before his arraignment, Odighizuwa told reporters as he was led into the courtroom, “I was sick, I was sick. I need help.”
Police said Odighizuwa was evaluated and given medication in jail, but declined to identify the drug.
On Thursday, students wept in small, shivering circles, many of them wondering about the classmate who always seemed aloof and was prone to vulgar outbursts.
Kenneth Brown, 28, said his friends always joked that Odighizuwa was one of those guys who would finally crack and bring a gun to school.
“He was kind of off-balance,” Brown said. “When we met last year, he actually came up and shook my hand and asked my name. Then, like five minutes later he came back and said, ‘You know I’m not crazy, but people tick me off sometimes.’ Out of the blue.”
Odighizuwa was arrested on Aug. 15 for allegedly assaulting his wife. The police report said he hit her in the face, bruising her right eye.
Police said Odighizuwa repeatedly approached them with concerns about people breaking into his house on the outskirts of this small town in western Virginia.
Chief Deputy Randall Ashby said Odighizuwa told police last year that someone placed a bullet in a stairway at his home. Three months ago, he complained again that his home has been broken into.
“Both times my deputies checked it out and found nothing,” Ashby said.
Despite Odighizuwa’s problems, the dean and others tried to help him through school. Last year, Sutin raised enough money to buy Odighizuwa a used car, clothes and food, according to students and staff.
“That’s what doesn’t make sense,” said Mary Kilpatrick, a third-year student, wondering aloud why Odighizuwa would kill the dean. “He’s the one who allowed him to stay here.”
Odighizuwa had been struggling in school for more than a year and had been dismissed before. His grades were poor again last semester, and school officials told Odighizuwa on Tuesday that they were flunking him.
Three killed in college shootings
Belfast Telegraph
A CLOSE-knit American community was today in mourning after a college student killed his dean, a lecturer and another student, and injured three women students during a shooting rampage.
The gunman, named as Peter Odighizuma, was overpowered by four other students while still wielding his semi-automatic handgun at the tiny college campus at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia.
The remote town was in shock after the shootings. Dr Jack Briggs, the first doctor on the scene, said the dean, Anthony Sutin, had apparently been shot twice in the head at point-blank range, while the professor, who has not been named, was shot while he lay wounded on the ground.
“It appears as though some of these shots were fired after one professor was down and they were shot at point blank range,” the doctor told Fox News.
“Two shots were shot into the dean in the head. It appears he was executed.
“It looked like a war zone. There were bodies everywhere.”
The two staff members were apparently shot in front of their secretaries before the gunman went on the rampage in which he shot randomly at students.
The doctor said the gunman was a “foreign exchange student” and had been on the point of being told to leave the law school, which has around 170 students and was founded in 1997.
“Four students tackled him and took him down,” said the doctor.
“They got him down and kept him for the police. I do not believe he had given up his weapon.
“This student was a foreign student who had had difficulty. He flunked out of school last year.
“He was given another chance, but this was the end of the first semester. I believe that the dean was about to tell him that he would have to leave.
“He took his anger out on the people who I think he thought were responsible for him leaving the school.”
The doctor added: “The person who did the shooting was a patient of mine. I saw him about six months ago. He was complaining of stress.”
“He was a timebomb waiting to go off.”
Belfast News Letter (Northern Ireland)
FOUR students overpowered a gunman who went on a shooting spree at their US college last night, killing three people in what a doctor described as “executions”.
The four students tackled the man while he was still armed with a .380 semi -automatic pistol and managed to hold him until police arrived at the Appalachian School of Law, in Grundy, Virginia.
He had already shot and killed three people, including the dean of the college and one of the professors, and left three other students critically injured. The doctor who was the first medical worker on the scene said the dean of the school, Anthony Sutin, had been “executed” with shots to the head, and another member of staff had been shot in the back as he lay on the ground.
“It appears as though some of these shots were after one professor was down and they were shot at point-blank range,” said Dr Jack Briggs.
“Two shots were shot into the dean in the head. It appears he was executed. It looked like a war zone. There were bodies everywhere.”
The two staff members were apparently shot in front of their secretaries before the gunman went on a spree in which he shot randomly at students.
The doctor said the gunman was a “foreign exchange student” and had been on the point of being told to leave the law school which has around 170 students and was founded in 1997.
“Four students tackled him and took him down,” said the doctor. “They got him down and kept him for his police. I do not believe he had given up his weapon.
“This student was a foreign student who had had difficulty. He flunked out of school last year.
“He was given another chance, but this was the end of the first semester. I believe that the dean was about to tell him that he would have to leave.
“He took his anger out on the people who I think he thought were responsible for him leaving the school.”
The three students were described as being “critical” by Dr Briggs, and had been transferred by helicopter to hospitals near the small town, which is in a rural area of the Appalachian Mountains.
