squid Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 Authorities ID gunman in Va. Tech rampage College president says gunman was a student; 33 killed, 12 still in hospital Virginia Tech Cho Seung-Hui, who immigrated to the United States at age 8 in 1992, lived in Centreville, Va., a suburb of Washington. View related photos Video: Massacre at Virginia Tech Police identify shooter April 17: Police say Virginia Tech senior Cho Seung-Hui was responsible for Monday's deadly campus massacre. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Timeline of shootings at Virginia Tech First on the scene College president discusses massacre Witnesses tell of Virginia shootings Their sisters were massacre victims Never forgotten Healing the physical wounds Slide show Massacre See images from the aftermath of the deadliest shooting in U.S. history. NBC, MSNBC and news services Updated: 20 minutes ago BLACKSBURG, Va. - A 23-year-old senior from South Korea was behind the massacre of at least 30 people locked inside a university classroom building in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history, the university said Tuesday. Ballistics tests also found that one of the guns used in that attack was also used in a shooting two hours earlier at a dormitory that left two people dead at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State Police said. Police identified the shooter as Cho Seung-Hui (pronounced Choh Suhng-whee), of Centreville, Va., who was a senior in the English Department at Virginia Tech. Cho, a resident alien who immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1992, lived on campus in Harper Residence Hall. The bloodbath ended with Cho's suicide, bringing the death toll from two separate shootings first at the dormitory, then in a classroom building to 33 and stamping the campus in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains with unspeakable tragedy. He was a loner' He was a loner, and we're having difficulty finding information about him, said Larry Hincker, the university's associate vice president for community relations. Cho's fellow residents of Harper Hall said few people knew the gunman, who kept to himself. He can't have been an outgoing kind of person, Meredith Daly, 19, of Danville, Va., told MSNBC.com's Bill Dedman. Students live six to a suite, said Stephen Scott, a freshman engineering student from Marlton, N.J., and do not necessarily know other residents. Scott said police and FBI agents went through the dorm Monday night showing a picture of Cho and trying to find anybody who recognized or knew him. He did not know whether they were successful. Scott said the prevailing mood among the students was one of stunned resignation. We're confused, outraged, in disbelief. This is such a beautiful campus, he said, his voice trailing off. In Centreville, where Cho's family lived in an off-white, two-story townhouse, people who knew Cho concurred that he kept to himself. He was very quiet, always by himself, said Abdul Shash, a neighbor. Shash said Cho spent a lot of his free time playing basketball and would not respond if someone greeted him. He described the family as quiet. South Korea's Foreign Ministry expressed its condolences, saying that there was no known motive for the shootings and that South Korea hoped the tragedy would not stir up racial prejudice or confrontation. Ballistics evidence points to student Two law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information had not been officially announced, said Cho's fingerprints were found on the two guns used in the shootings. The serial numbers had been filed off, the officials said. A law enforcement official said Cho was carrying a backpack that contained receipts for the purchase of a Glock 9mm pistol in March. Col. Steve Flaherty, superintendent of the Virginia State Police, said it was reasonable to assume that Cho was the shooter in both attacks but that the link was yet definitive. There's no evidence of any accomplice at either event, but we're exploring the possibility, he said. At least 26 people were taken to hospitals after the second attack, some of them seriously injured. Twelve students remained in hospitals in stable condition Tuesday, officials said. Bush to attend service State, local and federal investigators spent the night collecting, processing and analyzing evidence from within Norris Hall, which housed engineering classes, offices and laboratories. The deceased were recovered from at least four classrooms on the second floor and a stairwell. Cho was discovered in a classroom among the victims. All of the deceased were transported to the medical examiner's office in Roanoke for examination and identification. The names of the deceased students and faculty will be released once all of the victims are positively identified and their families are notified. President Bush planned to attend a memorial service Tuesday afternoon at the university, the White House said, and Gov. Timothy Kaine was flying back to Virginia from Tokyo for the 2 p.m. convocation. Quote
Troutfisher Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 Isn't the minds of some people sick. How could that man kill 30+ innocent people? > Remember to pray for the families. Quote
langs15 Posted April 17, 2007 Posted April 17, 2007 Well..he was a wacko. His english teach said his stories that he wrote were sychotic and were sent to the Universitys front office or something like that. He killed his ex-gf first and than the RA. Than chained the 2 exits in the class room and opened fire on them with 2 hand guns and unloaded 50 rounds within 90 seconds. Almost everyone in there had atleast 3 shots to them or died. My teachers daughter knew a girl that got shot 3 times but she'll live thankfully. Very sad news. I have a question..if a person had sick writings and the teacher knew he was wierd and "different", why did they allow him to keep learing there? Quote
Super User 5bass Posted April 18, 2007 Super User Posted April 18, 2007 Mental health issues are overlooked every day.....and they lead to things like this. All the people bellyaching about gun laws really need to be voicing their opinions about the lack of care and lack of supervision of mentally ill people. Quote
Super User cart7t Posted April 18, 2007 Super User Posted April 18, 2007 I just found out last night that my niece, a senior at VT is fine. She was off campus having breakfast with her boyfriend when the shooting started. They knew nothing of what had happened when they returned to campus about an hour or so later for her first class but security stopped them and wouldn't let them back in. Nothing was said about what had happened by security and they found out by listening to the radio. Quote
edbassmaster Posted April 18, 2007 Posted April 18, 2007 My condolences and prayers to the families and loved ones of this herendous and pointless slaying. God Bless them all. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.