Stay Strong, Virginia Tech

It was just over four years ago that Centreville lost two of its own to a deranged gunman from this same community. Three graduates died on the Virginia Tech campus on April 16, 2007—Reema Samaha, Erin Peterson, and the troubled young man who orchestrated the shooting that claimed 32 lives. 

So when news broke on Thursday that a gunman might be on the loose at Virginia Tech and the campus was placed on lock-down, many Centreville residents were following the situation closely and praying for the best. Several teens reported to police that they saw what appeared to be a gunman, although the search ultimately failed to turn up anyone matching that description. Over the course of about five tense hours on Thursday afternoon, residents watched updates on the news and checked for developments online. 

"Though we are very sensitive to today's alert about an alleged gunman on Virginia Tech's campus, we hold our collective breath that the incident does not escalate," Joe Samaha, Reema's father and president of the Centreville-based VTV Family Outreach Foundation Board of Directors wrote in an email Thursday afternoon, before the lockdown was lifted.

He added that the university's decision to place the campus on lock-down was a "very prudent reaction."

Halfway across the country, one of 's most famous graduates was also following the situation. "Praying for the safety of everyone at Virginia Tech," Westfield and VT alum , now a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, wrote on Twitter. 

And when Centreville Patch asked readers if they would like to send messages of support to Virginia Tech, the response was almost immediate. 

"especially want the campus to be safe for when I go there later this month! sending lots of good thoughts to everyone there!" tweeted  graduate Isabella Lacsamana, who watched coverage of the situation online throughout the day.  

Future Hokies like Lacsamana were among the 45,000 people who received alerts from VT on their cell phones. Though they haven't met their new classmates yet, they rallied around them via social media. "stay safe #hokiefamily," wrote Jessica McNamara, a Westfield High alumna and future softball player at Virginia Tech.

Correction: The name of the group mentioned in this article is VTV Family Outreach Foundation, not VT Victims Family Outreach.