University of Virginia running back wounded in bus shooting was trying to warn others when he was shot, his mother says
After the gunman opened fire, he turned around and fired back, killing another student before turning his gun on himself
Carroll is recovering in a hospital and said he might not be able to walk again
University of Virginia officials are investigating what happened
(CNN) — The University of Virginia shooter was in a hospital recovering from an attack, his mother said Wednesday morning.
Timothy Thomas Carroll, 21, was shot and injured by campus police after an armed man with a gun tried to enter the library on Wednesday morning. Carroll, an incoming freshman and football player, was among the dozens of police officers trying to fend off the gunman, who was killed, police say.
Police have not released details of the wounded suspect, but he has been identified by the University of Virginia as 19-year-old Tyler Stewart Mossell. The two other people killed in the shooting were 18-year-old Morgan Harrington and 19-year-old Patrick Carlineo.
The suspect, who was holding a gun and wearing a ski mask, entered the library in the morning, University Police Chief Bryan Stroughter said in a press conference.
“The gunman had no interaction with the people who were going to class and came into the library with his weapon pointing at the ceiling — that would seem to indicate a ‘heckler’s veto’ type of operation,” he said.
The gunman then “turned around and began firing into the ceiling.”
“The library staff was able to safely evacuate the library and that is an area where they can not be injured,” Stroughter said.
The suspect then turned his gun on himself, fatally shooting himself, police said.
“It’s a very sad situation. It’s a very difficult situation to be in,” University Provost John Garvey said at the press conference. “It is hard to imagine how this could have happened…. It’s difficult to come to terms with the fact that someone has chosen to target one of our most important institutions as a way to express themselves.”
Carroll