Massacre at Virginia Tech

[Smiles]

If you could say a prayer or two, I would greatly appreciate your thoughts for them.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18134671/?GT1=9246

[left texas]

Now reported 22 dead, many injured. Prayers are out to the families and fellow students.

[Texas Hokie]

West A-J (the dorm) and Norris Hall (an engineering building), were the two shooting sites. I've spent lots of time in both. Surreal.

[mcsluggo]

I went to VA-Tech briefly.

I was at a meeting with three people when news came across the transom, and one of the three has a son there right now. Scary, scary stuff.

[Smiles]

I was there for graduate school, but dropped out early. Still really love the town and school. I never went to those buildings, but my life-long girlfriends (both did their undergrad at VT and were my roommates) both married guys who got their engineering degrees at VA Tech.

I left on poor terms with my graduate advisor. I really feel for how frightening and heart breaking this must be for her.

[TheBlueVan]

i have no idea where to put this, mods move it if you want


BLACKSBURG, Va. - A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech on Monday, killing 21 people in the deadliest campus shooting rampage in U.S. history. The gunman was killed, bringing to death toll to 22, but it was unclear if he was shot by police or took his own life.
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"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," said Virginia Tech president Charles Steger. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified."

The name of the gunman was not immediately released, and investigators offered no motive for the attack. It was not immediately known if the gunman was a student.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko in Washington said there was no immediate evidence to suggest it was a terrorist attack, "but all avenues will be explored."

The bloodbath took place at opposite sides of the 2,600-acre campus, beginning at about 7:15 a.m. at West Ambler Johnston, a coed dormitory that houses 895 people, and continuing about two hours later at Norris Hall, an engineering building, authorities said.

Police said they were still investigating the shooting at the dorm — and the campus was under lockdown, with students to stay indoors and away from the windows — when authorities got word of gunfire at the classroom building.

Some of the dead were students. One student was killed in the dorm, and the others were killed in the classroom, Virginia Tech Police Chief W.R. Flinchum.

Up until Monday, the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history was a rampage that took place in 1966 at the University of Texas at Austin, where Charles Whitman climbed the clock tower and opened fire with a rifle from the 28th-floor observation deck. He killed 16 people before he was shot to death by police. In the Columbine High bloodbath near Littleton, Colo., in 1999, two teenagers killed 12 fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives.

The deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history was in Killen, Texas, in 1991, when George Hennard drove his pickup into a Luby's Cafeteria and shot 23 people to death, then himself.

Founded in 1872, Virginia Tech is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwestern Virginia, about 160 miles west of Richmond. With more than 25,000 full-time students, it has the state's largest full-time student population. The school is best known for its engineering school and its powerhouse football team.

The rampage took place on a brisk spring day, with snow flurries swirling around the campus, which is is centered around the Drill Field, a grassy field where military cadets — who now represent a fraction of the student body — once practiced. The dorm and the classroom building are on opposites sides of the Drill Field.

A gasp could be heard at a campus news conference when the police chief said at least 20 people had been killed. Previously, only one person was thought to have been killed.

Investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began marking and recovering the large number of shell casings and will trace the weapon used, according to an ATF official who spoke on condition of anonymity because local authorities are leading the investigation.

A White House spokesman said
President Bush was horrified by the rampage and offered his prayers to the victims and the people of Virginia.

"The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed," spokeswoman Dana Perino said

After the shootings, all entrances to the campus were closed, and classes were canceled through Tuesday. The university set up a meeting place for families to reunite with their children at the Inn at Virginia Tech. It also made counselors available and planned a convocation for Tuesday at the basketball arena.

After the shootings, students were told to stay inside away from the windows.

"There's just a lot of commotion. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on," said Jason Anthony Smith, 19, who lives in the dorm where shooting took place.

Aimee Kanode, a freshman from Martinsville, said the shooting happened on the fourth floor of West Ambler Johnston dormitory, one floor above her room. Kanode's resident assistant knocked on her door about 8 a.m. to notify students to stay put.

"They had us under lockdown," Kanode said. "They temporarily lifted the lockdown, the gunman shot again."

"We're all locked in our dorms surfing the Internet trying to figure out what's going on," Kanode said.

Madison Van Duyne, a student who was interviewed by telephone on CNN, said: "We are all in lockdown. Most of the students are sitting on the floors away from the windows just trying to be as safe as possible."

Police said there had been bomb threats on campus over the past two weeks by authorities but said they have not determined a link to the shootings.

It was second time in less than a year that the campus was closed because of a shooting.

Last August, the opening day of classes was canceled and the campus closed when an escaped jail inmate allegedly killed a hospital guard off campus and fled to the Tech area. A sheriff's deputy involved in the manhunt was killed on a trail just off campus. The accused gunman, William Morva, faces capital murder charges.

[TheBlueVan]

i started a thread for this in the other sports section, i wasnt sure where to put it

mods could you combine that with this please?

thats so scary man, its terrible that someone could just take lives like that, especially living on a college campus like i do

[alexamenos]

bad...very sad.

[Flacolaco]

31 now....

Unbelievable.

WhY?

[MavsX]

horrible story

[Smiles]

31 dead. Christ have mercy.

[rmacomic]

Prayers

[mary]

What is wrong with people?

Prayers for the families.

[TheBlueVan]

you know what the worst part of it is? one student was shot IN A DORM more than two hours before the other kids were shot at class. none of them had been warned, there was no lockdown.

an email went out warning students right about the time that the second shooting occured, well after people had already gone to class. this should never have happened.

