Spring Break
Stabbing leaves Va. Tech student dead
By: Caleb Fleming and Gordon Block
Issue date: 1/22/09 Section: News
A female Asian international student was fatally stabbed in the Au Bon Pain cafe of the Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown on Wednesday night.
Police took a male Asian international student into custody at the scene without struggle.
According to Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum, police received a call reporting a female being assaulted in the cafe at 7:06 p.m. Flinchum said it was clear the victim was deceased when officers arrived at the scene at 7:10 p.m.
The murder weapon was found at the scene, and Flinchum said the suspect was easily identifiable. Authorities declined to release the names of the suspect or victim who were graduate students.
Flinchum said witnesses of the stabbing were being interviewed and authorities were attempting to contact the suspect and victim's families.
In response to the stabbing, VT Alerts e-mails were sent to the university community at approximately 7:42 p.m., and College Avenue in front of the GLC was cordoned off. Squires Student Center was temporarily locked down, with no students permitted to exit the building.
"I found out about it at 7:30 p.m., and we had a message out to the university at 7:44 p.m.," said Virginia Tech University Spokesman Larry Hincker. "It takes a while for 40,000 messages to percolate through the system. We notified the campus community that there was a murder, and that a suspect was in custody."
Hincker said that the alert system appeared successful, and that there was no need to lock down the entire campus. The Tech Policy Group, a contingent of senior university officials assembled in emergency situations, did not convene.
Police took a male Asian international student into custody at the scene without struggle.
According to Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum, police received a call reporting a female being assaulted in the cafe at 7:06 p.m. Flinchum said it was clear the victim was deceased when officers arrived at the scene at 7:10 p.m.
The murder weapon was found at the scene, and Flinchum said the suspect was easily identifiable. Authorities declined to release the names of the suspect or victim who were graduate students.
Flinchum said witnesses of the stabbing were being interviewed and authorities were attempting to contact the suspect and victim's families.
In response to the stabbing, VT Alerts e-mails were sent to the university community at approximately 7:42 p.m., and College Avenue in front of the GLC was cordoned off. Squires Student Center was temporarily locked down, with no students permitted to exit the building.
"I found out about it at 7:30 p.m., and we had a message out to the university at 7:44 p.m.," said Virginia Tech University Spokesman Larry Hincker. "It takes a while for 40,000 messages to percolate through the system. We notified the campus community that there was a murder, and that a suspect was in custody."
Hincker said that the alert system appeared successful, and that there was no need to lock down the entire campus. The Tech Policy Group, a contingent of senior university officials assembled in emergency situations, did not convene.
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