The doctor added: “The person who did the shooting was a patient of mine. I saw him about six months ago. He was complaining of stress.
“He was a timebomb waiting to go off. There are lots of things that will come out in the trial that I think are probably pretty pertinent to his personality.”
The college was set up in 1997 to help the run-down coal-mining area’s economy and Mr Sutin, a graduate of Harvard Law School, was made principal with a staff of just 15.
Dr Briggs paid tribute to the dean and said: “He was a real good guy.”
STUDENTS CAPTURE KILLER GUNMAN
Hugh Dougherty
Birmingham Post
Four students overpowered a gunman who went on a shooting spree at their US college last night, killing three people in what a doctor described as ‘executions’.
The four tackled the man while he was still armed with a .38 semi-automatic pistol and managed to hold him until police arrived at the Appalachian School of Law, in Grundy, Virginia.
Gunman Peter Odighizuma, aged 43, was being held in jail last night. One of the dead men was the Dean - Anthony Sutin - the chief legal adviser to former Presidential candidate Al Gore’s failed bid for the White House in 2000. He had also been an assistant US attorney-general in Washington before being appointed to the college.
The doctor who was the first medical worker on the scene said Mr Sutin had been ‘executed’ with shots to the head, and another member of staff had been shot in the back as he lay on the ground. A third staff member was also killed.
‘It appears as though some of these shots were after one professor was down and they were shot at point-blank range,’ said Dr Jack Briggs.
‘Two shots were fired into the dean - in the head. It appears he was executed.
‘It looked like a war zone. There were bodies everywhere.’ Two of the staff members were apparently shot in front of their secretaries before the gunman went on a spree in which he shot randomly at students.
The doctor said the gunman was a ‘foreign exchange student’ and had been on the point of being told to leave the law school which has 170 students.
‘Four students tackled him and took him down,’ said the doctor.
‘They got him down and kept him for the police. I do not believe he had given up his weapon.
‘This student was a foreign student who had had difficulty. He flunked out of school last year.
‘He was given another chance, but this was the end of the first semester. I believe that the dean was about to tell him that he would have to leave.
‘He took his anger out on the
Birmingham Evening Mail
A GUNMAN killed three people and wounded three others during a shooting spree at a law school in the United States today, officials said. Among the dead at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia, was the dean, Anthony Sutin, said a spokeswoman for Governor Mark Warner.
She said a student and another member of the faculty were also killed.
State police believe students had arrested the suspect, Qualls said. She said the weapon was a .380 semiautomatic handgun.
Grundy is in the Appalachian foothills, 120 miles west of Roanoke.
Bristol Evening Post
AMERICA: Four students overpowered a gunman who went on a shooting spree at their US college last night, killing three people in what a doctor described as “executions”. The four students tackled the man while he was still armed with a .380 semi -automatic pistol and managed to hold him until police arrived at the Appalachian School of Law, in Grundy, Virginia.
He had already shot and killed three people, including the dean of the college and one of the professors, and left three other students critically injured.
The gunman was allegedly on the point of being told to leave the law school due to poor results.
Bristol Evening Post
A DISGRUNTLED student shot and killed three people and wounded three others at a US law college. Police said the college dean, a professor and another student were killed in the incident in Virginia.
Peter Odighizuma, 43, pictured, is being held by police over the shooting at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, which happened after he was suspended.
Witnesses said the man began firing a .380 semi-automatic handgun in the dean’s office before shooting at random in the student lounge.
Three students were wounded and taken to Buchanan General Hospital.
Broadcast News (BN)
GRUNDY, Virginia—A struggling Nigerian student at a Virginia law school went on a campus shooting rampage yesterday, killing the dean, a professor and a student before being tackled by students.
Police say the gunman asked a professor to pray for him before he started shooting.
The attack, with a semi-automatic handgun, also wounded three students at the Appalachian School of Law.
Two were in surgery last night and the third is listed in fair condition.
The 42-year-old suspect, (Peter Odighizuwa), went to the school to meet with the dean about his academic suspension.
It’s reported he had a history of mental instability that school officials knew about.
He’s being held on three counts of capital murder and three weapons counts.
Broadcast News (BN)
(Kabul, Afghanistan-AP)—Secretary of State Colin Powell pledges the U-S will support Afghanistan now and in the future.
He’s on a quick visit to Afghanistan before going to India. His movements are being kept secret for security reasons.
In Kabul today, Powell met with Afghanistan’s interim president Hamid Karzai (HAH’-mihd KAHR’-zeye) and declared, We will be with you in this current crisis and in the future.”
He said the U-S will be making a substantial financial commitment at next week’s Afghan donor conference in Tokyo and will help make sure Afghanistan is never again used as a launch-pad for terrorism.