[Smiles]

Originally Posted by TheBlueVan

you know what the worst part of it is? one student was shot IN A DORM more than two hours before the other kids were shot at class. none of them had been warned, there was no lockdown.

an email went out warning students right about the time that the second shooting occured, well after people had already gone to class. this should never have happened.

I heard there was a lockdown after the 7:15, but then it was called off and life proceded as usual? I don't think it's been confirmed when the emails and calls went out. I heard it was much earlier than the 2nd shooting, from a grad student on WBAP 1080.

Yes, it was mishandled (whether lockdown was cancelled or actually never called), and God what I wouldn't give to be able reach back in time and make them change that decision.

[mavsangel]

Horrible, vicious and pointless.
What a waste of life.
My thoughts and love go out to these victims' families.

[TheBlueVan]

the first call to 911 went in 7:15, the email about the shooting went out around 9:15

[Windmill360]

Fuggin as$hole.

Condolences to the families.

[AxdemxO]

Sad sad thing, but I have an important question for every1, but I will wait till the shooter is Identified.

[MeganLuvsMavs]

Word is that the gunman's girlfriend broke up with him and he went to where ever she was, shot her and lined up females that were around her and killed them execution style.

This guy was obviously a sociopath and crazy!

[Dirkadirkastan]

33 total.

[shaw-xx]

Terrible. Sad.

[Nemesis]

Originally Posted by MeganLuvsMavs

Word is that the gunman's girlfriend broke up with him and he went to where ever she was, shot her and lined up females that were around her and killed them execution style.

This guy was obviously a sociopath and crazy!

Umm.. link maybe to back this?

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

Umm.. link maybe to back this?

This is probably based on a declaration of a student:

Dozens killed in Virginia Tech shooting spree

Updated Mon. Apr. 16 2007 10:05 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff


A gunman has shot dead at least 32 people before committing suicide at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., in the deadliest shooting spree in U.S. history.

Virginia Tech President Charles Steger described two separate shootings on the school's campus, but added it has not been confirmed whether the two incidents are connected.

Investigators are comparing ballistics evidence at the two scenes, to determine whether the same weapons were used. Police Chief Wendell Flinchum also said an initial "person of interest" in the first shooting has been interviewed, but he did not confirm whether two gunmen were involved.

"I'm not saying there is someone out there and I'm not saying there is someone who is not," he told reporters.

Steger said the gunman first killed a man and woman at the West Ambler Johnston co-ed residence at about 7:15 a.m. local time. The dormitory houses 895 people.

Police responded to that incident and closed the building, but did not shut down the entire campus, believing it was a domestic dispute and the shooter had fled.

Steger defended that decision Monday afternoon.

"We had no reason to suspect any other incident was going to occur," he told reporters.
He then added: "We can only make decisions based on the information you had on the time. You don't have hours to reflect on it."

All 26,000 students were alerted by email about the first shooting, but two hours after it happened -- and roughly at the same time when the gunman struck again. Officials also telephoned resident advisers and asked them to notify those in dormitories.

The email warned students to be cautious and said: "A shooting incident occurred at West Amber Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating."

Then, at 9:50 a.m., gunfire erupted at Norris Hall, an engineering building on the opposite end of the 1,050-hectare campus. Flinchum said some of the doors in the building were chained shut from the inside.

Police entered the building, which contains faculty offices and classrooms, and followed the sound of gunshots to the second floor. But when they found the gunman, he had already committed suicide, bringing the death toll to 33.

Flinchum described the Norris Hall crime scene as "probably one of the worst things I've seen in my life."
He would not reveal what weapons the gunman carried. However, a law enforcement official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said it was two pistols and several clips of ammunition.

A student who was injured in one of the shootings gave a brief description of the gunman to CNN.

"He was about 6 feet tall, Asian, with a black hood on," he said. "He just started shooting. He didn't say anything."

Steger described the terrible scale of the violence said the university if "shocked and indeed horrified."
"Today, the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," he said.
Officials said police are still identifying victims and a list of their names will likely be released sometime Tuesday.

There are reportedly 16 Canadians attending the school but none died in the violence, according to Foreign Affairs spokesperson Alain Cacchione.

U.S. President Bush said he was shocked by the killings and promised his administration's help to local law enforcement and the community.

"Schools should be places of safety, sanctuary and learning," he said at the White House. "When that sanctuary is violated, that impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community."

Reporters had initially been told there had been only one death in one incident. A gasp of shock erupted at a morning news conference when Police Chief Wendell Flinchum told stunned reporters he had "a ballpark figure of fatalities" of at least 20.

At least 29 were injured and taken to hospital with gunshot wounds and other injuries. There are reports that some students were injured jumping from windows.

It's not clear how many of the victims were students.


Gunman found dead

The gunman was found dead at the scene of the second incident. Officials suggest he shot himself.

Police say they believe that one gunman was involved in both incidents, but they have released no information about his identity. The motive for the attack is also unknown.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko in Washington said there was no evidence to suggest it was a terrorist attack, "but all avenues will be explored."

One Canadian at the school said he only learned of the shootings at about 9:30 a.m., roughly two hours after the first incident.

This is the second time in less than a year that the Virginia Tech campus has been closed because of a shooting.

In August 2006, an escaped jail inmate allegedly killed a hospital guard off campus and fled to the Tech area. A sheriff's deputy involved in the manhunt was killed on a trail just off campus. The accused gunman is still awaiting trial on capital murder charges.

Police said there had been bomb threats on the Virginia Tech campus over the past two weeks but authorities said they have not determined a link to Monday's shootings.

