Gunman Kills Self At University Of Texas

Update 4:08 p.m.: The Austin-American Statesman reports that the suspected gunman's name is Colton Tooley, a 19-year-old sophomore mathematics major from Austin. The Daily Texan reports that police have taken a computer from the South Austin home Tooley is believed to have lived in. Police report that Tooley acted alone.

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A gunman wielding an AK-47 and wearing a ski mask opened fire and then killed himself in a University of Texas library this morning, the Austin-American Statesman reports.

No other injuries by gunfire have been reported and campus emergency medical services is not treating anyone at this time. Officials do not think there is a second gunman.

UT Spokesman Don Hale told the Statesman that the gunman "apparently took his own life" on the sixth floor of the Perry-Castaneda Library. Hale said the gunman did not have identification on him.

UT student Andrew McWaters told KVUE that he heard "four gunshots" while walking near the library around 8:10 a.m. McWaters said he then came face to face with the alleged suspect, who had a black ski mask on and "smiled" and "waved."

UT adjunct law professor Randall Wilhite encountered the alleged gunman while driving through campus and described the incident to the Statesman:

"He ran right in front of my car, fired two or three shots south sort of generally in my direction but not at me," Wilhite said. "They seemed to hit to my left sort of in the median. It didn't look like he was targeting individuals. He was just sort of shooting into the ground."

Wilhite described the suspect as 6-feet-2 and 200 pounds.

Electrician Steve Bradley was in the Perry-Castaneda Library this morning. He told KVUE that he heard people yelling "get down, get down" but otherwise did not see anything suspicious. He said that one of his co-workers saw "a man with a ski mask on and a gun with a banana clip" in a library stairwell.

According to KVUE's Noelle Newton, the gunman said "woo hoo" at one point during the situation. Multiple reports say that the gunman appeared to be "jovial." A witness told KVUE that the gunman "looked like he was on something. He was really amped up." Other witnesses describe the gunman as wearing a business suit and jeans.

The Perry-Castaneda Library is the university's largest undergraduate library. It stands across the street from Jester Hall, a dormitory that houses more than 3,000 students. University students were alerted of the shooting by text message.

According to the Associated Press, campus, city and state law enforcement swarmed the the area after reports of the shooting broke.

See the Statesman for photos from the scene and visit KVUE for live video from Austin.

Daily Texan photos from the scene:

Comments

[Cantrell O o]

03:36 AM on 10/01/2010

Yeah it wasn't a gun man committing suicide, it was a suicide

[Max Shaw]

12:09 PM on 09/29/2010

Really glad his only intention was to 'scare' and not harm others..could have def. been a tragic event. At least he had the wherewithal to only hurt himself...I suppose when people decide to remove themselves from this planet, a lot of them still need an audience and a front page article unfortunately..

[W Santiago]

05:00 PM on 09/29/2010

How do we know his intention was to scare? I read and re-read the article and can't see where that assessment was made.

[Wilderop]

01:03 AM on 09/30/2010

The witness stated he appeared to be shooting at the ground. Furthermore, no one was shot...

[Daisytoo]

11:08 AM on 09/29/2010

Tragic. RIP. Blessings on his family.

Is it even slightly necessary to impose on the public yet more images of college students yakking on their cell phones after a horrific event?

[Bolkonsky]

10:57 AM on 09/29/2010

Yet another SSRI-induced rampage ?

.

[Cristian Burculet]

02:46 AM on 09/29/2010

very interesting story http://www.pompecusurub.ro/

[Rooster Coburn]

03:51 PM on 09/29/2010

Yes, it is. If you are interested in "Eccentric Screw Pumps" that is.

[afgail]

01:58 AM on 09/29/2010

AK47 with a bananaclip? Insane! How can anyone justify owning such a weapon? Things could have been infinitely worse.

[RevJimIII]

02:58 AM on 09/29/2010

The rifle he carried is not much different from my hunting rifle, except my hunting rifle is more powerful.
The AK variant sold here is a semi-auto .30 caliber (7.63mm), what is to justify, it is a legal rifle. The guy that used it engaged in illegal activity, but could have used a number of different things to end his life.

[tellthetruthalways]

03:29 AM on 09/29/2010

It amazes me that the first response from those opposed to gun control is that the AK is less powerful than a hunting rifle, as if that makes the gun somehow less dangerous. Hunting rifles are not generally given to soldiers in combat, but Ak's are handed out to soldiers all over the world. It is truly a weapon designed for warfare, not the streets of any civilized city.

[Jeff Hendren]

04:06 AM on 09/29/2010

Yeah, but if he had used a car and a hose attached to the tail pipe he would have been less of a risk to others.

[dawebley]

01:09 AM on 09/29/2010

Clearly, this boy's intention was not to harm anyone else but himself. Otherwise, many more people would be in mourning right now.I can't imagine what could have driven him to such a point of hopelessness and despair with his whole life ahead of him. Too too sad. The whole point of christianity is to selflessly reach out to hurting people and demonstrate the love of God to them and inspire renewed hope. In this, we failed Colton and countless others who end their own lives daily. May God have mercy on us all.

[NomadicView]

04:12 AM on 09/29/2010

Indeed, dawebley, It could have been so much worse.

[dsw70]

12:35 AM on 09/29/2010

Thank God no one was injured except the nut.

[dawebley]

01:10 AM on 09/29/2010

You can stop hating him now...he's dead.

