8 killed in Virginia shootout; gunman at large

A lone gunman went on a shooting rampage in a Virginia county killing eight people and firing at a helicopter hunting him before being swarmed and cornered by hundreds of policemen in nearby woods.

The 39-year-old man identified as Christopher Speight was surrounded by police posse in a wooded enclave after he shot dead eight people in Appomattox in southern Virginia.

Police later confirmed the death toll.

The suspect also shot at the helicopter that was called to the scene of the crime forcing it to make emergency landing,however,no policemen on board were injured.

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The drama unfolded around noon when a deputy Sheriff responding to a distress call found a man shot and as he was examining him,he heard more shots.

As the man was airlifted to hospital where he died of gun shot wounds,police found several other victims of the gunman in nearby houses. Police did not identify the victims,saying they were both men and women.

Police,who were using sniffer dogs and heat seeking equipments in helicopters,said they had pinned down the gunman in a three mile area and were confident of nabbing him anytime.

A motive for the attacks was not immediately clear.