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, in Tokyo for a two-week Asian trade mission, is on his way home after being given word of the shooting.

A statement from Kaine says it is "difficult to comprehend senseless violence on this scale."
School officials have said they will go ahead with a convocation scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, and that Kaine will attend the ceremony.

The previous deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history was in 1991, when George Hennard drove his pickup into a Luby's Cafeteria in Killen, Texas, and shot 23 people to death, then himself.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories

But the identification is not official so far:

Roundup: 33 killed in Virginia Tech shooting rampage
UPDATED: 10:48, April 17, 2007


A total of 33 people, including the gunman, were killed in the shooting rampage took place in Virginia Tech, university president Charles Steger said at a press conference on Monday.

"It is now confirmed that we have 31 deaths from Norris Hall, including the gunman .... There are two confirmed deaths from the shooting in Ambler Johnston Dormitory," Steger said at a news conference held at Blacksburg, Virginia where the university is located.

The identity of the gunman was not known yet because he did not carry any ID, Steger said.

More information about the shooting accident is expected Tuesday as investigation goes on, Steger said.
Moreover, the gunman killed himself at the shooting rampage, university police chief Wendell Flinchum said. "The gunman took his own life," he said.

Earlier, President George W. Bush, in a brief statement at the White House, said he was "shocked and saddened" at the shooting took place at the Virginia Tech.

Bush said it appeared that more than 30 people had been killed and many more wounded in the shooting rampage and promised his administration's full effort in investigating the shooting.

The shooting rampage is the deadliest in the campus shooting in the U.S. history.

"Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning, when that sanctuary is violated the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community," Bush said. "Today our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones at Virginia Tech."

White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino has said that Bush was "horrified" by the shooting.

"He was horrified and his immediate reaction was one of deep concern for the families of the victims, the victims themselves, the students, the professors and all the people of Virginia who have dealt with this shocking incident," Perino said in a statement. "His thoughts and prayers are with them."

"The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed," the statement added.

It is not immediately known if there is any Chinese students among the killed or wounded. U.S. media said there are a total of over 2,000 international students in the Virginia Tech and about half are from India and China.

In addition to those killed, U.S. media said 29 others were wounded in the shooting rampage.
Moreover, the police is investigating the motive of the gunman. It is not immediately known if the gunman is a student.

The gunman opened fire in a dormitory and a class room at Virginia Tech University during a two-hour span, university police chief Wendell Flinchum said.

"The university was struck today with a tragedy of monumental proportions. There was two shootings on campus. In each case, there were fatalities," Steger said in a statement posted on the official website of Virginia Tech.

"The university is shocked and horrified that this would befall our campus," he said.

The university, situated in Blacksburg, southwest Virginia, will be closed through Tuesday and faculty and staff members were asked to go home effective immediately after the incident.

Previously, the deadliest campus shooting in the country took place in 1966 at the University of Texas at Austin, in which 17 people, including the gunman, were killed.

Founded in 1872, the state university has more than 25,000 full-time students. The school is best known for its engineering school and its powerhouse football team.

A decade of campus gun violence

October 2006: A 32-year-old gunman shoots dead at least five girls at an Amish school in Pennsylvania, before killing himself

March 2005: Minnesota schoolboy kills nine, then shoots himself

March 2001: Pupil opens fire at a school in California, killing two students

April 1999: Two teenagers shoot dead 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves at Columbine School in Colorado

May 1998: Fifteen-year-old shoots dead two students in school cafeteria in Oregon

April 1998: Fourteen-year-old shoots dead a teacher and wounds two students in Pennsylvania

March 1998: Two boys, 11 and 13, kill four girls and a teacher in Arkansas

December 1997: Fourteen-year-old boy kills three students in Kentucky

October 1997: Sixteen-year-old boy stabs mother, then shoots dead two students at school in Mississippi, injuring several others.

Source: Xinhua - China Daily

http://english.people.com.cn/200704/...17_367092.html

Another dreadfull killing frenzy. My prayers to the bereaved, who lost young humans, being in the prime of life.

[aexchange]

this kind of happening in the world just really depresses me even though i have no direct or indirect involvement with any of the people impacted.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Colorably the offender was prepared for the killing frenzy. He shall have blocked the doors to the auditorium with a chain, had two handguns and wore a bulletproof vest. The police also assumes that he probably was accoutable for the former bomb threats at Virgia Tech, wherewith he tested the security system of the university.

I heard this on N-tv a german news channel, which cooperates with CNN. Maybe he prepared between the first shooting and the massacre in the auditorium. All this would cast a poor light on the police.

[MeganLuvsMavs]

Originally Posted by Nemesis

Umm.. link maybe to back this?

This is what I heard from a student up here....that's why I said "word is". I would have posted a link if there was one.

[Windmill360]

Authorities ID gunman in Va. Tech rampage
College president says gunman was a student; 33 killed, 26 wounded

MSNBC News Services
Updated: 13 minutes ago

BLACKSBURG, Va. - A Virginia Tech student was behind the massacre of at least 30 people locked inside a campus building in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history, the university said Tuesday.

The Virginia Tech Police Department identified him as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a senior in the English department.

The bloodbath ended with the gunman’s suicide, bringing the death toll from two separate shootings — first at a dorm, then in a classroom building — to 33 and stamping the campus in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains with unspeakable tragedy.

Ballistics tests showed one of the guns found was used in both shootings, at the doom and the classroom building, Virginia State Police said.

