1916 c FORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIV^ERSITY 2007 Today’s weather Expert gives speech The Mustang Daily, at Poly on presents three easy steps to hating Robinson s legacy ‘Pathfinder’ Partly sunny Low40° High61 IN SPORTS, « IN SPOTLIGHT, 4 Volume LXX, Number 120 Tuesday, April 17, 2007 w w w .m u sta n 3d a iiy .c o m Gunman kills 32 at Viminia lech iSft . m.' What would - T - . ■ ■ Cal Poly do? ■an» Devan McClaine L J i ' WSL.ÌÈÉM ■ SENIOR STAFF WRITER IWIIB' ■■- jgjg ■■ " '' ' Monday’s tragedy at Virginia Tech left <. julfli an abundance of questions but few i . answers. WEile most of the questions centered on the identity of the perpetra- tor(s) and victims, some brought under scrutiny the conduct of university police. •I6P Reporters dissected their tactics and fail­ ure to place the campus under lockdown after the first series of shooting?; in a series of press conferences. Conversely, the preparedness of numerous universities across the country will face similar scrutiny. Cal Poly is a similar environment to Bbeksburg, a polytechnic university in a small town, where the students represent a sizeable portion of the town’s popula­ tion. Like Virginb Tech, Cal Poly has its ASSCKIATED PRE,S,S own police department. University People look on as police investigate a shooting at Norris Hall on Virginia Tech’s campus Monday in Blacksburg, Va. Police Department Chief Bill Watton took time Monday night to describe the Sue Lindsey Investigators gave no motive for the attack. an e-mail that arrived more than two hours preparedness of CaJ Poly in a simibr sit­ as ,sck :ia t e i ) p r e s s The gunmans name was not immediately after the first shots rang out. uation. released, and it was not known if he was a stu­ Wielding two handguns and carrying multi­ Watton continually stressed that each BLACKSBURG, Va. — A gunman massa­ dent. ple clips of ammunition, the killer opened fire prexedure and reaction would depend cred 32 people at Virginia Tech in the deadliest “Today the university was struck with a about 7:15 a.m. on the fourth floor of West on the scope of the situation and those shooting rampage m modern U.S. history tragedy that we consider of monumental pro­ Ambler Johnston, a high-rise coed dormitory, involved. For example, if a homicide Monday, cutting down his victims in two portions,” Virginia Tech President Charles then stormed Norris Hall, a classroom building occurred in the dorms, Wmon said the attacks two hours apart before the university Steger said. “The university is shocked and a half-mile away on the other side of the first step would be to identify if the could grasp what was happening and get the indeed horrified.” 2,6(K)-acre campus. Some of the doors at shooting was a domestic incident or a warning out to students. But he was also faced with difficult ques­ Norris Hail were found chained from the massacre situation and go on fiom there. The bloodbath ended with the gunman tions about the university’s handling of the inside, apparently by the gunman. • “If there was a shooting in the dorms, committing suicide, bringing the death toll to emergency and whether it did enough to warn Two people died in a dorm room, and 31 we would first determine the situation; if 33 and stamping the campus in the picturesque students and protect them after the first burst others were killed in Norris Hall, including the it were a simibr situation (like Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains with unspeakable of gunfire. Some students bitterly complained gunman, who put a bullet in his head. At least tragedy, perhaps forever. ^ Poly, page 2 they got no warning from the university until see Shooting, page 2 Cab colored pink for a causeDemand brings return Cassie Gaeto given by the pink cab to the American Cancer Society for MUSTANd DAILY breast cancer research. of downtown security On average, the company gives 80 rides every day. The Isaiah Narciso month needed to maintain security Beach Cities Cab Co. Inc., the front-running cab com­ company stated that if customers request the cab more,- MUSTANG DAILY initially came from sponsorships, pany of San Luis Obispo, recently added a pink they will look into adding more pink ones to the fleet. however, the program will now be a taxi to its fleet to cruise the streets and “1 think this new cab is an important way to give back V Private security guards will return part of the Downtown A.ssociation’s help raise funds for the fight to the community and a worthy cause. One dollar per ride to patrol downtown San Luis budget. against breast cancer. can add up,” Beach