Eight Killed in Rural Virginia

Eight people were shot dead in Appomattox, Virginia on Tuesday in the region's deadliest such incident since 33 people died in 2007's Virginia Tech shooting. At noon, a deputy responding to a call discovered the first victim, who later died in the hospital, on a rural road. The responding deputy called for backup when he heard shots in the distance. Police found three victims dead in a house near the scene, and four others dead outside. Early on in the manhunt, the suspect shot at a police helicopter, rupturing its fuel tank and forcing an emergency landing. The police and other authorities have now surrounded a triangular section of woods that they believe contains the suspect. A county official said that, based on the information available, he believed that a man "shot and killed his wife and son" during a dispute.