A federal law enforcement official said Tuesday he had been told by other federal law enforcement officials that the two guns recovered in the shooting had had their serial numbers scraped off. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been announced.

A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information had not been announced, said Cho was carrying a backpack that contained receipts for a March purchase of a Glock 9 mm pistol.
At least 26 people were taken to hospitals after the second attack, some seriously injured. Victims were reported early Tuesday to be in stable condition at two area hospitals.

More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18148802/?GT1=9246

[Dr.Zoidberg]

From CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/17/vte...ing/index.html

Police name Virginia Tech shooter

Story Highlights

• NEW: Police ID shooter as 23-year-old resident alien, English major
• At least two professors among the dead in Virginia Tech massacre
• Police have preliminary identification of campus gunman
• University officials say 33 dead, including gunman



BLACKSBURG, Virginia (CNN) -- Police identified the gunman who killed 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus before turning the gun on himself as student Cho Seung-Hui, university police Chief Wendell Flinchum said Tuesday.

The 23-year-old South Korean and resident alien lived at the university's Harper Hall, Flinchum said. He was an English major, the chief said.

Flinchum said ballistics tests showed that one of the two guns recovered at Norris Hall, where 30 people and the gunman died, was used in the Norris shooting and an earlier shooting at a dormitory that left two dead.

The university and police are still in the process of releasing the names of the 32 people killed in Monday's shootings. (Watch how some are asking why warnings weren't issued sooner)

A doctor at a Blacksburg hospital described the injuries he saw Monday as "amazing" and the shooter as "brutal."

"There wasn't a shooting victim that didn't have less than three bullet wounds in them," said Dr. Joseph Cacioppo of Montgomery Regional Hospital.

Even among the less serious injuries, Cacioppo said, "we saw one patient that had a bullet wound to the wrist, one to the elbow and one to the thigh. We had another one with a bullet wound to the abdomen, one to the chest and one to the head."

A law enforcement source close to the investigation said a .22-caliber handgun and a 9 mm handgun were recovered at the scene. (Watch how quickly these guns can be fired, reloaded)

Details surface

The day's first shooting, at the West Ambler Johnston dormitory, which houses 895 students, occurred about 7:15 a.m.

At the time of the later shootings at Norris Hall, police were investigating a "person of interest" in the dormitory shootings, Flinchum said Monday.

During the Tuesday news conference, Flinchum said the person of interest was an acquaintance of a woman killed at the dorm.

Col. Steven Flaherty of the Virginia State Police said authorities were still investigating whether Cho had any accomplices in planning or executing Monday's rampage.

Steger told reporters Monday that police found the front doors of Norris Hall chained shut and that by the time they got to the second floor, the gunfire stopped.

Authorities say they believed the dorm shooting was an "isolated incident" and were still investigating it when the slaughter occurred at the other campus building, Norris Hall. (Officials thought shooter had fled)

The gunman killed 31 people, including himself, and wounded 15 in Norris Hall classrooms.

Steger: Police thought dorm shooting was isolated

Steger on Tuesday defended the university response to the dorm shooting, saying police believed it to be "a domestic fight, perhaps a murder-suicide" that was contained to one dorm room. (Watch the police chief explain where bodies were found)

Police cordoned off the dorm and all residents were told about the shooting as police looked for witnesses, Steger said.

"I don't think anyone could have predicted that another event was going to take place two hours later," Steger said, adding that it would've been difficult to warn every student because most were off campus at the time. (Watch a student's recording of police responding to loud bangs)

The gunman was dressed "almost like a Boy Scout" and wore a black ammunition vest, said a student who survived by pretending to lie dead on a classroom floor.

"He just stepped within five feet of the door and just started firing," said Erin Sheehan. "He seemed very thorough about it, getting almost everyone down, I pretended to be dead." (Watch student describe surviving by playing dead)

The shooter, who remained quiet throughout the rampage, came back 30 seconds after the first round of gunfire and Sheehan and her classmates tried to barricade the door with their bodies, she said.

After the shooter couldn't get in, he began firing through the door, Sheehan said. Of the 25 students in her German class, Sheehan was one of four able to walk out on her own when police arrived. (Watch students react to shooting)

Victims' identities being released

Courtney Dalton, an 18-year-old student who worked at West End Dining Hall, said a friend named Ryan Clark was one of the two dormitory victims.

Clark, a resident assistant at West Ambler Johnston Hall, had once worked at the cafeteria serving pizza. Sobbing, she described Clark "a happy person."

As of early Tuesday, the identities of four other victims had been released:

• G.V. Loganathan, a professor of civil and environmental engineering
• Liviu Librescu, a professor of engineering science and mechanics
• Ross Alameddine, a student from Saugus, Massachusetts
• Matthew La Porte, student, Dumont, New Jersey
  
  The university has scheduled a convocation for 2 p.m. ET Tuesday. President Bush is scheduled to attend.
  
  Classes have been canceled for the rest of the week, and Norris Hall will be closed for the remainder of the semester, Steger said.
  
  There have been two bomb threats at the university this month, the latest of which came Friday.
  
  Flinchum said Tuesday they were unrelated to the shootings. (Watch gunfire on the campus)
  Last August, the first day of class was cut short at Virginia Tech by a manhunt for an escaped prisoner accused of killing a Blacksburg hospital security guard and a sheriff's deputy.
  
  Before Monday, the deadliest mass shooting in the United States occurred in 1991, when George Hennard drove a pickup truck into a Killeen, Texas, cafeteria and fatally shot 23 people, before shooting and killing himself.

