First Victims of Virginia Tech Massacre Named

The first details of the 32 victims of the Virginia Tech shootings began emerging today.

Reports said the first two of the so far unnamed gunman's victims in the quiet town of Blacksburg were students Emily Hilscher and Ryan "Stack" Clark.

It is thought they were killed at the West Ambler Johnston Hall - the scene of the first shootings at the campus college in south-west Virginia state. The hall is a mixed dormitory housing almost 900 students.

Unconfirmed reports suggested the gunman was looking for an ex-girlfriend before the shootings began and could have been motivated by jealousy.

The first shootings were reported to police at 7.15am. Officers discovered the bodies of a man and a woman, and believed the gunman had fled. Just over two hours later, he killed 30 people at Norris Hall, an engineering building on the campus half a mile away.

Ms Hilscher was the next-door neighbour of Mr Clark, a residential adviser, the New York Times reported.

An online tribute to Ms Hilscher on the Facebook website described her as a "beautiful young woman ... who fell victim to the tragic events on the Virginia Tech campus". "We love you Emily ... your smile will never be forgotten," it said.

Mr Clark was reported to have been a twin from Martinez, Georgia. Vernon Collins, a coroner in Georgia, said he was shot in the neck, a local Virginia newspaper, the Roanoke Times, reported.

His mother, Letitie Clark, was "in shock and disbelief that her son was gone," Mr Collins said.

Professor Liviu Librescu and Professor Kevin Granata were among those killed at Norris Hall, where unconfirmed reports said students and staff were locked into classrooms and lined up before being shot.

Ishwar Puri, the head of the engineering science and mechanics department, told the Associated Press that the two professors were killed in the massacre.