As Virginia Tech grieves, little anger expressed toward gunman: "Campus leaders, experts and those touched by the tragedy say there are several reasons for the spirit of forgiveness. Many people are too overcome by grief to think about anything else. The fact that Cho killed himself provided enough retribution, some say. Others say the forgiveness is rooted in the strong Christian values of this area.
And there's also the loyalty to the 'Hokie Nation.'
After a student organization placed the stone memorials in a semicircle last week on the main campus lawn, senior Katelynn L. Johnson added a 33rd stone for Cho. Johnson said she told almost no one about the stone because she feared a backlash.
She came forward after someone took it away, because she was outraged by the brief removal of the rock. She says she accepts all 'fellow students, faculty and alumni as Hokies' no matter what problems they have.
'I believe his life had value no matter what he did,' she said. 'We lost 33 people.'"
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Virginia Tech shootings show flaws in federal database system
Virginia Tech shootings show flaws in federal database system: "Since 1968, federal law has prohibited the sale of guns to anyone adjudged mentally ill. But more than half of the states cannot - or will not - supply the necessary mental-health records to the FBI database that is used to conduct background checks on potential gun buyers.
That could change after last week’s shootings at Virginia Tech. The U.S. House is considering a bill that would encourage states to share mental-health records with the federal government by giving them more than $1 billion in grants to help cover the costs."
That could change after last week’s shootings at Virginia Tech. The U.S. House is considering a bill that would encourage states to share mental-health records with the federal government by giving them more than $1 billion in grants to help cover the costs."
Virginia Tech: The futility of anger - Viewpoints
Virginia Tech: The futility of anger - Viewpoints: "Calling Seung-Hui Cho a victim is not merely a comment on his death, but also on his life. Why was his mental health not addressed more carefully? Why did Cho apparently never receive his court-mandated outpatient counseling? Why was he declared 'mentally sound' and allowed to buy a firearm after those around him suspected him of suicidal tendencies? Are these not incidences of victimization?"
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Queen Elizabeth Will Pay Special Tribute To Virginia Tech Victims During U.S. Visit | April 25, 2007
Queen Elizabeth Will Pay Special Tribute To Virginia Tech Victims During U.S. Visit | April 25, 2007: "A palace spokeswoman said: 'As the queen is visiting so shortly after the tragedy, it is important that it be recognized. It's a significant and terrible tragedy.''"
Lobbyist for World's Largest Small Arms Manufacturer, Ammo Distributor Is Slated to Address Confederate Group
Lobbyist for World's Largest Small Arms Manufacturer, Ammo Distributor Is Slated to Address Confederate Group: "The bullets used by the killer at the recent Virginia Tech massacre and displayed on his DVD were also designed to explode in flesh."
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Classes resume a week after Virgina Tech massacre - Nation
Classes resume a week after Virgina Tech massacre - Nation: "The memorial bell rang at 9:45 a.m., around the time when Cho killed 30 students and faculty members in a classroom building before committing suicide. The tribute lasted 11 minutes, as the bell rang for each of the victims and Cho.
'It's only been a week, but it seems so long ago,' said Marc Hamel, 43, a political science student. 'Getting back into class is really going to help.'
As the crowd broke up, people started to chant, 'Let's Go Hokies' several times.
A moment of silence was also observed at about 7:15 a.m., near the dormitory where Cho's first victims, Ryan Clark and Emily Hilscher, were killed."
'It's only been a week, but it seems so long ago,' said Marc Hamel, 43, a political science student. 'Getting back into class is really going to help.'
As the crowd broke up, people started to chant, 'Let's Go Hokies' several times.
A moment of silence was also observed at about 7:15 a.m., near the dormitory where Cho's first victims, Ryan Clark and Emily Hilscher, were killed."
Sunday, April 22, 2007
News - Cho's motive may be in email
News - Cho's motive may be in email: "'Seung-Hui Cho is known to have communicated by cellular telephone and may have communicated with others concerning his plans to carry out attacks on students and faculty at Virginia Tech,' police wrote Friday in an affidavit seeking records from Verizon Wireless."
'Looking Back . . . We Should Have Done Something':
"'Question Mark' was getting to be an aggravation.
The whole thing with the imaginary girlfriend, Jelly, the supermodel he'd say he was making out with in his locked room. The weird faceless picture he posted on Facebook that was supposed to be him.
