FACTOID # 163: Only 4% of married women in Chad are using contraceptives.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS    Advanced view

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > Appalachian School of Law shooting

The Appalachian School of Law shooting occurred on January 16, 2002, at the Appalachian School of Law, an American Bar Association accredited private law school in Grundy, Virginia, United States. Three people were killed and three others were wounded when a disgruntled former student opened fire in the school with a handgun. is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The Appalachian School of Law (ASL) is a fully-accredited private law school on a four building campus in Grundy, Virginia, a small town near the convergence of Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia. ... American Bar Associations Washington, DC office The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. ... Grundy is a town in Buchanan County, Virginia, United States. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ...

Contents

The shooting

On January 16, 2002, 43-year-old Peter Odighizuwa, a Nigerian former student at the Appalachian School of Law, arrived on the campus. [1] While numerous reports stated that Odighizuwa had flunked out of school or had been suspended, Jeremy Davis, former dean and professor of law at the school, later said that Odighizuwa had withdrawn voluntarily due to poor academic performance.[2] Odighizuwa even stated in a later interview that he "had a C average." [3]


Odighizuwa first discussed his academic problems with professor Dale Rubin, where he reportedly told Rubin to pray for him.[4] Odighizuwa returned to the school around 1:00 and proceeded to the offices of Dean Anthony Sutin and Professor Thomas Blackwell, where he opened fire with a .380 ACP semi-automatic handgun. According to a county coroner, powder burns indicated that both victims were shot at point blank range.[5] Also killed along with the two faculty members was a student, Angela Denise Dales, age 33. Three other people were wounded. In an educational setting, a dean is a person with significant authority . ... Yugoslavian 9 mm Kratak (9 mm Short) cartridges, FMJ. The . ... A semi-automatic handgun is one which fires a single round every time that the trigger is pulled until its ammunition is exhausted. ... A coroner is either the presiding officer of a special court, a medical officer, or an officer of law responsible for investigating deaths, particularly those happening under unusual circumstances. ... Point-blank range is the distance between a gun and a target such that it requires minimal effort in aiming it, in particular no allowance needs to be made for the effects of gravity, target movement or wind in aiming the projectile. ...


Students subdued the shooter

When Odighizuwa exited the building where the shooting took place, he was approached by two students with personal firearms[6] and one unarmed student. [7] There are two versions of the events that transpired at that moment, one by Bridges and one by Besen.


According to Bridges, at the first sound of gunfire, fellow students Tracy Bridges and Mikael Gross, unbeknownst to each other, ran to their vehicles to fetch their personally-owned firearms.[8] Gross, a police officer with the Grifton Police Department in his home state of North Carolina, retrieved a 9 mm pistol and body armor.[9] Bridges, a county sheriff's deputy from Asheville, N.C.,[10] pulled his .357 Magnum pistol from beneath the driver's seat of his Chevy Tahoe. As Bridges later told the Richmond Times Dispatch, he was prepared to shoot to kill.[11] Bridges and Gross approached Odighizuwa from different angles, with Bridges yelling at Odighizuwa to drop his gun.[12] Odighizuwa then dropped his firearm and was subdued by several other unarmed students, including Ted Besen and Todd Ross.[13] Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... “.357” redirects here. ... The Chevrolet Tahoe (and similar GMC Yukon) is a full-size SUV from General Motors. ... The Richmond Times-Dispatch is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia. ...


According to Besen, before Odighizuwa saw Bridges and Gross with their weapons, Odighizuwa set down his gun and raised his arms like he was mocking people.[14] Besen, a former marine and police officer in Wilmington, North Carolina, then charged, got into a scuffle with Odighizuwa, and knocked him to the ground. Bridges and Gross then arrived with their guns once Odighizuwa was tackled.[15] Additional witnesses at the scene stated they did not see Bridges or Gross with their guns at the time Besen started subduing Odighizuwa.[16] Wilmington is a city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. ...


Once Odighizuwa was securely held down, Gross went back to his vehicle and retrieved handcuffs to detain Odighizuwa until police could arrive.


Police reports later noted that two empty eight round magazines designed for Odighizuwa’s handgun were recovered. Most sources (including those quoting Virginia State Police spokesman Mike Stater) state that when Odighizuwa dropped the gun the magazine was empty,[17] although some reports suggested the gun still held three rounds of ammunition.[18]


Trial

At trial, Odighizuwa was found mentally competent and pleaded guilty to the murders to avoid the death penalty. Odighizuwa was sentenced to multiple life terms in prison. Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ...


