Virginia Tech officials canceled classes at 10:30am today to help police nab barefoot, tie-dye-shirt, khaki-short and white-sheet clad William Morva, an escapee from Montgomery County Jail who’s a homicide suspect. Police have blocked off the southern portion of campus and Tech Vice President Kurt Krause warned the University community that Morva is armed and asked sudents to stay in their residences and employees to stay in their offices.

“We are trying to avoid a massive evacuation that would cause more confusion,” Krause said. “[Morva] has no problem with shooting. I’m afraid that if police and the suspect get into some kind of confrontation and crossfire and we don’t need innocent people being around the area.”

This morning, Morva allegedly shot and killed Montgomery County deputy Eric Sutphin near the Blacksburg Public Library. Morva is also suspected of shooting and killing a security guard at Montgomery Regional Hospital early Sunday morning, where he was being treated in the emergency room. Morva was awaiting trial for attempting to rob a store last year. At this hour, he remains at large.

One person known to the Hook knew the 24-year-old homeless man when she was a student at Virginia Tech and says she was shocked to learn of the killings.

“He was just an obnoxious jerk around town but nobody was afraid of him,” she says.

She recalls that his erratic behavior included long-winded rants “about how we should all live in the woods” and eating raw meat. Additionally, she remembers a time before he was arrested for armed robbery when he got violent with a gun.

“He shot a gun off in a bar in Blacksburg one night,” she says. “And I remember telling him then that this was bad and that he shouldn’t carry around a loaded weapon. Somebody should have done something that night.”

So notorious was Morva around town that a few of his former friends had screen printed t-shirts with his face and the words “William Morva Is An Assh***” (seen at right) and were selling them for $5 apiece.

1:39 update:
Virginia Tech is now evacuating campus in stages. Employees north of the Drillfield have been told to go home for the day. Other staff will get the green light to leave later in the day.

3:39 update:
Word has come over the police scanner that police have apprehended Morva in the woods near the rugby fields at Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech officials canceled classes at 10:30am today to help police nab barefoot, tie-dye-shirt, khaki-short and white-sheet clad William Morva, an escapee from Montgomery County Jail who’s a homicide suspect. Police have blocked off the southern portion of campus and Tech Vice President Kurt Krause warned the University community that Morva is armed and asked sudents to stay in their residences and employees to stay in their offices.

“We are trying to avoid a massive evacuation that would cause more confusion,” Krause said. “[Morva] has no problem with shooting. I’m afraid that if police and the suspect get into some kind of confrontation and crossfire and we don’t need innocent people being around the area.”

This morning, Morva allegedly shot and killed Montgomery County deputy Eric Sutphin near the Blacksburg Public Library. Morva is also suspected of shooting and killing a security guard at Montgomery Regional Hospital early Sunday morning, where he was being treated in the emergency room. Morva was awaiting trial for attempting to rob a store last year. At this hour, he remains at large.

One person known to the Hook knew the 24-year-old homeless man when she was a student at Virginia Tech and says she was shocked to learn of the killings.

“He was just an obnoxious jerk around town but nobody was afraid of him,” she says.

She recalls that his erratic behavior included long-winded rants “about how we should all live in the woods” and eating raw meat. Additionally, she remembers a time before he was arrested for armed robbery when he got violent with a gun.

“He shot a gun off in a bar in Blacksburg one night,” she says. “And I remember telling him then that this was bad and that he shouldn’t carry around a loaded weapon. Somebody should have done something that night.”

So notorious was Morva around town that a few of his former friends had screen printed t-shirts with his face and the words “William Morva Is An Assh***” (seen at right) and were selling them for $5 apiece.

1:39 update:
Virginia Tech is now evacuating campus in stages. Employees north of the Drillfield have been told to go home for the day. Other staff will get the green light to leave later in the day.

3:39 update:
Word has come over the police scanner that police have apprehended Morva in the woods near the rugby fields at Virginia Tech.