Family of Virginia Tech Killer says he 'Made the World Weep'
Family of Virginia Tech Killer says he 'Made the World Weep': "The family of Cho Seung-hui, the man who killed 32 people during a shooting rampage at Virginia Tech University, says 'he has made the world weep.'
In a written statement released late Friday, Sun-Kyung Cho, the gunman's sister, says her family is heartbroken over the tragedy, and apologized to the families of her brother's victims. She says the family never knew he was capable of such actions, which she described as 'unspeakable.'"
In a written statement released late Friday, Sun-Kyung Cho, the gunman's sister, says her family is heartbroken over the tragedy, and apologized to the families of her brother's victims. She says the family never knew he was capable of such actions, which she described as 'unspeakable.'"
Friday, April 20, 2007
Bloody South Korean movie inspires Virginia Tech massacre - Pravda.Ru
Bloody South Korean movie inspires Virginia Tech massacre - Pravda.Ru: "It added to the debate over the influence of pop culture on heinous crimes that one of the photographs in the Virginia Tech killer's 'multimedia manifesto' may have been inspired by a bloody South Korean movie."
"'Oldboy', from the respected director Chan-woo Park, is about a man mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years. After escaping, he goes on a rampage against his captor. In one stylized and plainly unrealistic scene, he dispatches more than a dozen henchmen with the aid of a hammer."
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Va. Tech stunned by images of gunman
Va. Tech stunned by images of gunman: "Between his first and second bursts of gunfire, Virginia Tech gunman Cho Seung-Hui mailed a package to NBC that containing photos of him brandishing guns and video of him delivering an angry, profanity laced tirade."
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Shooting Rekindles Issues of Gun Rights and Restrictions - New York Times
Shooting Rekindles Issues of Gun Rights and Restrictions - New York Times: "...this unremarkable purchase by Mr. Cho is drawing attention to Virginia’s gun laws, which some gun-control advocates described as lax. The purchase has prompted calls from several Democrats and at least one leading presidential candidate, John Edwards, for measures to restrict gun sales, even as they proclaimed their support for the Second Amendment."
New scare today on Virginia Tech campus
New scare today on Virginia Tech campus: "Several students and professors described Cho as a sullen loner. Authorities said he left a rambling note raging against women and rich kids. News reports said that Cho, a 23-year-old senior majoring in English, may have been taking medication for depression and that he was becoming increasingly erratic.
Professors and classmates were alarmed by his class writings — pages filled with twisted, violence-drenched writing."
Professors and classmates were alarmed by his class writings — pages filled with twisted, violence-drenched writing."
'Wash Post' Reveals: Virginia Tech Killer Bought First Gun Online
'Wash Post' Reveals: Virginia Tech Killer Bought First Gun Online: "Yesterday, the media revealed that Cho Seung Hui, the shooter in the Virginia Tech massacred, bought a pistol he used on Monday at a a gun shop in Roanoke, but mystery remained about the other weapon he used, with most reporting that he purchased it earlier this month.
Today The Washington Post clears that up. It discloses that on February 9, he 'walked into a pawnshop on Main Street in Blacksburg, directly across the street from the Virginia Tech campus, and picked up one of the guns he would use in his deadly rampage Monday: a Walther .22-caliber pistol, a relatively inexpensive firearm most commonly used for target shooting or plinking cans...."
Today The Washington Post clears that up. It discloses that on February 9, he 'walked into a pawnshop on Main Street in Blacksburg, directly across the street from the Virginia Tech campus, and picked up one of the guns he would use in his deadly rampage Monday: a Walther .22-caliber pistol, a relatively inexpensive firearm most commonly used for target shooting or plinking cans...."
Police probe bomb threat on Va. Tech campus - Crime File - NY Daily News
Police probe bomb threat on Va. Tech campus - Crime File - NY Daily News: "A bomb threat today in the president's office at Virginia Tech University, where 33 people were killed earlier this week, was 'unfounded,' a Virginia State Police tactical team concluded."
Teacher had Cho moved out of class
globeandmail.com: Teacher had Cho moved out of class: "One of Cho Seung-Hui's English professors at Virginia Tech said Wednesday that she so feared the intimidating nature of 23-year-old English student that she threatened to resign if he were not removed from her class.
