For the typical undergraduate student at Virginia Tech on a four-year plan, murder in Blacksburg is something they vividly remember from 2007 but did not actually experience first-hand.

Last Thursday changed all of that as university officials ordered a new generation of Hokies on lockdown after Ross Truett Ashley of Spotsylvania County shot and killed Virginia Tech patrolman Deriek W. Crouse in the Cassell Coliseum parking lot of campus.

Ashley then took his own life near the Cage parking lot.

Virginia Tech students and local residents Nick Tremols and Scott Betterly shared their own stories of what happened that day and how the Hokies nation rallied together to support Crouse's family and each other.

The murder-suicide occurred on Reading Day. That is when students each semester have off from class so they can study for final exams.

Tremols, a 2010 Battlefield High School graduate from Gainesville, heard about the incident from a fellow swimmer while he was studying for a chemistry final with another friend at Lane Stadium.

"She actually saw the officer on the ground," said Tremols, adding that she was "kind of shaken up by it."

A text from campus officials came within two minutes of her phone call, said Tremols, all before 1 p.m.

"Throughout the day, we kept getting more alerts," he added.

Betterly, a 2008 Brentsville District High School graduate from Nokesville, slept in on Reading Day since he did not have any immediate exams coming up the next day.

He then received text messages both from the school and his mother back home, the latter checking in on him.

"I was actually shocked and it's kind of one of those things, when you get an alert, the first thing that crosses your mind is, 'What's going to happen now,'" said Betterly. "'We don't want this to happen again.'"

Betterly was referring to the April 16, 2007 massacre that left 33 people dead when a deranged gunman opened fire throughout campus before ultimately killing himself.

When the news of the latest shooting arrived, so did stories of the prior rampage.

"Yeah, obviously, unfortunately, that's what comes to mind when you think about it," said Tremols, adding that it was "brought it up in conversation."

"You almost kind of put it perspective: 'Is it going to be something really minor or could it be the worst?' It definitely puts something in my mind," said Betterly.

He and his roommates tuned into social media reports and obeyed campus-wide orders by staying indoors.

"A lot of different sources, either from the schools or a lot of the beat writers who have a lot of credibility, they were able to provide a lot of information about what was going on a lot quicker," said Betterly

"Every minute they were reported something," recalled Tremols of the campus media. "It was a little scary but once the school actually came out and said what was going on, we were able to remain calm.

"I probably got like 15 messages or so throughout the day to keep updated," he added.

Both Tremols and Betterly mentioned that the part of campus near the basketball arena where the initial shooting occurred is a heavily frequented area by students.

It also serves as a parking lot for the school gymnasium and is near a diner.

"You're lucky to find a parking spot most of the time," said Betterly, who lives off-campus.

The place of the reported suicide is a long-term parking lot and is generally less visited.

After the all-clear was issued in the evening, Betterly recalled that he drove to campus and "parked right next to where the officer was shot.

"It was quiet... probably the most I've seen in quite a while," he said.

When Betterly pulled into campus, it was around 7 p.m. and below freezing outside.

He could see the washed-up area of the ground.

"It was still wet and you could still smell the peroxide and the disinfectants they had used," said Betterly.

Students already were placing cards and flowers there as a make-shift memorial.

"As soon as you stepped on to the wet ground, you could feel someone's life, how precious it is, how somebody lost their life in this area. Just how surreal it is, that one second you could be alive and well," he said.

Exams set for Friday were rescheduled to Saturday. Thousands of Hokies gathered near the War Memorial pylons that night for a candle-light vigil.

A call-and-response ensued after minutes of silence, with one person yelling, "Let's go!" and the crowd chanting "Hokies!"

By 10:30 p.m. on December 12, the Virginia Tech community raised over $84,000 for Crouse's widow and five children through the "Hokies For Crouse" website.

Tremols said something he would remember from the day is "just how everyone came together, and not just from Tech. I was getting calls all day."

That included "people I haven't talked to since high school and things like that... in time of crises, people just coming together to rally help each other."

He and Betterly both repeatedly emphasis how safe they felt at campus thanks in part to the improved notification system used by the school in the wake of the 2007 tragedy.

"I think it's brought us closer together and I think some people may not realize, they may see just the bits on the news... and they might just write off the entire university and say it's not safe," said Betterly. "It was actually rated one of the best places to raise your family."

"I feel completely safe here," said Tremols on the same day as the shooting. "You hate to see it, but today, I felt completely safe."

More information about the "Hokies For Crouse" fund, including a link for donations, can be found online at https://sites.google.com/site/hokiesforcrouse.