Virginia Tech was in lockdown Thursday morning after three juveniles reported seeing a man on campus believed to be holding a handgun.
A campus alert reported a man "holding what may have been a handgun" outside New Residence Hall East, yet police authorities and the Associated Press reported the man was seen outside of the Dietrick Hall dining center on the Blacksburg, Va. campus. The bulletin indicated the weapon may have been covered by clothing.
"Officers responded immediately to the area but found no one matching the description," the school's bulletin said. Twitter feeds of individuals on campus said they had been asked to remain indoors.
The college, officially known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, locked down the campus and ordered students to stay inside after three teenagers participating in a camp there reported they spotted a possible gunman, said Mike Campbell, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington, D.C. field division.
The bulletin revived memories of the April 2007 massacre on the campus, when Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old Virginia Tech student, shot to death 32 fellow classmates and teachers before killing himself.
Mr. Campbell said agents had been placed on standby to assist but had not been dispatched yet because local authorities had not found anyone matching the description.
Dennette Rybiski, spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation out of Richmond said that the FBI was assisting and had been talking to local authorities. She said if agents weren't on campus yet, "they are en route."
A campus alert reported a man "holding what may have been a handgun" outside New Residence Hall East, yet police authorities and the Associated Press reported the man was seen outside of the Dietrick Hall dining center on the Blacksburg, Va. campus. The bulletin indicated the weapon may have been covered by clothing.
"Officers responded immediately to the area but found no one matching the description," the school's bulletin said. Twitter feeds of individuals on campus said they had been asked to remain indoors.
The college, officially known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, locked down the campus and ordered students to stay inside after three teenagers participating in a camp there reported they spotted a possible gunman, said Mike Campbell, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington, D.C. field division.
The bulletin revived memories of the April 2007 massacre on the campus, when Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old Virginia Tech student, shot to death 32 fellow classmates and teachers before killing himself.
Mr. Campbell said agents had been placed on standby to assist but had not been dispatched yet because local authorities had not found anyone matching the description.
Dennette Rybiski, spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation out of Richmond said that the FBI was assisting and had been talking to local authorities. She said if agents weren't on campus yet, "they are en route."
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