The teacher and his dozen students had heard too much, though they had not seen anything yet. They had heard a girl?s piercing scream in the hallway. They had heard the pops and more pops. By the time the gunman reached the room, many of the students were on the window ledge. There was grass below, not concrete, and even some shrubs. The old professor was at the door, which would not lock, pushing against it, when the gunman pushed from the other side. Some of the students jumped, others prepared to jump until Librescu could hold the door no longer and the gunman forced his way inside.
Matt Webster, a 23-year-old engineering student from Smithfield, Va., was one of four students inside when the gunman appeared. ?He was decked out like he was going to war,? Webster recalled. ?Black vest, extra ammunition clips, everything.? Again, his look was blank, just a stare, no expression, as he started shooting. The first shot hit Librescu in the head, killing him. Webster ducked to the floor and tucked himself into a ball. He shut his eyes and listened as the gunman walked to the back of the classroom. Two other students were huddled by the wall. He shot a girl, and she cried out. Now the shooter was three feet away, pointing his gun right at Webster.
?I felt something hit my head, but I was still conscious,? Webster recalled. The bullet had grazed his hairline, then ricocheted through his upper right arm. He played dead. ?I lay there and let him think he had done his job. I wasn?t moving at all, hoping he wouldn?t come back.? The gunman left the room as suddenly as he had come in.