Powell is also thanking Afghan employees of the U-S Embassy, who protected the site during the years the U-S was not there.
(Pentagon-AP)—The U-S military hasn’t given up the search for the elusive Osama bin Laden or for evidence linking his network to weapons of mass destruction.
Defense officials say, so far, there’s no proof the terrorists were able to possess chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. A search of some 45 of 50 suspected sites has found nothing conclusive.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday did mention some suspicious canisters that might have contained chemical weapons. But later, defense officials cast doubt on that, saying they’re believed to be innocuous. But the hunt for further proof continues, as does the chase for bin Laden.
Rumsfeld says the U-S military is operating on the basis that bin Laden remains in Afghanistan. And the defense secretary still insists the terrorist leader eventually will be found.
(Boston-AP)—The government says Richard Reid trained with al-Qaida terrorists in Afghanistan, and he could get five life terms in prison.
A new federal indictment accuses the British citizen of trying to blow up a plane by lighting explosives in his shoes. His lawyer notes he’s not accused of trying to further the cause of any terrorist organization.
Investigators say Reid’s travels match those of an al-Qaida operative listed on a computer obtained in Afghanistan by The Wall Street Journal.
And a U-S military official said Reid has been linked to an al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan by a detainee at the U-S naval base in Cuba.
(Jerusalem-AP)—The blockade is back.
Israel has blocked off four West Bank cities today, after more Palestinian shooting attacks. Palestinian gunmen have killed three civilians in the past three days.
The Israeli Security Cabinet agreed on the action early today.
A bomb blast Monday killed a Palestinian militia leader. The Palestinians say it was an Israeli assassination.
Palestinian security officials say a Palestinian militia member was killed early today in a clash with Israeli soldiers outside the town of Nablus.
Israeli police say a Palestinian doctor was gunned down yesterday by fellow Palestinians who mistook him for a Jew because he was driving a car with Israeli license plates. Two other civilians were killed Tuesday.
(White House-AP)—President Bush is pitching his energy plan today in a visit to Teamsters headquarters in Washington.
The big union was a key Bush ally in last year’s House passage of the plan—and the president’s hoping the Teamsters can help convince Senators to go along this year.
The union visit is part of the build-up to Bush’s State of the Union speech, in which energy policy is expected to play a prominent role. The president argues America urgently needs to reduce its dependence on foreign oil, and his plan would do just that. It emphasizes developing domestic sources of energy.
But environmentalists say Bush is giving short-shrift to conservation. And they especially don’t like his plan to allow drilling in the Alaskan Arctic.
Teamsters officials see that drilling as a source of jobs.
(Washington-AP)—Republicans and Democrats are sharpening their contrasting views of the economy as they begin planning for this fall’s elections.
Both parties are beginning their three-day winter meetings today. The Democrats are meeting in Washington. The Republicans are convening in the capital of President Bush’s home state, Texas.
Democrats are hoping to build on their victories this past November, with an eye toward retaking control of the House.
The Republicans will be looking for ways to win back control of the U-S Senate while increasing their grip on the House. The G-O-P is stepping up efforts to broaden the party’s appeal among Hispanics and improve turnout of grassroots voters.
The challenge for Democrats is how to expand their appeal to rural voters and retain their core minority and women voters.
(Grundy, Virginia-AP)—Violence at a western Virginia law school has left the dean and two other people dead.
Yesterday’s shootings at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia, have stunned the community.
Investigators say suspect, Peter Odighizuwa (ah di-guh-ZOO’-muh), went to the school to discuss his academic dismissal. Officials say he met a professor, asked him to pray for him, then went to the offices of the dean and another professor and shot them.
Witnesses say the student then went to a common area, opening fire on a crowd of students, killing one and seriously wounding three others.
The suspect is a naturalized U-S citizen from Nigeria who had flunked out last year but been allowed to return this year.
A spokeswoman for Virginia’s governor says the suspect had a history of mental instability and says school officials knew about it.
(Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba-AP)—A Marine commander at the U-S navy base in Cuba says some of the latest arriving Afghan war prisoners have made death threats.
Brigadier General Michael Lehnert says several of the detainees have publicly stated their intent to kill an American before leaving Guantanamo Bay.
Heavily armed Marines met the latest group of 30 Taliban and al-Qaida war prisoners yesterday, bringing to 80 the number being detained. Thirty more are due to arrive today.
There’s been some criticism of the treatment of the prisoners and a team from the international Red Cross is to inspect conditions at the camp today. Amnesty International says keeping detainees in cages falls below minimum standards for humane treatment.” The group says the six-by-eight-foot cells are smaller than considered acceptable for ordinary prisoners.
The U-S says the Afghan detainees are not ordinary. As General Lehnert puts it, These are not nice people.”
