Lecturer 'blocked doorway' to US killer

A lecturer who died in the massacre at a US university saved the lives of several students by blocking the doorway of his classroom…

A lecturer who died in the massacre at a US university saved the lives of several students by blocking the doorway of his classroom to the gunman before he was shot, his relatives said today.

Students of Liviu Librescu (75), an Israeli lecturer in mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech for 20 years, sent e-mails to his wife telling of how he blocked the gunman's way and saved their lives, his wife, Marlena, said.

"My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," said Joe Librescu. "Students started opening windows and jumping out."

In the deadliest shooting rampage in modern US history, the gunman killed 32 people at the Virginia Tech university before committing suicide.

READ MORE

Indian-born GV Loganathan (51), a lecturer at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was also shot by the gunman, his brother said.

Agencies