Cities Cab owner Jeff Coldenberg Obispo for the first time since The Downtown Association has The company has said. February, when they were removed approximately 7(X) members, mostly pledged to Cioldenberg originally had a pink taxi in operation in due to lack of funding. businesses within the center of San donate $1 for Carpenteria (in Santa Barbara County) before deciding to Brent Vanderhoof, administrative Luis Obispo. bring a similar concept to San Luis Obispo. Coldenberg as.sistant for the San Luis Obispo Vanderhoof thought that the purchased another cab and pulled out the paint to recre­ Downtown Association, said that the investment in private security ate his idea locally. decision to return private security in brought benefits to downtown. The bubble-gum pink taxi with the breast cancer rib­ the area was based on the organiza­ “The goal of it is to make the bon painted on the car’s hood officially hit the streets of tion’s member survey. He said that business owners and shoppers feel San Luis Obispo on March 30. patrons’ top priorities for the down­ comfortable in those businesses and “So far, the response has been really great. 1 think the town area were cleanliness and safe­ not feel threatened,” he said. word is still getting out there on why exactly the car is ty- see Cab, page 2 He added that the $1,600 a see Security, page 2 News editor: Kristen Marschall mustan3dailynews@ 3mail. com M u s t a n g D a il y Tuesday, April 17, 2007 www.mustan3daiiy.com ¡ = NEWS = like drilling in the walls, and someone thought “Generically speaking, it wouldn’t just Shooting they sounded like bullets. That’s when we block­ be e-mails, we would use the radio station continued from page I aded the door to stop anyone from coming in.” continued from page 1 (1410 AM) and officers in cars with bull­ horns if need be, the word would get out,” 15 people were hurt, some seriously. She said the gunman “was just a normal-look­ Tech) our response would be extensive.” Students jumped from windows m p.mic. Young ing kid, Asian, but he had on a Boy Scout-type he said. Watton said locking down the Watton said. people and faculty members carried out some of outfit. He wore a tan button-up vest, and this black dorms could be an option if it were deter­ Various others criticized the lack of an the wounded themselves, without waiting for vest, maybe it was for ammo or something.” mined that was the safest course of action. immediate tactical response by those on ambulances to arrive. Many found themselves “1 saw bullets hit people’s body,” Sheehan said. Again, Watton said that the various the scene. Whether this was due to the trapped behind the chained and padlocked doors. “There was blood everywhere.” She added, “My responses depend on the situation at hand, reported use of locks on the entries to the SWAT team members with helmets, tlak jackets professor, Herr Bishop, I’m not sure if he’s alive.” but declined to describe the specifics of building is unknown at this time. and assault titles swarmed over the campus. A stu­ Students said that there were no public-address the lockdown procedure. Watton would However, some commentators insinuat­ dent used his cell-phone camera to record the announcements on campus after the first shots. only describe it as “an agreement between ed that the officers’ lack of uctical training sound of bullets echoing through a stone building. Many said they learned of the first shooting in an (the department of) Housing and in an “active shooter situation” was cause for the delay in action. An active shooter Trey Perkins, who was sitting in a Cierman class e-mail that arrived shortly before the gunman University Police.” in Norris Hall, told The Washington Post that the struck again. According to Watton, university police situation is described by law enforcement gunman barged into the room at about 9:50 a.m. “! think the university has blood on their hands would also rely on mutual assistance from as an armed person who has used deadly and opened fire for about a minute and a half, because of their lack of action after the first inci­ various other agencies in the county force on others and continues to do so squeezing otl 30 shots in all. dent,” said Billy Bason, 18, who lives on the sev­ including San Luis Obispo Police with unrestricted access to additional vic­ The gunman, Perkins said, first shot the profes­ enth floor of the dorm. Department, California Highway Patrol tims. The 1999 Columbine shootings is a sor in the head and then fired on the students. “If you had apprehended a suspect, I could and various other agencies.