(Washington-AP)—Microsoft chairman Bill Gates is putting a new emphasis on security and privacy in the company’s operating systems and software applications.
The Associated Press has obtained e-mail to Microsoft employees in which Gates calls the new philosophy, Trustworthy Computing.” He says his highest priority is ensuring computer users can use the Internet without fear of getting hacked.
The announcement follows revelations of serious security flaws in the Windows X-P operating system unveiled last autumn and previous security holes in Microsoft applications.
Industry watchers are praising the move. Analyst David Smith says it may be overdue.
Gates’ message to employees says new software features will have to take a backseat to resolving security issues.
(Maryland City, Maryland-AP)—Fire officials say people who thought they were buying kerosene at a gas station in Maryland got gasoline instead.
A delivery of gasoline was mistakenly substituted for kerosene at a Citgo station in Maryland City, outside Baltimore.
Fire officials say anybody who bought what they thought was kerosene at the station this week should check the fuel carefully before using it. Using gasoline in devices like kerosene heaters can cause an explosion.
Suspended law student kills three on campus
Calgary Herald (Alberta, Canada)
A struggling Nigerian student at a Virginia law school went on a campus shooting rampage Wednesday, killing the dean, a professor and a student before he was tackled by other students, authorities said.
The attack also wounded three students at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy. Two were in surgery Wednesday evening and the third was listed in fair condition.
“When I got there, there were bodies laying everywhere,” said Dr. Jack Briggs, who was one of the first to arrive after the shooting.
The 42-year-old suspect, Peter Odighizuwa, went to the school to meet with the dean about his recent academic suspension, state police said.
Shooting at a small law school in Virginia kills three and wounds three
CBS Morning News (6:30 AM ET) - CBS
JULIE CHEN, anchor:
Three people are dead and three others were wounded in a shooting at a small law school in western Virginia. Police say the suspect, Peter Odighizuma, opened fire at Appalachian School of Law, killing a dean, a professor and a student. He had flunked out last year, had been allowed to return and was at the school Wednesday to talk to the dean about his second dismissal. Witnesses say after shooting the dean, Odighizuma fired into a crowd of students.
Mr. JOHN HARRIS (Witness): I ran. I got out because I–I could–can’t do anything. The guy has a pistol. What do you do? So you run. So I ran out the door and ran to the library, told people that he has a gun, that they would–should probably leave.
CHEN: Other students tackled the gunman. Officials say he had a history of mental instability.
The Early Show (7:00 AM ET) - CBS
BRYANT GUMBEL, co-host:
An immigrant law student is being held on three counts of capital murder after opening fire at his Virginia school on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring three others. Forty-three-year-old Peter Odighizuwa was apparently upset about being kicked out of the Appalachian School of Law because of poor grades. Jason Arthur, Ted Besen and Tracy Bridges were among a group of students who took the gunman down. They’re all in Grundy, Virginia.
Gentlemen, good morning.
Mr. JASON ARTHUR (Shooting Witness): Good morning, sir.
Mr. TED BESEN (Helped Subdue Suspect): Good morning.
Mr. TRACY BRIDGES (Helped Subdue Suspect): Good morning.
GUMBEL: Mr. Arthur, let me start with you, if I might, because I’m told you actually witnessed the sooting–shooting. Tell me what you saw.
Mr. ARTHUR: It was shortly after 1:00 and I had returned from lunch and I was walking through the lobby of the school when Peter–was very close to me when he pulled a gun and began shooting.
GUMBEL: Was this after he had already shot Dean Rubin and Professor Blackwell?
Mr. ARTHUR: I–I’m–was not sure, sir. I had just gotten back to campus. I–I–I don’t know exactly in what order the shootings occurred.
GUMBEL: You say he began shooting. Was he picking out particular students or–or just spraying wherever he wished?
Mr. ARTHUR: He seemed to, as he walked all the way to the–to the back corner of the lobby area and walked up to a group of three females and opened fire.
GUMBEL: A group of three females. Was he necessarily going after female students? I ask that because supposedly he’d had problems with female students before.
Mr. ARTHUR: I can’t comment as to that, sir.
GUMBEL: Mr. Besen and Mr. Bridges, you two, I’m told, were together when the shooting started. You both have police backgrounds. Did you know immediately that it was gunfire you were hearing?
Mr. BESEN: No. We couldn’t tell exactly what it was at first. We thought it might have been maintenance in the hallways because there’s an echo. But after the–the second group of shooting–shots and the screams, that’s when we knew that something was going on.
GUMBEL: You say the second group. Can I assume that the first group was the grouping that–that took down Dean Sutin and Professor Blackwell?
Mr. BESEN: I–I believe was the first was that–was Professor Blackwell was shot first, and then I believe the second grouping was Dean Sutin.
