Lockdown at site of Virginia Tech campus massacre

An alert was issued on Thursday at Virginia Tech university, after a man with a gun was reported seen near the campus which is around 250 miles south-west of Washington DC.

A message on the school’s website warned people to stay indoors and await help from the emergency services.

“Person with a gun reported near Dietrick (a campus building). Stay inside. Secure doors. Emergency personnel responding. Call 911 for help,” the message read on the school website.

A subsequent crime alert said three juveniles attending a camp on campus reported seeing a white man who appeared to have a gun covered with a cloth.

No gun found

Police responded immediately, but no suspect was found, the alert said.

“Three juveniles attending a camp at the university reported seeing a white male, 6 feet tall, with light brown hair outside of New Residence Hall East holding what may have been a handgun,” the school said on its website.

“They say the weapon was covered by a cloth or covering of some sort. He was walking fast in the direction of the volleyball courts. He was wearing a blue and white striped shirt (stripes were vertical), gray shorts and brown sandals. The subject had no facial hair or glasses.

“Officers responded immediately to the area but found no one matching the description. Police have encountered no other witnesses reporting this individual or anything suspicious.”

In April 2007, 32 people were shot dead at the school during a two-and-a-half hour killing spree. Student Cho Seung-hui shot himself after carrying out the massacre.