[mqywaaah]

Our prayers to the families and the students...

[Dr.Zoidberg]

A first list of identified victims: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/17/vte...ims/index.html

Bandsman, Holocaust survivor killed at Virginia Tech

POSTED: 12:16 p.m. EDT, April 17, 2007


(CNN) -- The victims came to Virginia Tech from different backgrounds and different continents.
Officials have begun to release the names of the 32 people shot and killed by a student on the college campus in Blacksburg, Virginia on Monday.

Ryan Clark, 22, was known as "Stack" to his friends in the Marching Virginians college band. The Virginia Tech senior came from Martinez in Georgia and was a "true example of 'The Spirit Of Tech'," according to a message posted on the band's Web site. He majored in biology and English, and carried a 4.0 grade-point average, according to the coroner in Columbia County, Georgia. Clark was a resident assistant at West Ambler Johnston Hall, the dormitory where he and another person were shot dead at 7:15 a.m. Monday. He had been planning to pursue a PhD in psychology with a focus in cognitive neuroscience, according to the Marching Virginians Web site.

Arielle Perlmutter of Buford, Georgia, wrote:
"I worked with Ryan Clark at Camp Big Heart, where we both spent part of our summers counseling kids and adults with special needs. At camp, Ryan was one of my closest friends. We had many inside jokes and spent a lot of time being silly and laughing. Ryan never had a frown on his face, and even when something was bothering him, he was only upset for a short time and moved back to his good old happy self. Ryan ran the dance/music program at camp and was constantly moving, singing and entertaining both the staff and campers. Ryan was very happy himself and was always working to make others happy. Camp Big Heart will never be the same without him, and our camp community will bear the scars of the loss for many years to come. Ryan was a gift in the lives of people who met him. He will be missed forever."

Kevin Granata, age unknown, was one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the country working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy, the head of Engineering Science and Mechanics Department at Virginia Tech said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. His academic career included stints at the Johns Hopkins University, Ohio State University, University of Virginia and Wake Forest University.


Liviu Librescu, 76, was a Holocaust survivor who, his son said, will be remembered as a hero. He "blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," Joe Librescu told the AP. "Students started opening windows and jumping out."The elder Librescu, a professor at Virginia Tech, was recognized internationally for his research in aeronautical engineering, the head of the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department at Virginia Tech told the AP. He was born and received his advanced degrees in Romania. (Watch Librescu's son remember his heroic father)

Professor Edward Smith of Penn State University wrote:
"Professor Librescu was well known in the aerospace engineering community. I have known professor Librescu for the past 18 years, ever since I was in graduate school. We attended the same annual conferences and worked in the same research area (composite structures). He was a true gentleman. [He was] always very professional and 'formal,' dressed in a business suit and very serious about his work. Professor Librescu had a good sense of humor and had many friends in the aerospace community. We are all deeply saddened by this tragic loss."

G. V. Loganathan, 51, was a professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. Since coming to Virginia Tech in 1982, he earned the Outstanding Faculty Award, the Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Civil Engineering Education, according to his biography on the Virginia Tech Web site. Loganathan, of Tamil Nadu, India, lived with his wife and children on Virginia Tech's campus, according to the Times of India.

Ken Ying of Raleigh, North Carolina, wrote:
"Professor G.V. Loganathan was my professor when I was a graduate student in Virginia Tech. I worked with him for a research project and helped him with the computer lab management from 1985 to 1991. He was a kind and thoughtful gentleman. I always remember him for his elegant style and perfection in research and teaching. I learned a lot from him each time he gave me those helpful critiques on my works. It is a great loss of everyone from this tragedy. We just lost a great professor and a great friend. All my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. They just lost a great husband and a great father."

Ross Alameddine, 20, was a student from Saugus, Massachusetts. The sophomore English major was shot during French class, a family friend told The Associated Press. A Facebook page created in Alameddine's remembrance called him "an intelligent, funny, easygoing guy who will be greatly missed."

Jake Valentine of Cincinnati, Ohio, wrote:
"I only went to high school with Ross for two years before we moved. We had 10th grade chemistry together, among other things, such as shooting the breeze before classes and at lunch. He'd always make class enjoyable with his humor, which even the teacher would acknowledge. There wasn't a mean bone in his body. He was one of the nicest, wittiest people you'll ever know. What strikes out most about him is that his Facebook status will always let people know how selfless he was. His last day started wishing one of his friends a happy birthday. He will be truly missed by all."

Matthew La Porte, 20, of Dumont, New Jersey, was studying political science and French and was a member of the Corps of Cadets, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets band, the Highty-Tighties and the U.S. Air Force ROTC, according to his MySpace page.
Did you know one of the victims? Please share your thoughts and memories.

Copyright 2007 CNN

[Flacolaco]

So my wifes' sister started text messaging her today from under her desk at OU, because someone there knee jerked and claimed that they saw someone with a suspicious object like a weapon. So they put a couple building on "lock down."

Turned out to be nothing of course.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/wo...0d52ab&k=27817

The third scare, at the University of Oklahoma, also was determined to be unfounded. It started with a report of a man spotted on campus carrying a suspicious object, officials said.

The man was carrying an umbrella and not a weapon, and he later identified himself to authorities, University of Oklahoma president David Boren said in a statement. He initially had said the person was believed to carrying a yoga mat.

"We now consider the matter closed," Boren said. "We always want to err on the side of caution in a situation like this."

Kind of freaked my wife out for a minute.

It's amazing how fast fear can spread.