GUMBEL: Yeah. You chased Peter O–which I understand he’s called–you chased Peter O down outside. Tell me about what happened.
Mr. BESEN: Well, we came–we exited our class. We came out. That’s when other professor had come out and stated that Professor Blackwell had been shot by Peter O. Tracy and I went back to the room, got the students out of the classroom, we went down the stairs in the back of the building and showed them the door so they could go to the rear of the–the school. I went around the–the back corner, opposite side of the school here, to get a visual on him as he was walking out of the–the Lions Lounge downstairs.
GUMBEL: Was he still armed?
Mr. BESEN: And at that–at–at that point in time he was still armed. He had walked over to a light just directly back over here, where he had set down the weapon. He put up his arms and he was yelling and screaming something. I couldn’t tell. I was trying to creep up on him, and when he turned toward the street out here, that’s when I–I rushed him.
GUMBEL: Did he try to fight back or resist?
Mr. BESEN: Oh, yes. I–I ordered him to get down to the ground when he turned back on me because he–he obviously heard me coming from behind. He said no, and then I went to put him on the ground. He punched me in the jaw, then started swinging at me furiously. At that point in time I just let him come toward me, keep him busy while some other students…
GUMBEL: Yeah.
Mr. BESEN: …came and hit him from the backside.
GUMBEL: And, Tracy, I understand that’s when you came along. You helped pin him down. Once you had him down, did–did Peter O say anything to you?
Mr. BRIDGES: The only comment that I know that he was mumbling was something about him being a Muslim and to be taken to a mosque.
GUMBEL: Did you know him, Tracy? Did you know him? What was he like?
Mr. BRIDGES: I knew of him. It’s a relatively small school here, so we know most of the faces here at the school. So I did know of Peter.
GUMBEL: We’re told he had a history of mental instability. Did that surprise you?
Mr. BRIDGES: I’m not really sure. I–I didn’t have any classes or anything with Peter. You know, I’ve heard rumors of him having conflicts with other students, but I’ve not personally dealt with him.
GUMBEL: Yeah. Campus will be closed there for a while. What’s the mood there?
Mr. BRIDGES: It’s just kind of surreal right now. It is a very close campus. Everybody was very close with the students who were injured and the faculty and their families. And we just hope we can help them get through this.
GUMBEL: Don’t we all. Gentlemen, I thank you all very much. Tracy Bridges, Ted Besen, Jason Arthur, I appreciate you getting up with us. Thank you.
Mr. ARTHUR: Thank you, sir.
Mr. BESEN: Thank you.
Mr. BRIDGES: Thank you.
3 shot dead at Va. law school Dean, professor among victims ; student who flunked in custody
Wire Reports
Charleston Gazette (West Virginia)
GRUNDY, Va. - A struggling Nigerian law school student went on a campus shooting spree Wednesday, killing the dean, a professor and a student before he was tackled by students, authorities said.
The attack also wounded three students at the Appalachian School of Law. Two were in surgery Wednesday evening and the third was listed in fair condition.
“When I got there, there were bodies laying everywhere,” said Dr. Jack Briggs, who was one of the first to arrive after the shooting in this tiny mountain community in western Virginia.
Cool Ridge, W.Va., resident Melanie E. Page, a second-year student at the 170-student school, said she did not believe any of the West Virginia students enrolled in the law school were harmed.
Dean L. Anthony Sutin and professor Thomas Blackwell were gunned down in their offices, according to school officials. Police said the third person slain was student Angela Dales, 33.
The 42-year-old suspect, Peter Odighizuwa, had arrived at school to meet with the dean about his academic suspension, which went into effect Wednesday, State Police spokesman Mike Stater said.
Odighizuwa first stopped in the office of professor Dale Rubin to talk about his grades, and as he left reportedly asked Rubin to pray for him, police said.
He then walked to Sutin’s and Blackwell’s offices and shot them with a .380-caliber pistol, Stater said. Witnesses said Odighizuwa then went downstairs into a common area and opened fire on a crowd of students, killing Dales and seriously wounding three others.
“I saw one of the girls that was shot and she was screaming for a tourniquet,” said former Charleston, W.Va., resident Jeremy Burnside, a student who was in the library when the shooting erupted.
The University of Charleston graduate had seen Odighizuwa earlier in the day. “I knew him from class, and I knew he was mad because he flunked out,” Burnside said.
Todd Ross, 30, of Johnson City, Tenn., was among the students who were outside when Odighizuwa left the building. Ross said the suspect was holding his hands in the air and dropped the gun at his prompting.
Odighizuwa was promptly tackled and “struggled after we got him on the ground, but then just laid there,” Ross said. He said the suspect kept shouting, “I have nowhere to go. I have nowhere to go.’”
