NVCC shooters rifle jams after shots at instructor

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By URIAH A. KISER

ukiser@insidenova.com

The weapon used by a Woodbridge college student now charged with the attempted murder of his math instructor jammed on him, preventing him from firing a third round from his high-powered rifle.

Jason M. Hamilton, 20, was unable to continue shooting at instructor Tatyana Kravchuk, who ducked behind a desk and was not hit, Prince William County police Maj. Ray Colgan said. No one was injured.

"Probably what prevented a further tragedy was that the gun jammed," Colgan said.

Colgan noted that a more experienced gunman might have been able to overcome the jam.

"Prince William County Police responded to the emergency as an 'active shooter' situation. The college quickly implemented its emergency lockdown procedures," said Prince Wil-liam police spokeswoman 1st Sgt. Kim Chinn on Wednesday. "County police and campus police responded and encountered the gunman in the hallway and he was immediately detained."

Police said Hamilton purchased the rifle at a local sporting goods store on Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge. The store is less than four miles from the college campus.

Hamilton was arraigned Wednesday on charges of attempted murder and discharging a firearm in a school zone. He was being held without bond, and an arraignment was scheduled for Jan. 10.

David R. Daugherty, Hamilton's attorney, declined to comment on the charges and said his cli-ent's family is asking for privacy.

"He has two parents that love him, and obviously they're going through a tremendous or-deal," said Daugherty, who was hired by the family.

Police said Hamilton walked into a fourth-floor classroom at the Woodbridge campus of Northern Virginia Community College about 2:40 p.m. Tuesday, armed with a Marlin .30-06 bolt action rifle.

He fired two shots in the direction of the instructor before the gun stopped working, giving the instructor the opportunity to hide behind a desk, police said.

Students inside the building Tuesday said they heard at least three gunshots, but police said Hamilton was only able to fire two rounds before his weapon jammed.

As concerned parents waited outside the campus Tuesday awaiting word of the fate of their children, Chris-tine Brown spoke to her daughter by cell phone.

Alyssa Brown was inside the classroom police said Hamilton walked into, and she told her mother she heard one shot in the hallway before Hamilton walked into the room.

"[Alyssa] said the guy walked right up to the teacher, and the teacher yelled for everybody to run, and when they did, as she was running from the room, she said she heard two more gunshots go off," said Brown.

The campus was closed Wednesday as police continued their investigation and college officials reviewed their security plans.

Police said Hamilton was enrolled in the class taught by the woman he intended to kill and was unhappy about his grades. Immediately following his arrest, police described Hamilton as "disgruntled."

Outside Hamilton's Dale City home on Wednesday afternoon, few Christmas decorations lined the street as neighbors greeted their children at the end of the school day.

Hamilton's parents declined to comment on their son's case.

Northern Virginia Community College encompasses six campuses in Northern Virginia, and is the largest institution of higher learning in the commonwealth in terms of enrollment, as more than 67,000 students are enrolled.

The institution also boasts its own 24-hour police department with armed officers who are fully trained in all aspects in law enforcement, according to college officials.

One of the those officers, Anthony Mellis, was on duty when the gunshots went off and notified county police. He then went to investigate the shooting, said Chinn.

When Prince William police arrived, they deployed members of the Active Shooter/Active Violence team, said Chinn.

That team has been has been in existence since 1999 -- the same year two students entered Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., and shot and killed 11 students and one teacher and injured 21 others.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065. The Associated Press contirbuted to this report.