[jleefilled]

I am thoroughly disgusted. How can someone do something like this? The fact that the guy was Korean pisses me off even more. I wish I could have caught that guy before his crime and beaten all that crap out of him. On behalf of all people with Korean heritage, I apologize.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

The offender was a loner with mental illness and a tendency to violence: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/17/cho.profile/index.html

Source: Gunman angry at 'rich kids'

Story Highlights

• NEW: Gunman wrote violent, disturbing scripts, former classmate says
• NEW: Reports say gunman's note blasted "deceitful charlatans" on campus
• Gunman was 23-year-old senior English major
• Cho Seung-hui listed Centreville, Virginia, as hometown


CENTREVILLE, Virginia (CNN) -- The gunman in Monday's massacre at Virginia Tech was Cho Seung-hui, a 23-year-old senior English major from Centreville, Virginia, Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said Tuesday.

A government official told CNN's Jeanne Meserve that a note has been found indicating Cho showed anger against "rich kids."

The official also said Cho had a history of mental illness but gave no details.

Cho left a note in his dorm in which he railed against "rich kids," "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans" on the Virginia Tech campus, The Associated Press reported.

The Chicago Tribune, citing unidentified sources, reported that Cho may have been taking medication to combat depression and that his recent behavior was troubling, including setting a fire in a dorm and stalking women.

Draft scripts for two plays allegedly written by Cho for a writing class contain "really twisted, macabre violence," according to a student who was in class with him at Virginia Tech.

Ian McFarland, now an AOL employee, describes the writing as "very graphic" and "extremely disturbing."
The writings were provided to CNN by AOL. The employee also wrote a blog to accompany the two scripts.
(Read the AOL employee's blog and the two plays)

McFarland said in the blog that when the class read Cho's work, "it was like something out of a nightmare."

"The plays had really twisted, macabre violence that used weapons I wouldn't have even thought of. Before Cho got to class that day, we students were talking to each other with serious worry about whether he could be a school shooter."

McFarland said Cho was extremely quiet, and efforts by other students to draw him out were rebuffed.
Cho took his own life as police closed in on him, according to Col. Steve Flaherty, Virginia State Police's superintendent. Thirty other bodies were found in Norris Hall along with Cho, officials said.

Two people were killed earlier Monday in a college dormitory.

Cho, a South Korean national, was a legal resident of the United States, emigrating from his native country when he was 8, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

He lived in a Virginia Tech dormitory, but not in West Ambler Johnston Hall, where the first of Monday's shootings took place, university officials said.

"It certainly is reasonable for us to assume that Cho was the shooter in both places, but we don't have the evidence to take us there at this particular point in time," Flaherty said.

Police searched the residence at the home address Cho listed in Centreville, a suburb of Washington, on Monday night, CNN's Bob Franken reported.

On Tuesday, the mail carrier who has been delivering mail to Cho's parents since they moved to the subdivision described his father, Cho Sung-tae, 61, and his mother, Cho Hyang-ai, 51, as "super nice." He said he never met their son.

"I only met them [parents] when they were home, and I had packages to deliver to them ... but every time I did see them, they were super nice," Rod Wells said.

"It's just breaking my heart," he added. "No parent deserves that."
No one was home at the white, two-story townhouse residence Tuesday.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that Cho was a legal permanent resident and had a green card.

The student was a loner, according to Larry Hincker, the associate vice president for university relations.
Authorities are having a hard time finding any information about him, Hincker said.

Virginia Tech senior Shane Moore said Tuesday he recalled having lunch with Cho three years ago.
Moore said his former roommate knew Cho because the two went to the same high school. Moore and his roommate approached Cho and asked if he would like to sit with them. Cho agreed but didn't say a word during lunch.

Finally, Moore's roommate cracked a joke and Cho laughed. Moore didn't take offense to Cho's silence.
"He just seem real, real shy," Moore said. "He was quiet, nothing too unusual."

Cho "was very quiet, always by himself," neighbor Abdul Shash told The Associated Press. He said the family was quiet, and Cho often played basketball, according to an AP report.

Fairfax County Schools in Virginia issued a statement Tuesday saying Cho graduated from Westfield High School in Chantilly, Virginia, in 2003. Two of Cho's victims also attended the school. The school's Web site describes it as an "Honors" high school.

Court records obtained by the AP show Cho got a speeding ticket from Virginia Tech police on April 7. He was cited for going 44 mph in a 25 mph zone, the AP reported, with a court date set for May 23.

Copyright 2007 CNN.

[Windmill360]

An insight into his mentality:

Virginia Killer's Violent Writings

Play told of pedophilic stepfather, murder of 13-year-old boy

APRIL 17--The college student responsible for yesterday's Virginia Tech slaughter was referred last year to counseling after professors became concerned about the violent nature of his writings, as evidenced in a one-act play obtained by The Smoking Gun. The play by Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old English major, was submitted last year as part of a short story writing class. Entitled "Richard McBeef," Cho's bizarre play features a 13-year-old boy who accuses his stepfather of pedophilia and murdering his father. A copy of the killer's play can be found below. The teenager talks of killing the older man and, at one point, the child's mother brandishes a chain saw at the stepfather. The play ends with the man striking the child with "a deadly blow." (10 pages)

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...071vtech1.html

The "play" is on the same page below.

[DubOverdose]

A guy who graduated from Lafayette (my college) last year died. We just found out now. I didn't know him, but last night at the Newman meeting the club's president looked pretty worried thinking she'd lost a friend- turns out she did. Here's the e-mail we got:

I am very sorry to report that a member of our College family, Daniel Patrick O’Neil, Class of 2006, lost his life yesterday in the massacre at Virginia Tech.