The suspect was being held at the Buchanan County Jail on three counts of capital murder and three weapons counts, authorities said.
Ellen Qualls, a spokeswoman for Gov. Mark Warner, said Odighizuwa had a history of mental instability that school officials knew about.
Rubin, the professor who spoke with the suspect moments before the rampage, declined comment after the shooting.
First-year student Justin Marlowe from Richwood, W.Va., said the suspect had been in all of his classes.
“He was a real quiet guy who kept to himself. He didn’t talk to anybody, but he gave no indication that he was capable of something like this,” Marlowe said.
He also said Odighizuwa had flunked out a year ago and “the dean bent over backward to get him enrolled again.”
Odighizuwa had children and a wife, students said. He once told classmates he had no money to feed his children and other students gave him money.
“He’s just a little bit not there,” said Burnside, a former state employee in Charleston.
“He was hostile,” said Charleston resident Eric Wilson, a student at the school. “We called it [a shooting incident] jokingly, but we never thought it would happen.”
Page said she only slightly knew Odighizuwa. “He barely spoke English. No one understood him,” she said.
The private law school was closed for the rest of the week.
The governor, who had served on the school’s board until he took office last week, said he was shocked by the shooting.
“I commend the students who acted swiftly to apprehend the suspect,” Warner said. “My heart goes out to the school and the community. I know that such a close-knit community will feel such a tragedy especially deeply.”
Sutin, a 1984 graduate of Harvard Law School, was also an associate professor at the school. He left the Justice Department to help found the school after working for the Democratic National Committee and Bill Clinton’s campaign in 1992, according to the Web site of Jurist, the Legal Education Network.
Attorney General John Ashcroft issued a statement expressing his condolences to Sutin’s wife and their two children.
The school opened five years ago in a renovated junior high school in Grundy, a town of about 1,100 just a few miles south of the Kentucky and West Virginia state lines.
School officials hope to ease a shortage of lawyers in the coalfields of southwest Virginia, help change the region’s image and foster renewal in Appalachia. The American Bar Association rejected the school’s first application for accreditation in 1999, but the school graduated its first class of 34 in 2000.
There are about 15 faculty members, including alumni of law schools at the University of California at Berkeley and Columbia, Harvard and Howard universities.
“You read about it in other areas, but when it comes home it really hurts,” said state Delegate Jackie Stump of Grundy, fighting back tears as he hung his head and walked away from a news conference in Richmond.
Shooting at Virginia law school kills 3
Roger Alford
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
GRUNDY, Va.—A struggling Nigerian law school student went on a campus shooting spree Wednesday, killing the dean, a professor and a student before he was tackled by students, authorities said.
The attack also wounded three students at the Appalachian School of Law. Two were in surgery Wednesday evening and the third was listed in fair condition.
“When I got there there were bodies laying everywhere,” said Dr. Jack Briggs, who was one of the first to arrive after the shooting in this tiny mountain community in western Virginia.
Dean L. Anthony Sutin and Professor Thomas Blackwell were gunned down in their offices, according to school officials. Police said the third person slain was student Angela Dales, 33.
The 42-year-old suspect, Peter Odighizuwa, had arrived at school to meet with the dean about his academic suspension, which went into effect Wednesday, State Police spokesman Mike Stater said.
Odighizuwa first stopped in the office of Professor Dale Rubin to talk about his grades and as he left reportedly asked Rubin to pray for him, police said.
He then walked to Sutin’s and Blackwell’s offices and shot them with a .380-caliber pistol, Stater said. Witnesses said Odighizuwa then went downstairs into a common area and opened fire on a crowd of students, killing Dales and seriously wounding three others.
Todd Ross, 30, of Johnson City, Tenn., was among the students who were outside when Odighizuwa left the building. Ross said the suspect was holding his hands in the air and dropped the gun at his prompting.
Odighizuwa was promptly tackled and “struggled after we got him on the ground, but then just laid there,” Ross said. He said the suspect kept shouting, “‘I have nowhere to go. I have nowhere to go.”’
The suspect was being held at the Buchanan County Jail on three counts of capital murder and three weapons counts, authorities said.
First-year student Justin Marlowe from Richwood, W.Va., said the suspect had been in all of his classes.
“He was a real quiet guy who kept to himself. He didn’t talk to anybody, but he gave no indication that he was capable of something like this,” Marlowe said.
He also said Odighizuwa had flunked out a year ago and “the dean bent over backward to get him enrolled again.”
Dismissed student killed 3, police say
Roger Alford
Chicago Tribune
A struggling law school student went on a campus shooting spree Wednesday, killing the dean, a professor and a student before he was tackled by students, authorities said.
The attack also wounded three students at the Appalachian School of Law. They were hospitalized in fair condition.