'He was a very intimidating student to my other students,' poetry professor Nikki Giovanni said. As a result of his disturbing presence and his graphic writing,she actually wrote to the chairman of the English Department, Lucinda Roy, asking that he be removed from her class, which he was.
'I was willing to resign before I was going to continue with him,' Ms. Giovanni told CNN."
'He was a very intimidating student to my other students,' poetry professor Nikki Giovanni said. As a result of his disturbing presence and his graphic writing,she actually wrote to the chairman of the English Department, Lucinda Roy, asking that he be removed from her class, which he was.
'I was willing to resign before I was going to continue with him,' Ms. Giovanni told CNN."
Virginia Tech Massacre | April 16 2007
Virginia Tech Massacre | April 16 2007: "The Effect
A tragedy like this affects many people. Each of those students had a mother. A father. Brothers and sisters. Friends."
A tragedy like this affects many people. Each of those students had a mother. A father. Brothers and sisters. Friends."
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Virginia Tech begins the healing process as a community
KRT Wire | 04/17/2007 | Virginia Tech begins the healing process as a community: "Dazed and stricken, the Virginia Tech community struggled Tuesday to come to grips with the murders of 32 friends and colleagues, as details emerged about the loner who unleashed terror on the bucolic campus.
Students fought back tears, walked quietly around the sprawling campus and greeted one another with hugs. Their classes canceled for the week, many packed their things to head for the security of home.
They checked Facebook, the social-networking Web site, where they searched for news of who was safe and who was missing. They entered their names on group lists such as 'I'm OK at VT.'
Emotions were raw among the 10,000 who gathered in the basketball arena for a nationally televised midday memorial service. An overflow crowd packed the football stadium. 'Today, the world shares our sorrow,' said Zenobia Hikes, the vice president of student affairs."
Students fought back tears, walked quietly around the sprawling campus and greeted one another with hugs. Their classes canceled for the week, many packed their things to head for the security of home.
They checked Facebook, the social-networking Web site, where they searched for news of who was safe and who was missing. They entered their names on group lists such as 'I'm OK at VT.'
Emotions were raw among the 10,000 who gathered in the basketball arena for a nationally televised midday memorial service. An overflow crowd packed the football stadium. 'Today, the world shares our sorrow,' said Zenobia Hikes, the vice president of student affairs."
Gunman's Writings Were Disturbing | World Latest | Guardian Unlimited
Gunman's Writings Were Disturbing | World Latest | Guardian Unlimited: "The gunman in the Virginia Tech massacre was a sullen loner who alarmed professors and classmates with his twisted, violence-drenched creative writing and left a rambling note raging against women and rich kids."
Heroic acts bright spot amid U.S. campus tragedy | Reuters
Heroic acts bright spot amid U.S. campus tragedy | Reuters: "Amid the horror at Virginia Tech were tales of heroism during the rampage, including an older professor -- himself a Holocaust survivor -- who gave his life to protect his students.
Romanian-born Liviu Librescu, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, moved two decades ago to the United States where he taught in the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University."
Romanian-born Liviu Librescu, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, moved two decades ago to the United States where he taught in the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University."
Gunman identified in Virginia Tech shootings
McClatchy Washington Bureau | 04/17/2007 | Gunman identified in Virginia Tech shootings: "Authorities on Tuesday identified the shooting suspect in the rampage that left 33 people dead at Virginia Tech a day eariler as a 23-year-old South Korean undergraduate student who lived on campus.
Cho Seung-Hui was a senior and English major who came to the United States as a resident alien, school and police officials said. Korean last names are listed first.
Cho listed a Centreville, Va., address as his U.S. address and lived in Harper Hall, an on-campus dormitory near the site of Monday's first shooting. Police would not confirm whether Cho was also the shooter in the first incident that killed two people, but they said ballistics testing showed one of the guns was used in both shootings.
They said Cho carried a 9mm handgun and a 22-caliber handgun at the time."
Cho Seung-Hui was a senior and English major who came to the United States as a resident alien, school and police officials said. Korean last names are listed first.
Cho listed a Centreville, Va., address as his U.S. address and lived in Harper Hall, an on-campus dormitory near the site of Monday's first shooting. Police would not confirm whether Cho was also the shooter in the first incident that killed two people, but they said ballistics testing showed one of the guns was used in both shootings.
They said Cho carried a 9mm handgun and a 22-caliber handgun at the time."
