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CNN Live At Daybreak

Virginia Law Student Goes on Shooting Rampage

Aired January 17, 2002 - 06:22   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A terrible story to update for you now. Three people are dead, three wounded, and a suspect is in custody in the latest campus shooting rampage. This one took place at a Virginia law school.

CNN's Elaine Quijano is live with the latest at the Appalachian School of Law in the tiny mountain community of Grundy -- Elaine, tell us.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Classes here at the Appalachian School of Law are canceled until next Tuesday, as students and faculty try to cope with yesterday's deadly shooting, a shooting that police say carried out by a student unhappy with his grades.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO (voice-over): A local doctor describes him as a time bomb. Police say law student, Peter Odighizuwa, was flunking out for a second time, placed on academic suspension at the Appalachian School of Law, when he grabbed a gun, headed for the dean's offices and asked a professor there to pray for him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He then walked down the hall, into the offices of Sutin and Blackwell and opened fire with a Jennings (ph) 380 semi-automatic handgun.

QUIJANO: Police say the gunman went on, shooting a total of six people. When it was over, two faculty members and a student lay dead and three others were wounded. After the shooting, say authorities, as the suspect walked out of the building, three students grabbed him and forced him to the ground until sheriff's deputies arrived.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody that could help out that didn't even has medical background came in and assisted any way they could. It was just amazing the way this school came together.

QUIJANO: Among the dead: the school's dean, L. Anthony Sutin, a former acting assistant U.S. attorney general, a professor, Thomas Blackwell, and a 33-year-old student, Angela Dales. Virginia Governor Mark Warner, who served on the school's board, offered his condolences.

I send out my personal sympathy to the families of all of the victims. Our hearts and prayers are with you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO: Police say the suspect now faces a number of charges, including three counts of capital murder. Meanwhile, here on campus, a memorial service is set to take place this afternoon.

We're live in Grundy, Virginia. I am Elaine Quijano -- Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: You know, Elaine, we all try to search for answers as to why someone might have done this. Can you give us any more information about the suspect in this case?

QUIJANO: Well, there are some conflicting reports on what exactly the suspect's temperament was. There are some students and faculty members who describe him as being cordial and quiet. Other people say that he was very abrasive, even volatile, arguing with people in class.

At the same time, what we do know is that a doctor who was on the scene here not too long after the shooting says he actually treated the suspect for stress about six months ago, but of course, there was no telling nor predicting what happened yesterday -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Once again, he was 43, and he had children and everything, right?

QUIJANO: Apparently he had a wife and children. We are told his age was actually 42 years old. His age is 42 years old. Not much is known at this point about his wife and children other than that they were seen around campus here from time to time.

But some have said that there may have been some family problems that caused him to miss some classes. And that perhaps contributed to his failing grades here at the school.

But again, school officials saying, and police saying, that this was not the first year that he had been through these kinds of academic problems. This, in fact, was the second time that he had been flunking out, and just yesterday, in fact, was placed on academic suspension -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Elaine, thank you very much. And for those of you who do not know where Grundy is, it's in southwest Virginia near Roanoke.

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