The school’s dean, L. Anthony Sutin, and professor Thomas Blackwell were gunned down in their offices, according to school officials. Police said the third person slain was student Angela Dales, 33.
The suspect, Peter Odighizuwa, 42, was going to meet with the dean about his academic dismissal, which went into effect Wednesday, State Police spokesman Mike Stater said.
Odighizuwa, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nigeria, had flunked out last year and been allowed to return to the school.
He first stopped in the office of professor Dale Rubin to talk about his grades and as he left reportedly asked Rubin to pray for him, police said.
He walked to Sutin’s and Blackwell’s offices and shot them with a .380-caliber pistol, Stater said. Odighizuwa then went downstairs and opened fire on students, killing Dales and wounding three others.
Todd Ross, 30, of Johnson City, Tenn., was among the students who were outside when Odighizuwa left the building. Ross said the suspect was holding his hands in the air and dropped the gun at his prompting.
Odighizuwa was tackled and “struggled after we got him on the ground, but then just laid there,” Ross said. He said the suspect kept shouting, “I have nowhere to go.”
The suspect was being held at the Buchanan County Jail on three counts of capital murder and three weapons counts, authorities said.
Ellen Qualls, a spokeswoman for Gov. Mark Warner, said Odighizuwa had a history of mental instability that school officials knew about.
The private law school, with an enrollment of about 170 students, was closed for the week.
LAW SCHOOL GUN SPREE KILLS DEAN, TWO OTHERS
Associated Press
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
A student who had been dismissed from law school went on a campus shooting spree Wednesday, killing the dean, a professor and a student before he was tackled by students, authorities said.
The attack also wounded three female students at the Appalachian School of Law. They were hospitalized in fair condition Wednesday night.
“When I got there, there were bodies laying everywhere,” said Dr. Jack Briggs, one of the first to arrive.
Dean L. Anthony Sutin and professor Thomas Blackwell were gunned down in their offices, according to school officials. Police said the third person slain was student Angela Dales, 33.
Authorities said the 42-year-old suspect, Peter Odighizuwa, had arrived at school to meet with the dean about his academic dismissal, which went into effect Wednesday.
Odighizuwa, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Nigeria, first stopped in professor Dale Rubin’s office to talk about his grades and as he left reportedly asked Rubin to pray for him, police said.
He then walked to Sutin’s and Blackwell’s offices and shot them with a .380-caliber pistol, state police spokesman Mike Stater said. Witnesses said Odighizuwa then went downstairs into a common area and opened fire on students, killing Dales and wounding three others.
Todd Ross, 30, of Johnson City, Tenn., was outside when Odighizuwa left the building. Ross said the suspect was holding his hands in the air and dropped the gun at his prompting.
Odighizuwa was promptly tackled and “struggled after we got him on the ground, but then just laid there,” Ross said. He said the suspect kept shouting, ” ‘I have nowhere to go. I have nowhere to go.’ “
Ellen Qualls, a spokesman for Gov. Mark Warner, said Odighizuwa had a history of mental instability that school officials knew about.
First-year student Justin Marlowe from Richwood, W.Va., said the suspect had been in all of his classes.
“He was a real quiet guy who kept to himself. He didn’t talk to anybody, but he gave no indication that he was capable of something like this,” Marlowe said.
Daily Post (Liverpool)
FOUR students overpowered a gunman who went on a shooting spree at their US college last night, killing three people in what a doctor described as “executions”.
The four students tackled the man who was armed with a .38 pistol and managed to hold him until police arrived at the Appalachian School of Law, in Grundy, Virginia. He had already shot and killed three people, including the dean of the college and one of the professors, and left three female students critically injured.
The doctor who was the first medical worker on the scene said the dean of the school, Anthony Sutin, had been “executed” with shots to the head, and another member of staff had been shot in the back as he lay on the ground.
“It appears as though some of these shots were after one professor was down and they were shot at point blank range, ” said Dr Jack Briggs.
The doctor said the gunman was a foreign exchange student whom he had treated for stress and had been on the point of being told to leave the law school.
“This student was a foreign student who had had difficulty. He flunked out of school last year.
“He was given another chance but this was the end of the first semester. I believe that the dean was about to tell him that he would have to leave.”
Daily Post (Liverpool)
A GUNMAN killed three people and wounded three others during a shooting spree at a law school in the United States today, officials said. Among the dead at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia, was the dean, Anthony Sutin, said Ellen Qualls, spokeswoman for Governor Mark Warner.
She said a student and another member of the faculty were also killed.
State police believe students had arrested the suspect, Qualls said.
Three students were wounded and taken to Buchanan General Hospital. She said the weapon was a .380 semi-automatic handgun.
Anna Adams
Daily Record
A LAW student shot dead three people, including the dean of his school, after seeing his exam results.