Student fury after campus killings | UK Latest | Guardian Unlimited
Student fury after campus killings | UK Latest | Guardian Unlimited: "Campus chiefs were accused of having 'blood on their hands' after America's largest mass shooting.
As police begin to unravel how 32 people were killed in the massacre at Virginia Tech University on Monday, the authorities were facing tough questions over why they waited more than two hours to inform staff and students of the first murders."
This is outrageous! Two hours to notify students that a gunman (maybe two gunmen) had been shooting other students on campus? The time between the first shootings and the second shootings was two freakin' hours! And with no suspect in custody during that time!
As police begin to unravel how 32 people were killed in the massacre at Virginia Tech University on Monday, the authorities were facing tough questions over why they waited more than two hours to inform staff and students of the first murders."
This is outrageous! Two hours to notify students that a gunman (maybe two gunmen) had been shooting other students on campus? The time between the first shootings and the second shootings was two freakin' hours! And with no suspect in custody during that time!
Details of killer emerge - World - theage.com.au
Details of killer emerge - World - theage.com.au: "The gunman who killed 32 people at a Virginia university in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern US history was a student of Asian origin who may have acted with a second suspect, the university's president said today.
'It appears that the second shooter was a resident in our dormitory ... it appears he was an on-campus resident,' the president of Virginia Tech University Charles Steger said in an interview on ABC television in the US.
Asked if he meant that there were two people involved in the killings, he said: 'That's what we're trying to confirm ... The possibility exists.'"
'It appears that the second shooter was a resident in our dormitory ... it appears he was an on-campus resident,' the president of Virginia Tech University Charles Steger said in an interview on ABC television in the US.
Asked if he meant that there were two people involved in the killings, he said: 'That's what we're trying to confirm ... The possibility exists.'"
ContraCostaTimes.com - Deepest sympathies
ContraCostaTimes.com - Deepest sympathies: "HERE WE GO AGAIN. That is all we can think as we face the horror of another mass killing on a school campus. Details remain sketchy, but what is crystal clear is that at least 33 people are dead on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Va. with many more injured.
The president of Virginia Tech, Charles Steger, called the shooting a tragedy 'of monumental proportions.' He did not understate.
In fact, this incident is the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history. Heretofore, the deadliest such event was the 1966 shootings when Charles Whitman climbed to the 28th-floor observation deck of a clock tower at the University of Texas and opened fire. Whitman killed 16 people before he was shot by police."
The president of Virginia Tech, Charles Steger, called the shooting a tragedy 'of monumental proportions.' He did not understate.
In fact, this incident is the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history. Heretofore, the deadliest such event was the 1966 shootings when Charles Whitman climbed to the 28th-floor observation deck of a clock tower at the University of Texas and opened fire. Whitman killed 16 people before he was shot by police."
Monday, April 16, 2007
Just a matter of time, really
It was just a matter of time before something like this was going to happen. People do stupid stuff all the time. It's really quite amazing that this kind of thing doesn't happen more.
I feel bad for the families. I have a daughter in college right now myself. I can't imagine what the families must be going through right now.
I feel bad for the families. I have a daughter in college right now myself. I can't imagine what the families must be going through right now.
The timeline
globeandmail.com: The timeline: "A final e-mail update is issued by the university at 10:53 a.m. alerting students and staff to the multiple shooting, and at 12.15 p.m., university president Charles Steger and campus police chief Wendell Flinchum tell a press conference that more than 20 people have been killed. Before the day is done, the total death toll from the two shootings rises to 33, including the gunman. At least 15 others are injured."
2 Hours of Terror at Va. Tech Campus
The first crackle of gunfire shattered the Monday morning calm. It was 7:15 a.m. on the campus of Virginia Tech and an epic killing spree had just begun.
Snow was swirling on the windy April day and classes had not yet started when a murderous rampage that would shake the nation started in a coed dormitory, West Ambler Johnston, home to 895 students.
The first reports of trouble were tragic, but small in scope, no hint of the massacre about to unfold in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia: One person was dead, another injured.
The official word to students apparently did not come right away.
In a mass e-mail, Virginia Tech officials announced a shooting had occurred at the dorm, police were on the scene and urged anyone in the university community to ``be cautious'' and contact police if they saw anything suspicious or had information on the case.
The e-mail was signed off at 9:26 a.m.
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