Posted on April 19, 2007
Students and faculty at Virginia Tech are still in shock after Monday’s massacre by a lone gunman that resulted in the deaths of 33 people, including the shooter.
Virginia Tech President Charles Steger extended his sympathies to the families of the victims and called the events “a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions.”
The shootings at Virginia Tech are the deadliest on record in the United States, having more casualties than any previous attack, with 33 confirmed dead and 15 injured.
At approximately 7:15 a.m. on Monday, campus police received reports of a shooting in West Ambler Johnston Residence Hall. According to police, there were two confirmed fatalities. The hall serves as a co-ed undergraduate housing complex for 895 students.
According to police, the deaths were believed to be an isolated event and domestic in nature.
At 9:45 a.m., as police were interviewing a person of interest, units were dispatched to the scene of a second shooting in Norris Hall, on the opposite side of campus.
According to students, an e-mail was sent regarding the first incident, but classes remained in session until the second shooting, raising questions about university officials’ response.
“What you need to understand,” said Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum, “is this is a campus of over 2,600 acres, well over a hundred buildings, 26,000 students, faculty and staff. A lockdown or shutdown does not happen in seconds.”
Complicating matters further is the fact that approximately 6,000 students live on campus.
The majority of the fatalities occurred in Norris Hall. According to police, the responding officers found the front doors barricaded and chained from the inside. Once access was gained to the building, shots could be heard on the second floor. As the officers approached the area of the gunfire, the shooting ceased. According to police, the gunman took his own life before officers reached him. Police found 30 victims throughout the building in at least four classrooms, as well as a stairwell. Flinchum also confirmed that several individuals jumped out of windows during the incident in Norris Hall.
The gunman has been identified as 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui, a senior English major at Virginia Tech. Cho was a resident alien, originally from South Korea, who moved to the United States in 1992 and lived in Centreville. At school he was an on-campus resident and lived in Harper Residence Hall.
According to police, those who knew him described Cho as a loner. He legally purchased the weapons used in the shootings. Since the attacks, law enforcement has executed two search warrants on his dorm room. One of the official search warrants dated Monday lists retrieved items including a chain from his closet, knife, various types of locks, assorted notepads and other documents, computer and computer related items, a digital camera and a dremel tool.
Wednesday morning, police confirmed that Cho had been involved with law enforcement officials in 2005 as a result of complaints filed by two female sudents. Police said that following a counseling session at the police department he was sent to a mental health facility, but no charges were filed against him.
NBC also confirmed that Cho mailed a package to its office containing photographs and writings, and is believed to have done so between the shootings.
At press time, police had not yet provided details regarding the identities of the victims from the second shooting. Official information will be made available only after all of the victims are positively identified and families are notified. As of Tuesday afternoon, all families had been notified but not all of the victims were positively identified.
Dr. Marcella Fierro, the chief medical examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia, said that she is working to confirm the identities as quickly and carefully as possible. However, it will still be days before this will be complete.
Details regarding victims are becoming available via social networking sites like Facebook.com and myspace.com and by family members who have come forward to announce the death of their child.
Officials originally declined to connect the separate shooting incidents, as a ballistics evaluation had not yet been completed to compare them.
Parents and students met throughout Monday night at the university lodge, The Inn at Virginia Tech, where hundreds of members of the media also convened.
Members of the Virginia State Police blocked the entrances to campus with their patrol cars and turned away motorists Monday night
Tech reopened at 8 a.m. Tuesday, but classes were canceled and counselors were on hand to speak with students. The same day, Va. Tech President Steger announced that classes are canceled for the rest of the week. Norris Hall will be closed for the rest of the semester.
According to Flinchum, the results of the ballistics analysis confirmed that one of the two guns used in Norris Hall was also involved in the first shooting. Colonel Steven Flaherty, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police, could not conclusively identify Cho as the attacker in both instances, but says that the ballistics results will aid future investigation.
One of the search warrants lists the weapons as a Walther P22 and a Glock 9mm.
Tuesday afternoon, a convocation was held in Cassell Coliseum. Nearly 10,000 people filled the space and many others, who could not fit in the coliseum, viewed the ceremony in the nearby stadium. Almost all wore the school colors, orange or maroon.
President Bush and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine were in attendance and addressed the audience.
“In this time of anguish, I hope you know people all over this country are thinking about you,” Bush said.
Following closing remarks by Nikki Giovanni, the uplifted crowd loudly began chanting “Let’s go Hokies” in unison.
At 8 p.m., thousands participated in a candlelight vigil on the Drill Field in the center of campus.
Kaine has declared Friday a state-wide day of mourning.