A lecturer and a student were also killed and three other students were left fighting for their lives. The bloodbath only ended when brave students overpowered the gunman, who has not been named.
Early reports said the killer was a third-year foreign exchange student who was about to be thrown out of the school due to poor grades.
He ran amok with .380 semi-automatic pistol on the campus of the Appalachian Law School in the sleepy US town of Grundy, Virginia, after seeing his exam results posted on a notice board.
The first medic on the scene said the dean, Anthony Sutin, had been “executed” and the lecturer, Tom Blackwell, had been shot in the back as he lay on the ground.
Dr Jack Briggs said: “They were shot at point-blank range. The dean was shot twice in the head. It appears he was executed.”
The doctor said the gunman had flunked out of the school last year but had been given one last chance to make the grade. However, he was still failing.
The doctor added: “The person who did the shooting was a patient of mine. I saw him about six months ago. He was complaining of stress.”
“He was a timebomb waiting to go off.”
The college has around 170 students and was set up in 1997 to help the run -down coal mining area’s economy.
Failing student shoots three dead at law college
Ben Fenton
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH(LONDON)
THREE people including a former assistant US attorney general were shot dead by a disaffected law school student last night.
Three female students were wounded when the man, who was on the verge of being expelled, opened fire.
Two professors at the school in rural Virginia were “executed at point blank range” in front of their secretaries and the third victim, a student, was shot at random as the gunman emerged into a crowded lounge.
Police said that Peter Odighizuma, 43, a foreign student who was armed with a semi-automatic pistol, was then tackled and arrested by students of the Appalachian School of Law in the small town of Grundy.
The dead were Anthony Sutin, the dean, another professor and a female student at the school, police said.
Mr Sutin served under Janet Reno in the Clinton administration and was legal adviser to Al Gore, the Democrat presidential candidate, in the 2000 election campaign. The three injured, all of whom are in critical condition, were also shot randomly as the man started to look for additional victims.
Dr Jack Briggs, who tended the dead and wounded, said the death toll would have been greater if the gunman had had a bigger magazine in his gun. He was pulled to the ground by students when he ran out of bullets.
Dr Briggs, who is also the county coroner, said the killer had difficulty during his first year and had left.
“He came back again to try to start again, but he was failing again and I think they were ready to bring him in and tell him that, so he was ready to take his anger out on those who he felt were responsible,” Dr Briggs said.
The doctor added that he had treated the gunman for stress about six months ago.
“He was a timebomb waiting to go off,” Dr Briggs said.
3 KILLED, 3 WOUNDED IN LAW SCHOOL SHOOTING DISMISSED STUDENT GOES ON FATAL SPREE
Associated Press
Daily Press (Newport News, VA)
A student who had been dismissed from law school went on a shooting spree Wednesday, killing the school’s dean, a professor and a student before other students tackled him, officials said.
Three students were injured in the hail of gunfire.
L. Anthony Sutin, dean of the Appalachian School of Law, and Professor Thomas Blackwell were gunned down in their offices, according to school officials. The third person slain was student Angela Dales, 33, of Vansant, said State Police spokesman Mike Stater.
The suspect, Peter Odighizuwa, went to the school to meet with Sutin about his dismissal, which went into effect Wednesday, authorities said. Odighizuwa first stopped by the office of Professor Dale Rubin to talk about his grades, and as he left he reportedly asked Rubin to pray for him, Stater said.
Rubin, reached by telephone, declined to comment.
After visiting Rubin, Odighizuwa went to Sutin’s and Blackwell’s offices and shot them both with a .380-caliber pistol, Stater said.
Odighizuwa then went downstairs into a common area and opened fire on a crowd, said Dr. Jack Briggs, who has a private practice a half-mile from the school.
“When I got there there were bodies laying everywhere,” Briggs said.
Briggs said he had treated Odighizuwa in the past year. He described Odighizuwa as a Nigerian who had flunked out last year and been allowed to return. Odighizuwa was known on campus as “Peter O” and was a naturalized U.S. citizen, authorities and students said.
He is being held in the Buchanan County Jail on three counts of capital murder and three counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, authorities said. Ellen Qualls, spokeswoman for Gov. Mark Warner, said Odighizuwa, 42, had a history of mental instability that school officials were aware of.
Warner is a former member of the school’s board of trustees.
“I’m shocked and deeply saddened. I commend the students who acted swiftly to apprehend the suspect, who is now in custody. My heart goes out to the school and the community,” he said.
After the shootings, Odighizuwa left the building and was tackled and held down by several male students, including 30- year-old Todd Ross of Johnson City, Tenn.
“He came out and walked down on the sidewalk, had his hands up in the air with the gun. At some point I yelled his name and told him to drop the gun and to get on the ground,” Ross said.
Odighizuwa dropped the gun, and another student then confronted him and