(Photo: AP Photo/Virginia State Police)

Tragedy has struck the campus of Virginia Tech, again.

University officials are reporting that on Thursday a police officer and another person were shot and killed on the school’s campus. Since the first report of shots fired earlier Thursday afternoon, the school has been on lockdown with students being told to stay inside as the suspect remains on the loose.

A news release from the school says the police officer pulled someone over in what was a routine traffic stop. The officer was then shot and killed. Witnesses reported that the shooter then ran toward a campus parking lot where a second person was later found dead.

The university’s website reports that the suspect is described as a white male who was wearing gray sweat pants, a maroon hoodie and a gray hat. He was also carrying a backpack.

In 2007 Virginia Tech was the victim of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Thirty-three people died, including the shooter who went on the rampage, Seung Hui Cho.

BET Update: A law enforcement official has announced that the gunman who fled after killing victims on campus is believed to be dead. University officials have confirmed that there is no longer a threat on campus and that normal activities can resume. Additionally, state police have revealed that the shooter was not the person pulled over during the traffic stop.

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