Hello all,
This is actually going to be my first post on WS, but I wanted to add this information as (kind of) an insider. I did not know these students personally but I attend Washington State University in Pullman, which is about 20 minutes from Moscow, and all WSU and UofI students received the alert and shelter-in-place yesterday afternoon. I know people from high school who attend UofI that knew the victims personally, they were in their sororities and fraternity.
I wanted to provide a bit of credibility before speaking on some things because I am hearing a lot of misinformation in this thread. As someone who started using this website for similar reasons as you all, I am fortunate to get the chance to provide information about a crime that happened so close to my community. This was a devastating loss and something that IMO should never have happened.
Of course, there is run-of-the-mill gossip that occurs on social media and on campus. But students know just about as much as MSM is putting out. There are a few reporters on Twitter that I believe have been reporting this tragic event accurately, and they might even have knowledge from law enforcement that they are not allowed to release yet because that must go through the prosecuting attorney first.
I feel like I need to clarify several things: it has never been stated that this was a result of gun violence. MSM has confirmed this. They have also confirmed that the crime was not perpetuated by any of the victims themselves. This was not a murder-suicide. UofI as well as Moscow Police have repeatedly stated that this is being investigated as homicide, so carbon monoxide poisoning or substance overdose is not a possibility. The coroner hasn't even performed autopsy reports yet, so we cannot speculate on any cause of death yet. From what I've read, the coroner is set to perform the autopsies on Wednesday, so if they choose to release cause of death we can look for more answers at that time.
As for the perpetrator, this is where I fall short. As a student, I was in disbelief to think that a crime of this magnitude could happen in a community so close to me. I am the same age as the victims. The only statements we have heard are from the president of UofI and Moscow Police press releases. How are we supposed to believe that "there is no active threat to the community" when we have not heard whether there is a suspect in custody or not? We do not even know that ever had a suspect to begin with. This is all that we have been told at this time.
I hoped to keep this as brief as possible, but I felt like I had a duty to clear things up. I enjoy the community of WS and just wanted to make sure we are honoring the victims and their families, as curious as we may be.
I am open to answering any questions to the best of my knowledge.
To Admin: please let me know if I need to confirm any of this information with links to sources. I am happy to provide.