Eight dead in Virginia shooting, suspect surrenders

WASHINGTON — Police Wednesday in the southern US state of Virginia arrested a suspected gunman believed to be responsible for the fatal shootings of eight people, CNN reported

A massive manhunt was launched early Wednesday after they discovered seven bodies at a rural home and another victim nearby.

The suspect had been tracked down to woods west of the historic town of Appomattox.

“State and local law enforcement continue their search efforts Tuesday night in Appomattox County for a gunman responsible for killing eight people earlier in the day,” Virginia State Police said in a statement.

“More than 100 deputies, officers and state troopers will continue working through the night to locate and apprehend the armed subject.”

The suspect, named as Christopher Speight, was thought to be alive, but snared in a police cordon as night fell.

“The perimeter has been established and we believe the suspect is within the quarantined area,” Sergeant Thomas Molnar, a spokesman for the Virginia State Police earlier told AFP.

The suspect earlier shot at a helicopter called in to help with the search. At least four shots hit the craft forcing it to make an emergency landing, officials said.

A nearby residence was evacuated as the manhunt grew ever tenser.

The incident unfolded around noon on Tuesday when a deputy from the Appomattox sheriff’s office responded to an emergency call about an injured man lying on a country road.

“When the deputy arrived on scene, the deputy heard several gun shots,” Sgt. Molnar said.

“The male subject was transported by Med-Flight State Police helicopter to Lynchburg General Hospital, where the man later died,” police said.

Officers who stayed at the scene found four bodies outside a nearby home and “three bodies inside the residence.”

The victims were male and female, according to police, who did not give a motive for the attack, although local media reported the wife and the son of the suspect were among the dead.

Police issued a call for information about two cars owned by the suspect, a tan 1997 Ford Escort and a green 1996 Ford F-150 pickup truck.

The office of recently-elected Virginia governor Robert McDonnell described the shootings as a “horrific tragedy,” according to a statement reproduced by the Washington Post.

“The Governor’s thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. He is closely monitoring the situation.” Senior state officials were also dispatched to the scene.

The shooting come just under two years after Virginia was rocked by the fatal shooting of 32 people at Virginia Tech by gunman Seung-Hui Cho.

Appomattox, a small down in the south of the state, is better known as the venue for the final battle of the American Civil War.