A freshman at the same school where a student massacred 32 people in 2007 was busted this week for attempting to convert several rifles he owned into assault weapons, according to a report.
Virginia Tech student Yunsong Zhao, 19, researched bulletproof vests and purchased an old police vehicle on which he placed special bumpers before being apprehended Monday, according to WDBJ.
Virginia Tech Police said they were tipped off to Zhao when he purchased an AR-15 rifle on January 25, and ammo three days before, the outlet reported.
He was charged with illegal possession of an assault weapon while not being a lawful US citizen.
Students were stunned.
“He seemed like a normal guy, you know what I mean? Just someone trying to make friends and trying to blend in like everyone else,” said freshman Alvaro Barros, the station reported. “I was just shocked because he doesn’t seem like the guy that would do it, not at all. So coming from a different country, you really see how people can be different inside than they are outside.”
The university tried to calm fears in a statement Tuesday, citing “many calls from concerned community members.”
“Police remain vigilant at all times and work around the clock to keep our campus safe,” the school said. “Right now, there is no threat to our community.”
Zhao, who is from China, is not allowed to own an assault rifle under the terms of his student visa, WDBJ reported.
Zhao remains in police custody.
In April 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, a 23-year-old English major from South Korea, gunned down 32 students at Virginia Tech in the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.