A deadly shooting Thursday at Virginia Tech claimed the life of a university police officer and shut down the university community and surrounding public schools.
University officials say the police officer, 39 year old Deriek Crouse of Christiansburg, was shot and killed by a male assailant, following a routine traffic stop on campus. School officials say the body of the suspected gunman was discovered a short time later about a quarter-mile away in a Tech parking lot known as the Cage. Police said the suspected gunman was not from the vehicle stopped by the officer, but a young male who approached on foot and shot Crouse before fleeing.
Virginia Tech officials called the incident "a wanton act of violence". Within minutes of the shooting of the officer, the campus was ordered into an immediate lockdown status.
Crouse joined Virginia Tech's Police Department on Oct. 27, 2007, and served in the patrol division. He is survived by his wife, five children and stepchildren, his mother and a brother.
