Virginia Tech Victim a Vet, Dad of 5

(Newser) – Deriek W. Crouse, the police officer killed yesterday during a traffic stop on the Virginia Tech campus, was a 39-year-old Army veteran and father of five. He and the suspected shooter, who was apparently found dead nearby, were shot with the same handgun, police confirmed today. The suspect is believed to have committed suicide as police closed in, the Washington Post reports. "We have recovered clothing items that would lead us to believe that" the second body found is that of the shooter, an investigator tells the New York Times.

Both the motive and the shooter's relationship with either Crouse or the driver involved in the traffic stop are still unknown. Though the shooting invoked haunting memories of Virginia Tech's 2007 tragedy, it was different this time around: Within minutes, the school had deployed a high-tech alert system, overhauled after the 2007 shootings, to tell people to stay inside, and the campus was quickly locked down. Public officials, students, and staff members alike praised the response. Final exams, which were due to start today, will be postponed, the AP adds.