Dan graduated last May with a B.S. in civil engineering and was enrolled in a graduate program in environmental engineering at Virginia Tech.

It is difficult to find words to express the deep sense of loss in our community. The sympathy of all members of our College family is with this young man’s family in this tragic hour.

The College will remember the life of Dan O’Neil at a campus memorial service that is now being planned.


Daniel H. Weiss
President

[Smiles]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

Turned out to be nothing of course.

Flaco, I went home at lunch, and saw that a number of colleges also received bomb threats today. I'm glad your wife's fears for her sister were alleviated.

Even though it seems like "of course" there wouldn't be another tragedy so soon, you still have to take those possibilities very seriously. No one expected this to happen. No one expected a second phase (and never such magnitude). So, it's not rediculous to think it could happen again anywhere else - especially considering all the twisted copycat types.

Sure, we can look calm and casual outwardly, but if we can be "prepared for the worst" internally then we won't take as much for granted.

[MeganLuvsMavs]

This guy was obviously mental disturbed. He wasn't at all in his right mind; not only did he kill other people, he killed himself. It's scary that we have people walking amongst us like this, and it only takes that one thing to make them snap.

CNN is now saying he had a "anti-rich kid" complex.

[Stylistic]

I live in the DC area now. It has really affected this entire area very much because many of the victims are from this area. I am very sorry to hear this. I lived in Killeen,TX back in 1991when the last mass murders happened.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

A continuation of the death list: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/17/vte...ims/index.html

Christopher James Bishop, 35, taught German at Virginia Tech and helped oversee an exchange program with a German university. Bishop decided which German-language students at Virginia Tech could attend the Darmstadt University of Technology to improve their German. "He would teach them German in Blacksburg, and he would decide which students were able to study" abroad, Darmstadt spokesman Lars Rosumek told the AP. The school set up a book of condolences for students, staff and faculty to sign, along with information about the Virginia shootings. "Of course many persons knew him personally and are deeply, deeply shocked about his death," Rosumek said. Bishop earned bachelor's and master's degrees in German and was a Fulbright scholar at Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany. According to his Web site, Bishop spent four years living in Germany, where he "spent most of his time learning the language, teaching English, drinking large quantities of wheat beer, and wooing a certain fraulein." The "fraulein" was Bishop's wife, Stephanie Hofer, who also teaches in Virginia Tech's German program.Tom Smither of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, wrote:
"Christopher 'Jamie' Bishop worked with us in the foreign language department at the University of North Carolina for a couple of years, and he was deeply loved by all of us here. We were saddened by his leaving us to go to Virginia Tech. We are absolutely devastated by his untimely death. He will be missed on this earth. God bless his soul and look after his lovely wife, Stephanie."

Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, a French instructor at Virginia Tech, was instrumental in the creation of the first French school in a town in Nova Scotia. She lived there in the 1990s with her husband, Jerzy Nowak, the head of the horticulture department at Virginia Tech. Richard Landry, a spokesman with the francophone school board in Truro, Nova Scotia, told the AP that Couture-Nowak was one of three mothers who pushed for the founding of the Ecole acadienne de Truro in 1997. "It was very important for her daughters to be taught in French," Rejean Sirois -- who worked with her in establishing the school -- told the AP. A student who identified herself as DeAnne Leigh Pelchat described her gratitude to Couture-Nowak on a Web site. "I will forever remember you and what you have done for me and the others that benefit from what you did in the little town of Truro," Pelchat wrote in French. "You'll always have a place in my heart."

Caitlin Hammaren, 19, of Westtown, New York, was a sophomore majoring in international studies and French, according to officials at her former school district. "She was just one of the most outstanding young individuals that I've had the privilege of working with in my 31 years as an educator," John P. Latini, principal of Minisink Valley High School, told the AP. Hammaren graduated from the high school in 2005. "Caitlin was a leader among our students." Minisink Valley students and teachers shared their grief Tuesday at a counseling center set up in the school, Latini said.

Jeremy Herbstritt loved to chat so much, high school classmates voted him "Most Talkative." "Talkie, talkie, talkie, everybody likes to talk," read the description in the 1998 graduate's Bellefonte High School yearbook. Below was a picture of Herbstritt, with a sly grin, talking on a pay phone. Herbstritt, 27, had two undergraduate degrees from Penn State, one in biochemistry and molecular biology from 2003, and another in civil engineering from 2006. He grew up on a small farm just outside the central Pennsylvania borough of Bellefonte, where his father, Michael, raised steer and sheep. He wanted to be a civil engineer, and he talked of getting into environmental work after school. "He liked to work on machinery, take a lot of stuff apart and fix it," the victim's grandfather Thomas Herbstritt, 77, of St. Marys told the AP. "He was a studious kid."

Emily Jane Hilscher, 19,a freshman majoring in animal and poultrysciences, was known around her hometown as an animal lover. "She worked at a veterinarian's office and cared about them her whole life," Rappahannock County Administrator John W. McCarthy, a family friend, told the AP. Hilscher, of Woodville, Virginia, was a freshman majoring in animal and poultry sciences. She lived on the same dorm floor as victim Ryan Clark, McCarthy said. A friend, Will Nachless, also 19, said Hilscher "was always very friendly. Before I even knew her, I thought she was very outgoing, friendly and helpful, and she was great in chemistry."

