Spotsy Man Behind VT Murder-Suicide
Ross Truett Ashley, age 22, shot and killed a Virginia Tech campus police officer before taking his own life.
The man who shot and killed a Virginia Tech police officer before taking his own life yesterday has been identified as Spotsylvania County resident Ross Truett Ashley, age 22.
Police say Ashley, who was from Partlow, committed suicide about a half hour after killing Virginia Tech Police Officer Derieck W. Crouse as the officer conducted a routine traffic stop on a random bystander in a campus parking lot. At the time of the murder-suicide, Ashley lived in the 1000 block of East Main Street in Radford, where he attended classes part time at Radford University.
A host of local law enforcement agencies are continuing their investigation into the murder-suicide, along with the FBI and the Secret Service.
One mystery which remains is why Ashley targeted Crouse. State police say that there was no prior contact between the two.
"State police investigators are continuing their work to establish a motive in the killing and to recreate Ashley's movements in the days and hours leading up to the murder suicide," reads a press release from the Virginia State Police.
Ashley's violent attack and eventual suicide was preceded by the armed robbery of a white 2011 Mercedes SUV from a real estate office in Radford the day before.
Police say that at about 11:25 a.m. on December 7, a man entered a Radford real estate office brandishing a handgun and demanding the keys to the SUV. The robber took the car, but no one was hurt. The SUV was discovered abandonded on the day of the murder-suicide. Radford police have linked the armed robbery to Ashley's murder-suicide.
The next day, at around 12:15 p.m., Officer Crouse was conducting a traffic stop in a campus parking lot near the intersection of Washington Street and Spring Road. Police say Crouse was sitting inside his unmarked patrol car when Ashley approached and fatally shot the officer.
Police say that in-car video captured by Crouse's dash cam shows a man with a handgun at the time of the shooting.
Ashley then ran from the scene. Police believe he took off his wool cap and pullover and stuffed them inside a backpack which he discarded. The backpack was discovered by police near the campus greenhouses later on Thursday.
As police combed over the campus in search of the shooter, a Montgomery County Deputy Sheriff spied Ashley walking alone through a parking lot located off of Duck Pond Drive. The deputy approached in his car, losing sight of Ashley for a moment. By the time the sheriff's deputy reached Ashley, Ashley had already shot and killed himself.
Both Crouse and Ashley's bodies were taken to Roanoke for autopsies by the Office of the Medical Examiner.
Dan Telvock
8:16 pm on Friday, December 9, 2011
Sad. Just insanity.
Jesse Clear
12:03 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
No Dan ... it's called EVIL. No medical pass for these monsters.
Tammi Petrine
10:27 am on Saturday, December 10, 2011
The recent VA Tech tragedy is indeed sad for all of us including the families of the dead. Condolences to each and the VA Tech community. Evil are the ridiculous gun laws that made this possible.
Apparently Mr. Ashley's right to purchase a gun and ammo superceded Officer Crouse's right to life.
What's wrong with this picture? To the American public, when is enough enough?
Picture this: The day when the 99% has really had enough of the 1%. Food for thought...
Lisa Arthur
3:15 am on Monday, December 12, 2011
So it has been established that this young man legally purchased this gun due to these gun laws?
This is terribly sad all the way around...condolences for the families. May the public let the police establish what actually happened.
Tammi Petrine
11:00 am on Monday, December 12, 2011
Lisa, does it matter IF Mr. Ashley purchased the gun legally? That's the fallacy of the whole NRA position: With millions of handguns being produced and spread around in society, legally OR illegally, getting one is no big deal. And purchasing ammo is like buying a cake mix.
And we need handguns to hunt, right? Handguns are used to kill people. Period. Statistics show what a deadly country the US is from handgun murders. We are really upset about Officer Crouse's death as we should be.
Why are we not equally upset about innocent victims of robberies, drive-by shootings, marital assault victims, etc. Why are our papers and neighborhoods not having constant 30,000 person vigils? We are so jaded by the reports of handgun murders that we no longer register what is going on.
Wake up, America! Please wake up. It doesn't have to be like this. How many more have to die before we wake up...
Mike
11:19 am on Monday, December 12, 2011
Tammi Petrine, thanks for the reminder...I need to give some business to NOVA Armament and make sure my NRA membership dues are paid for.
As for this tragedy, I do hope the state pushes to deny Ross Truett Ashley his life, since he denied Officer Derieck W. Crouse his, and his family their father.
Tammi Petrine
12:21 pm on Monday, December 12, 2011
Mike, just in case you missed this detail: Mr. Ashley committed suicide shortly after shooting Officer Crouse. Sorry you won't be able to revel in another VA execution. Obviously more than our values differ drastically.
d
8:14 am on Thursday, December 15, 2011
Its a tragedy that this is played over and over again. I think that unless there is a legitimate reason for you to have a handgun then you shouldnt have the ability to own one. There is nothing like the feeling of going into the movies and the man walking in front of me and my child has a gun strapped to his side. What is the reason and why should I have fear that the whole time we,re in the movie is he going to jump up and shoot everyone. Because the constitution gives him the right to bear arms. Look at the man in the giant did he really need to be armed to go to the redbox, thank god he didnt kill one of those kids or some innocent person walking by.
Lisa Arthur
8:54 am on Thursday, December 15, 2011
@ d - you may also find yourself THANKING the man in the movie theater who is carrying a gun...he may be the only person with the ability to stop a crime against you and your family.
And @ Tammi - YES....because the Bill of Rights allows the RIGHT to bear arms....just as YOU have the right to express your opinion in public....just as the people participating in Occupy in various cities have the right to interfere with others' lives...just as you have the right to operate a vehicle (which happen to kill more people than guns every year)...etc. You may or may not agree but rights are rights and if you take away the right for someone to own a firearm, you may as well also take away the right to practice religion freely...and/or the freedom of the press (who actually hurt people every day with lies and bias)
Tammi Petrine
11:30 am on Thursday, December 15, 2011
Lisa, I don't believe the founding fathers who created the "right to bear arms" ever anticipated handguns and particularly automatic handguns. No hand guns, no invisible threats; one can see a hunting rifle. I have no issue with hunters; only with souls who are so terrified that they think having a handgun is going to protect them or me. I'll take my chances and they sure would be better if NO one carried hand guns.