UT Shooter Colton Tooley Described As 'Intelligent, Meticulous'

New details are emerging about Colton Tooley, the sophomore math major from Austin, TX who sprayed the University of Texas campus with gunfire yesterday before taking his own life.

According to the Daily Texan, friends recall Tooley as "quiet, intelligent and helpful."

The Texan has more:

In high school, none of his classmates would have suspected that Tooley was capable of violence, said Plan II and journalism junior Rachel Platis, a high school classmate of Tooley and a former Daily Texan staffer.

"He was a quiet boy," Platis said. "He was always so respectful and sweet."

KVUE reports that Tooley graduated seventh in his class from Crockett High School in 2009.

A man who said he was Tooley's cousin, who gave his name only as Marcus, spoke to the media yesterday (video below). He said that there were no signs of Tooley's rampage.

"If he was depressed, you would never know it, because he would never express his emotions,"
he said.

A neighbor of the Tooleys told the Austin American-Statesman that Colton was "shy but polite" and had "the heart of a poet."

Crockett High School Principal Craig Shapiro released the following statement yesterday:

"All of us in the Crockett High School community are shocked and saddened by today's tragedy at the University of Texas. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Colton Tooley.
Colton, a 2009 Crockett graduate, was an excellent student, who excelled in every subject, and was ranked 7th in his class. His teachers recall him with words such as "brilliant," "meticulous," and "respectful."

Crockett High School will have additional counselors on campus, beginning Wednesday, to assist students and staff who request their services."