Canuck Caulfield first hand account of VT incident

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Toronto student practiced soccer as gunman started shooting

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/203637

Apr 16, 2007 05:39 PM

DAVID BRUSER

Staff Reporter

Toronto native Stefan Caulfield was practicing with the Virginia Tech Hokies soccer squad this morning while just out of earshot a gunman started murdering his fellow students.

When his practice wrapped up after 9 a.m., Stefan, a goalie for the team, got the message.

"We got a text message saying someone got shot in the dorm (from) just friends that lived in those buildings. The dorms are all real close to each other. I didn’t really believe it. I mean, at 7 in the morning on a Monday in a dorm? It sounds ridiculous.”

At first, Stefan, 19, thought there was one person shot – at worst. But as he and his teammates were driving on campus, their car slowed to a halt in the maw of police cruisers outside Norris dorm. That’s when Stefan saw the bodies.

"We heard gunshots when we first pulled up. We were just watching everything happen across the street as they surrounded Norris Hall. Everybody was running away from it. We started asking people. They just said, ’Get out of here.’

"But about 30 minutes later, they started bringing bodies outside. We didn’t know they were dead. But within 5, 10 minutes, there was a barrage of ambulances, more and more police cars. They had a woman, I think it was a woman, by her hands and feet, just carrying her.”

Stefan’s father Ron, reached at his home in Lawrence Park, was grateful his son called home before the unthinkable news of 32 nameless victims hit the airwaves.

"He was caught in the middle of it," said Ron Caulfield, sounding exhausted. "He called me first thing this morning around 10 o’clock, just to alert me to the fact that there was a problem. At that point, they thought there were a couple people dead, so it was still very early.

"This could have happened anywhere. The town is safe. It’s a beautiful town in the mountains and it has military cadets as a part of the campus. They just happened to have a nut that got loose."

Meanwhile Stefan told the Star that he can't locate a friend of his who attends class in one of the buildings apparently targeted by the shooter.

"We just know she had class in there. We’re trying to find her. Just a good friend. We don’t know what the problem is yet."

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quote:Meanwhile Stefan told the Star that he can't locate a friend of his who attends class in one of the buildings apparently targeted by the shooter.

"We just know she had class in there. We’re trying to find her. Just a good friend. We don’t know what the problem is yet."

Sadly, an update on this as printed in today's Toronto Star and posted here:

quote:Reached late last night, he said he found out that his friend was shot and killed in her German class.

"There's eight or ten of us that hang out. She was one of the group. I eat lunch with her. We hang out on weekends. She's just gone."

Condolences to Stefan and everyone else affected by this tragedy.

One year ago Stefan was on the Canadian U20 roster at the Porto International Tournament.

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So sorry to hear that this tragedy struck close to home. My thought and prayers are with him, and indeed with the rest of the students there.