It’s out – both dead and wounded.  Being updated periodically.

Below the fold: a trapped student’s IMs with her mom

Also: According to the Chicago Trib, Cho Seung-Hui died with the words "Ismail Ax" on the inside of one of his arms in red ink.  Nobody knows the significance, but this may provide a clue.  (Thanks, Google).

Update:  Ismailax.com just got registered as a domain name.

Laura Anne Spaventa is a 20-year-old sophomore at Virginia Tech studying communications and fashion merchandising. She was in a media writing class at Shanks Hall when a university-wide email arrived, announcing a shooting nearby. “I didn’t think much of it,” she said. “There had been bomb threats and another shooting. It wasn’t real yet.” Soon after, another email arrived—this one urging students to stay put because “a gunman was on the loose,” she said. “Then, we heard five gunshots.” The professor locked the door, turned out the lights and “we all moved away from the windows and under our desks. It was very scary.”

Spaventa began text-messaging her brother, using her screen name “blueiyed” and her brother’s, “chiknman.” Early on, her mother joins the conversation—writing some messages under the brother’s screen name before switching to her own, “MyLittleMommy.” [The screen names have been shortened at the participants’ request]. What follows is a transcript of their exchanges:

blueiyed (10:37:35 AM): ug?
chiknman (10:37:10 AM): ey joke
chiknman (10:37:24 AM): day haha
chiknman (10:37:28 AM): snow day*
blueiyed (10:39:25 AM): i’m on lockdown under a desk right now..there’s been shootings on campus and 1 person has been killed and another injured

chiknman (10:38:54 AM): wtf?
chiknman (10:38:57 AM): at vt?
blueiyed (10:40:33 AM): yeh put cnn on
chiknman (10:39:07 AM): what the shit
blueiyed (10:40:51 AM): watch the news and tell me whats going on
chiknman (10:39:44 AM): they dont have it on there
chiknman (10:39:48 AM): ill check other stations
blueiyed (10:42:17 AM): ok its on the news tho i promise b/c drew was telling me then he had to go to class
chiknman (10:41:18 AM): ya its on fox news
chiknman (10:41:19 AM): 1 sec
blueiyed (10:42:58 AM): ok
chiknman (10:42:19 AM): moms here
chiknman (10:42:36 AM): hey
blueiyed (10:44:06 AM): ok i tried calling her
chiknman (10:42:40 AM): what’s going on now
blueiyed (10:44:25 AM): we can hear cops outside talking on loud phones
chiknman (10:43:00 AM): there’s a gunman who shot someone
chiknman (10:43:05 AM): they said he’s near the dorms
blueiyed (10:44:44 AM): apparently an ra was shot and 2 pewople jumped from the building and one person walked out bloody of burress

chiknman (10:43:34 AM): that’s the building they are showing
chiknman (10:43:42 AM): reporter in pritcher hall
blueiyed (10:45:21 AM): no it happened in west aj [
chiknman (10:44:08 AM): hang on
chiknman (10:44:57 AM): west ambler johnston hall
blueiyed (10:46:31 AM): yeh
chiknman (10:45:01 AM): is he still there?
blueiyed (10:46:39 AM): yeh apparently
chiknman (10:49:13 AM): are you class or at home
blueiyed (10:51:00 AM): im in class under a desk
chiknman (10:49:36 AM): oh dear god
blueiyed (10:51:13 AM): yeh
chiknman (10:49:47 AM): what happened
blueiyed (10:51:17 AM): my thoughts exactly
blueiyed (10:51:40 AM): we heard the cops outside on their mega phones so we turned the lights off and drew the blinds and go on the floor

chiknman (10:50:33 AM): how did you know what was going on and to get down
blueiyed (10:52:22 AM): b/c we were getting e-mails from the university
chiknman (10:52:08 AM): oh
blueiyed (10:53:55 AM): OMG
blueiyed (10:54:14 AM): i just found out the 1st shooting happened at 7:15 we didn’t get a damn e-mail until 9:30!!
chiknman (10:52:49 AM): is the teacher taking charge or is someone in communication w/ the outside
blueiyed (10:54:44 AM): yeh hes been calling and getting updates and our doors are locked, lights off and blinds shit
chiknman (10:54:49 AM): you mean shut or is shit a Fruedian slip 😉
chiknman (10:55:01 AM): what class is this?
chiknman (10:55:16 AM): and you thought h.s. taught you lessons
blueiyed (10:57:47 AM): shut shoot…media writing we’re all like writing articles about it..yeh seriously like this is such terrible press for us i can’t believ this