Memorials

After the shooting, students at the law school planted trees in memory of Sutin, Blackwell, and Dales on the school's front lawn. The school's student services office and scholarship program were named for Dales, along with County Highway 624 in the Buchanan County, Virginia. Faculty fellowships at the school were named for Sutin and Blackwell. [19] The school's Phi Alpha Delta chapter is named for Sutin[20] while the Phi Delta Phi chapter is named for Blackwell [21]. Buchanan County is a county located in the U.S. state — officially, Commonwealth — of Virginia. ...


References

  1. ^ "Suspect in law school slayings arraigned" USA Today, January 17, 2002.
  2. ^ "'against all sense and reason" or Change and the Art of Getting Lucky" by W. Jeremy Davis, Dean and Professor of Law, Appalachian School of Law, Univ of Toledo Law Review Volume 34, Number 1, fall 2002, accessed April 17, 2007. Item on Odighizuwa is in footnote xxviii.
  3. ^ [http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Thought_Disorders/schizo/articles/paranoia_delusions.asp "Appalachian School of Law Killer Still Haunted by Paranoia, Delusions"] by Chris Kahn, Associated Press, accessed August 25, 2007.
  4. ^ "Suspect in law school slayings arraigned" USA Today, January 17, 2002.
  5. ^ "Suspect in law school slayings arraigned" USA Today, January 17, 2002.
  6. ^ The Bias Against Guns: Why Almost Everything You've Heard About Gun Control Is Wrong by John R. Lott, Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2003. This book's section on this shooting incidence is summarized at "Appalachian Law School Shootings, Media Crushes The Truth" by Ted Lang, the Price of Liberty Website, accessed April 17, 2007.
  7. ^ Man who confronted 2002 law school shooter says Gingrich wrong on arming students by Chris Kahn, the Associated Press, found at [1]
  8. ^ "Helping to Stop a Killer: Students Went After Law School Gunman" by Rex Bowman, Richmond Times Dispatch, 5/5/2002. Also "Ex-Charlottean: I Helped Nab Suspect" by Diane Suchetka, The Charlotte Observer, 2002-01-18, Page 2A.
  9. ^ "Shooting Hits Many Lives, Roanoke Times & World News (Roanoke, VA), January 20, 2002, page A-1. Story can be accessed at The Feed Directory, accessed April 17, 2007.
  10. ^ "Ex-Charlottean: I Helped Nab Suspect" by Diane Suchetka, The Charlotte Observer, 2002-01-18, Page 2A.
  11. ^ "Helping to Stop a Killer: Students Went After Law School Gunman" by Rex Bowman, Richmond Times Dispatch, 5/5/2002.
  12. ^ "Helping to Stop a Killer: Students Went After Law School Gunman" by Rex Bowman, Richmond Times Dispatch, 5/5/2002; also "Area officer helps wrestle law school gunman to ground" The Asheville Citizen-Times, Story can be accessed at The Feed Directory, accessed April 20, 2007.
  13. ^ "Law school, guns, and a media bias" by James Eaves-Johnson, The Daily Iowan 01/24/2002; Helping to Stop a Killer: Students Went After Law School Gunman" by Rex Bowman, Richmond Times Dispatch, 5/5/2002; "Ex-Charlottean: I Helped Nab Suspect" by Diane Suchetka, The Charlotte Observer, 2002-01-18, Page 2A.
  14. ^ Gun Lobby says media downplayed role of gun owners in subduing shooter," by Rick Montgomery, The Kansas City Star, Mar. 06, 2002.
  15. ^ Man who confronted 2002 law school shooter says Gingrich wrong on arming students by Chris Kahn, the Associated Press, found at [2]
  16. ^ A Tragedy Compounded by Jim Oliphant, the Legal Times, found at [3]
  17. ^ "A Tragedy Compounded", Jim Oliphant, Legal Times, June 20, 2002. Accessed April 18, 2007; also Roanoke Times Jan 17, 2002, and Lexington Herald Leader Jan 18, 2002.
  18. ^ "Local man lives through recent shooting at college" by Carrie Sidener, The Elkin Tribune, accessed April 17, 2007.
  19. ^ ASL January 16, 2002 Memorial, Accessed August 25, 2007
  20. ^ Phi Alpha Delta Sutin Chapter, Accessed August 25, 2007
  21. ^ Phi Delta Phi Blackwell Inn, Accessed August 25, 2007

External links

 
 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your comments

Want to know more?
Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:
 


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms, 1022, m