Jarrett Lane, 22, was a senior civil engineering student who was valedictorian of his high school class in tiny Narrows, Virginia, just 30 miles from Virginia Tech. His high school put up a memorial to Lane that included pictures, musical instruments and his athletic jerseys. Lane played the trombone, ran track, and played football and basketball at Narrows High School. "We're just kind of binding together as a family," principal Robert Stump told the AP. Lane's brother-in-law Daniel Farrell called Lane fun-loving and "full of spirit." "He had a caring heart and was a friend to everyone he met," Farrell said. "We are leaning on God's grace in these trying hours."

Daniel Perez Cueva, 21, of Peru, was killed while in a French class, his mother, Betty Cueva, told the AP. Perez Cueva was a student of international relations, an interest driven by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He spoke four languages, loved soccer and swimming, and was a member of the Honor Society, his friends said. "I'll miss his smile and his laughter," friend Donald Smith told CNN. "We're missing a friend, a very good friend." (Watch a family recall an ambitious son )Jennifer Miller of Dale City, Virginia, wrote:
"I met Daniel Perez last year where we both worked at the time, and I liked him instantly, as everyone did. We became good friends and spent a lot of time together right before he left home to start in the fall. He was so excited to attend Virginia Tech. I remember frantically calling him the day in August that classes started when the other shootings happened, how he reassured me that everything would be OK and how he was his usual happy self. I wish we could hear his voice again, telling us that everything's OK now. I'll always remember him as one of the most ambitious and driven people I've ever met. He had a beautiful smile that would brighten up anyone's day and a wonderful sense of humor. He will be missed by many. Daniel's with God now, and that's my only consolation during this awful time."

Erin Peterson, 18, died while she was in her French class, said her dad, Grafton Peterson. The last time he spoke to her was during a visit at school on Sunday, he said. A fan of "old-school" TV shows like "Diff'rent Strokes" and "Sanford and Son," Peterson described herself on what appears to be her MySpace profile as a "jeans and a t-shirt girl." Friends left anguished messages on her profile as news of the shootings first spread. The messages now recall fond memories of graduation and prom night. "You have no idea how much my heart aches knowing I'll never see you again," one message read.
Katie Schoolfield of Fairfax, Virginia, wrote:
"Erin Peterson was the sweetest, most caring person I knew. I played basketball with her, and she was the 'big sister' of the team. She was always there to offer a helping hand or a giant hug on a bad day. Erin was the kind of person who walked into a room with a smile on her face and it made everyone else smile no matter what kind of mood they were in. Everyone in Fairfax, Virginia, from her Lessons Learned basketball family loves and misses her, and are keeping her family in our thoughts and prayers. Rest in Peace, Erin."

Juan Ramon Ortiz, 26, who was from Puerto Rico, was teaching a class as part of his graduate program in civil engineering at Virginia Tech. The family's neighbors in the San Juan suburb of Bayamon remembered Ortiz as a quiet, dedicated son who decorated his parents' one-story concrete house each Christmas and played in a salsa band with his father on weekends. "He was an extraordinary son, what any father would have wanted," Ortiz's father, also named Juan Ramon Ortiz, told the AP. Marilys Alvarez, 22, heard Ortiz's mother scream from the house next door when she learned of her son's death. Alvarez said she had wanted to study in the United States, but was now reconsidering. "Here the violence is bad, but you don't see that," she told the AP. "It's really sad. You can't go anywhere now."

Mary Karen Read, 19, was born in South Korea into an Air Force family and lived in Texas and California before settling in the northern Virginia suburb of Annandale. Read considered a handful of colleges, including nearby George Mason University, before choosing Virginia Tech. It was a popular destination among her Annandale High School classmates, according to her aunt Karen Kuppinger. She had yet to declare a major. "I think she wanted to try to spread her wings," Kuppinger told the AP. She said her niece had struggled in adjusting to Tech's sprawling 2,600-acre campus. But she had recently begun making friends and looking into a sorority. Kuppinger said the family started calling Read as news reports surfaced. "After three or four hours passed and she hadn't picked up her cell phone or answered her e-mail ... we did get concerned," Kuppinger said. "We honestly thought she would pop up."

Reema Samaha, 18, was a first-year student of Lebanese descent at Virginia Tech and went to the same high school in Centersville, Virginia, as the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui. Her father, Joseph, described her as a "shy girl till you got to know her." She was looking forward to majoring in urban planning with a minor in international relations because "she thought she could solve the problems of the world," her father said. Samaha, remembered as a beautiful and creative dancer, performed the weekend before the shootings, which marked the last time her parents saw her alive. "I keep her in my mind," her father said. "Her face is in my mental vision. It keeps me going." (Watch student's father remember his daughter's love for dance )
Andrew Gaddy of Chesapeake State, Virginia wrote:
"Reema lived down the hall from me. She was cherished by all for going out of her way to make everyone feel accepted and content. She would always give a kind smile and a greeting to everyone she saw. Everyone in our hall has been greatly impacted by losing her."
Joanna Abdallah of Clifton, Virginia, wrote:
"I didn't really know her, but she touched the lives of people very dear to me. I remember watching her on stage at Westfield High a couple times; she was very talented. Everyone who did know her thought she was nice, intelligent, and funny, and she will be missed. She survived the Lebanon/Israel war to die on her school campus. R.I.P. Reema."

Austin Cloyd, an international studies student, was originally from Champaign, Illinois and moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, in 2005.

Maxine Turner was a student from Vienna, Virginia, studying chemical engineering.

Minal Panchal was a freshman building science major from Mumbai, India.

Did you know one of the victims? Please share your thoughts and memories.

Copyright 2007 CNN