chiknman (11:00:09 AM): don’t worry about the press. Worry about surviving
blueiyed (11:02:05 AM): unconfirmed report from campous spokesperson: 2 people have been apprehended , 2 people killed
chiknman (11:01:00 AM): are they killed students?
chiknman (11:01:11 AM): who are the apprehended
blueiyed (11:02:43 AM): yeh i htink so i’m not sure
blueiyed (11:02:46 AM): i don’t know
chiknman (11:01:26 AM): do i have the ability to log on to vt website and get the news?
chiknman (11:01:37 AM): what’s the site
blueiyed (11:03:24 AM): this is what i’m hearing in class
blueiyed (11:04:25 AM): 5-6 gunshots outside my building =-O
chiknman (11:03:13 AM): right now – shooting?
blueiyed (11:06:13 AM): like 5 mins ago
blueiyed (11:06:45 AM): 7-8 casualities
chiknman (11:09:31 AM): are they students?
chiknman (11:10:59 AM): they said there were 2 shootings
chiknman (11:11:09 AM): one at 7:15 and the other at 10 ish
chiknman (11:11:19 AM): they said they have one person in custody
blueiyed (11:13:43 AM): apprently they have 2 in custodyu
blueiyed (11:15:08 AM): we just got this e-mail
blueiyed (11:15:09 AM): In addition to an earlier shooting today in West Ambler Johnston, there has been a multiple shooting with multiple victims in Norris Hall.

[The conversation is interrupted while the three exchange news forwarded from friends]

Police and EMS are on the scene.

Police have one shooter in custody and as part of routine police procedure, they continue to search for a second shooter.

All people in university buildings are required to stay inside until further notice.

All entrances to campus are closed.

[The conversation resumes]
blueiyed (11:19:10 AM): apparently a gf and bf were in a fight and an ra came in and told them to keep it down and the guy shot the ra in the leg and killed the girl

chiknman (11:18:31 AM): great!
chiknman (11:18:45 AM): why did he have a gun on campus?
blueiyed (11:20:44 AM): good ques

MylittleMommy (12:10:57 PM): are you there?
MylittleMommy (12:11:02 PM): what hall are you in now?
blueiyed (12:14:44 PM): still in shanks
blueiyed (12:15:01 PM): we aren’t allowed to leave anymore
MylittleMommy (12:15:46 PM): why
blueiyed (12:17:29 PM): 20 fatalities
MylittleMommy (12:16:20 PM): dead or wounded
blueiyed (12:17:56 PM): dead
MylittleMommy (12:17:32 PM): Fox said 21 wounded / 1 dead
MylittleMommy (12:17:43 PM): the hospital is giving out this information so it’s correct
blueiyed (12:20:03 PM): no this was just updated
MylittleMommy (12:18:34 PM): the president is coming on the air to give a news recap of events
blueiyed (12:20:51 PM): 1 person believed to be shooter is killed
MylittleMommy (12:21:31 PM): who killed him – the police?  was the shooter a student?
blueiyed went away at 12:21:55 PM.
MylittleMommy(12:21:58 PM): the police is staging release of the buildings
________________________________

Auto Response from blueiyed (12:23:28 PM): stranded in shanks..about to have a breakdown why is this happening?
________________________________

blueiyed (12:23:57 PM): yeh i heard that
MylittleMommy (12:23:36 PM): now they said 20 dead
MylittleMommy (12:23:54 PM): the police chief is very vague with his information – still under investigation is what he’s saying

MylittleMommy (12:24:09 PM): any idea when they’ll let you out?
blueiyed (12:26:06 PM): i think soion
MylittleMommy (12:24:42 PM): are you okay
MylittleMommy (12:24:50 PM): they’re saying they think it was 1 gunman
blueiyed (12:27:34 PM): yeh i’m just freaking out i want to come home i don’t want to be here
MylittleMommy (12:27:45 PM): well they have counselors lined up and church service planned for healing.  If you want to come home, I’ll talk to Dad about a plane ticket.

MylittleMommy (12:27:57 PM): first let’s get you out of the building
blueiyed (12:29:35 PM): i might esp if one of my friends was killed or hurt
MylittleMommy (12:28:11 PM): okay
blueiyed (12:29:51 PM): a girl in my cvlass said one of her sorority sisters was shot
MylittleMommy (12:30:25 PM): they’re saying the shooter was an asian looking student
MylittleMommy (12:30:37 PM): what sorority
blueiyed (12:32:46 PM): pi phi
MylittleMommy (12:33:01 PM): well, a hysterical mrs brick called work and demanded to speak to me, Dan or have them give them a # where they can reach me.  My co-worker called me all shook up saying she needed to talk to me and was a little hysterical

blueiyed (12:34:46 PM): wow
MylittleMommy (12:33:17 PM): aunt michele called all skittery and was asking for you too.
blueiyed (12:34:57 PM): i may be going on cnn to talk
blueiyed (12:35:06 PM): i feel like i’m going to throw up
MylittleMommy (12:34:12 PM): she quizzed my other coworker and told him it was an emergency!
MylittleMommy (12:34:28 PM): Kimmy’s vma friend called to see if you are alright.
MylittleMommy (12:34:38 PM): why are you going on cnn?
blueiyed (12:36:54 PM): my friend imed me and asked me if i would want tot alk b/c his friend works for them and they want tot talk to people on campus

MylittleMommy (12:35:55 PM): oh
blueiyed (12:40:03 PM): ok iu’m leaving now i think
blueiyed signed off at 12:38:36 PM.
blueiyed is offline and will receive your IMs when signing back in.
MylittleMommy (12:40:03 PM): r u there
blueiyed went away at 1:33:02 PM.
blueiyed returned at 1:41:25 PM.
blueiyed went away at 1:43:15 PM.
blueiyed signed off at 3:52:46 PM.