BLACKSBURG, Va. — One day after a mass killing took place at Virginia Polytechnic Institute on April 16, all 10 of the employees who work at Freedom First Federal Credit Union's branches on the college's campus are safe and accounted for according to Paul Phillips, president/CEO.
The $200 million CU has two branches in the Squires Student Center, which is roughly 500 yards from West Ambler Johnston Hall, a freshman dormitory and a little further than that from Norris Hall, an engineering studies building, Phillips said. Police said 32 people were killed at both locations on April 16 by alleged gunman, 23-year-old Virginia Tech student Cho Seung-hui. Cho committed suicide in Norris Hall, police said.
At the time of the dorm shootings, which police said occurred at 7:15 a.m. on April 16, a manager and one employee were at the campus branch, Phillips said. As with the rest of students, staff and faculty on campus throughout the morning, the employees were instructed to get in lockdown status, which meant locking the doors, remaining inside and staying away from windows. The CU employees were allowed to leave the branch at 1:00 p.m. Phillips said he has not heard from any of the 10 CU employees on whether they knew or were related to any of the persons killed.
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On April 17, Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said classes would be canceled for the rest of that week and Norris Hall will be closed for the rest of the semester. Phillips said the campus CU branch, along with other retail shops at the school, were scheduled to remain open last week. The branch was open the day after the killings.
"The mood is shock, disbelief and anger and it will probably be that way for some time," Phillips said. "We're trying to figure out how we can best support the university and help during this renewal process."
Phillips, who was at the CU's main office in Roanoke at the time of the shootings, said he "commends the university and the way it handled the situation."
"It's not something one could ever imagine. I think they have taken the appropriate steps to provide security and safety for people on campus."
The Freedom First FCU student center branch has been on campus since the early 1990s following a merger with Virginia Tech Employees Credit Union in 1986, Phillips said. Chartered in 1956, the Roanoke, Va.-based CU serves 37,000 members and in addition to the student center branch, has six other branches in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Roanoke, Salem and Vinton. –[email protected]
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