Virginia Tech reveals gunman’s discovery

THE gunman who walked up to a police car and shot a Virginia Tech officer to death fled to nearby university greenhouses, where he changed clothes.

Despite his attempt to throw off a police manhunt, a patrolling sheriff’s deputy discovered him and the gunman killed himself.

State police yesterday laid out their most detailed account so far of the shooting that locked down the campus for several hours. It was the first shooting at the school since it was the scene of the deadliest gun rampage in modern US history that claimed 33 lives in 2007.

Investigators still do not know of any connections between the gunman, whom they have not named, and university police officer Deriek W Crouse, 39.

The trained firearms and defence instructor with a speciality in crisis intervention had pulled over a driver for a traffic violation when he was killed. There was no link between the driver and the gunman.

Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller said investigators are confident they know the shooter’s identity. They know he was not a student, but they do not why he targeted Crouse.

Crouse was sitting in his cruiser when the gunman walked up and shot him.

Authorities have in-car video from Crouse’s cruiser that shows a man with a handgun at the officer’s car.

The events unfolded on the same day Virginia Tech officials were in Washington, fighting a federal government fine over their handling of the 2007 massacre. Students have held nightly candlelit vigils since Thursday’s shooting.