[Cubroncs03]

02:50 AM on 09/29/2010

No one knew to hate him until he was dead. Not saying we should or not, but we don't have a choice in the matter.

[dsw70]

05:08 AM on 09/29/2010

I never said or indicated anything about hating him. I am more concerned that he didn't hurt or kill anyone.

[realitytrumpsbull]

10:58 PM on 09/28/2010

One more benefit and advantage of online learning is that you're out of range, in the event that one of your fellow students loses it.

[engchina]

10:23 PM on 09/28/2010

In its effort to continue to build a civilized society and maintain the God given right to own a firearm in the state of Texas. The state legislature will soon introduce legislation mandating that all residents over the age of 18 carry a firearm paying particular attention to colleges, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and universities.
A further addendum to that legislation may include bars and taverns, funeral homes, all public parks and playgrounds as well as shopping malls.
Failure to produce a firearm when demanded by a Peace Officer will lead to fines or imprisonment.
Question:
With America's obsession with firearms is this where America is heading where one day in the not too distant future, the state will mandate that you own a firearm or face criminal misdemeanor charges?
After all many gun rights activists are claiming, “A polite society is an armed society!”
EngChina.

[realitytrumpsbull]

11:04 PM on 09/28/2010

I think the rationale there is that you'll never be able to prevent criminals and/or crazy people from owning guns, therefore you should not be prohibiting law-abiding persons from having them either.

 But, at least, if YOU are armed, you have a fighting chance of saving your own life, and that might help dissuade some people from their nefarious intentions. Basic idea there is, "I have a gun, and these other people, they don't carry guns, and, they have something I want, and I want that, whatever it is, and, if I threaten them with the firearm, or I hurt or kill them with the firearm, then I can pretty much have that", kind of the John Dillinger approach to social politics and economics, where a smile AND a gun get a lot more cooperation, than just a smile. There's such a thing as keeping the peace, and being shrewd in your actions, and recognizing that the world will never be entirely 'safe'. Should it be legal to hedge your bets, in the firearms dept., providing you can successfully prove to local authorities that you have a satisfactorily 'clean' background? I think so. People that are lawful, and respectful of others, should be able to avail themselves of the means of armed self-defense, if they feel it is warranted. You should be able to be secure in your person, and your possessions, in this country. 

[afgail]

02:05 AM on 09/29/2010

The entire gun ownership argument is fueled by the gun manufacturers and their never ending desire to sell more guns. Afterall very few guns age into obsolescence. So in order to increase sales they have to sell more to existing gun owners AND create the demand from people who don't currently own guns. Sick sick sick.

[RevJimIII]

03:00 AM on 09/29/2010

Criminal violence is sick, owning a firearm as a law abiding citizen is not.

[Rooster Coburn]

03:48 PM on 09/29/2010

Gun and ammo sales are the only really big plus of the Obama stimulus package. Why do you think Obama was named "Gun Salesman of the Year"?

[RioVista]

10:21 PM on 09/28/2010

How do you not hit anyone with a weapon like like? Is he just such a poor shot.... or a coward?

[dim]

10:45 PM on 09/28/2010

Or had a different agenda than you think.

[RevJimIII]

12:26 AM on 09/29/2010

From sketchy reports, he did not appear to be targeting anyone..

[jho austin]

09:58 PM on 09/28/2010

I want to know where the UTPD officer was who guards the entrance to the building? Hard to imagine how a person could run into the building with an AK47 and not be stopped.

[KriTiKiT]

10:18 PM on 09/28/2010

i'm confused about that myself...

I remember once upon a time 1996 there where not officer guarding the PCL

[lastliberalintx]

02:01 AM on 09/29/2010

Honestly as of late, the only UTPD offers I've seen are patrolling in their cars and sitting on their asses in the entry booths. It may be different getting into campus but I work in the stadium and there isn't any one guarding the entrance. I can't even say I've seen any cops patrolling Moncrief which is where all the locker rooms and gyms are.

[Masonx]

08:11 PM on 09/28/2010

Seems to be a real detail vacuum around this shooting. For example did anyone see him shoot himself. There are a lot of armed hunters in Texas in the fall and hunting accidents do happen. Especially in Texas. Just ask Harry Whittington - you know Dick Cheney's designated target.

[KriTiKiT]

09:32 PM on 09/28/2010

yes there is a traumatized woman that saw it.

[KriTiKiT]

07:48 PM on 09/28/2010

True Patriots remain unafraid...

[Ralph Noyes]

08:59 PM on 09/28/2010

Just beware of psychotic "libertarians" with automatic rifles.

And HE called himself a libertarian, which is in itself a SMEAR on that honorable term.

[KriTiKiT]

09:11 PM on 09/28/2010

yes he was a libertairan, and I have a feeling that do k speaking tonight at UT
john lott, had something to do with it.

he has a habit of making up data and fraud and intimation

http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/lott.php

[KriTiKiT]

09:17 PM on 09/28/2010

I grew up in austin and CCtX, I am well aware of the real libertarian that respects other peoples lives and the "convenient Libertarian"  the ones that can't be trusted to do the right thing... the ones that pillage because they think the movement is about selfishness.

[Michael Ives]

07:45 PM on 09/28/2010

It seems rather odd that a guy would blindly fire shots as if drawing attention to the fact he had an AK-47 just to kill himself and not injure anyone else. This doesn't really add up. What exactly was his point?

[IMOPINIONH8D]

09:29 PM on 09/28/2010

Killing himself???????