Honouring The Dead VA Tech Massacre

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

On April 16th, 2007, North America had experienced one of the most disturbing news, aside from Columbine and 9/11. This was the VA Tech Massacre.

 

Toronto Star Frontpage headline of the massacre.

 

 

Reportedly, the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui was 23 year old and of South Korean descent. At 07:15, he started his rampage across the school campus and killed 2 people. After 2 hours or so, he started to attack a classroom in Norris Hall, a kilometre away from the dorm room which he started to attack earlier. In the end, he left 33 dead on campus including himself.

 

Map of campus and verbatim email sent by campus officials.

 

 

A list of the dead had been published by the CBC here:

 

* Emily Hilscher, 18, of Woodville, Va., veterinary science student.

 

* Ryan Clark, 22, of Martinez, Ga., biology and English major.

 

* Liviu Librescu, 76, engineering science and mathematics lecturer.

 

* Kevin Granata, age unknown, engineering science and mechanics professor.

 

* G.V. Loganathan, 51, civil and environmental engineering professor.

 

* Christopher James Bishop, 35, German instructor.

 

* Henry Lee, computer engineering.

 

* Maxine Turner, senior in chemical engineering.

 

* Matt La Porte, a first-year student.

 

* Juan Ortiz, a graduate student.

 

* Jarrett Lane, a senior.

 

* Leslie Sherman, a second-year student.

 

* Caitline Hammaren, a second-year student.

 

* Reema Samaha, a first-year student.

 

* Ross Alameddine, a student from Saugus, Mass.

 

* Mary Read, a first-year student.

 

Source

 

Here, I reach my sympathy for those who died in this tragic event, and their families. Also, I wish that similar events shall never happen again. I also hereby put in my full support for the new anti-bullying legislature put forth by the Ontario Governement to end bullying in any form including cyber bullying. This legislation will allow schools across the province to expell or suspend those who bully others at school. Even on the Internet, including videos, images and blogs.

 

CBC News Coverage

 

 

xboxrulz

[Jeigh1405241495 0]

This is really nice of you to put up. I watched a lot of coverage of this yesterday and just stared in awe at the tv as it went on and on. I can't believe things like this still actually occur especially in countries like the U.S. People all over the world suffer in ways we in first world nations can't even imagine yet some can be pushed to commit atrocious acts such as this. It literally made me feel sick yesterday as I watched the news about this. Those involved are in my thoughts and prayers.

[Arkane 0]

I honestly think this may be worse than Columbine was, but it might not get as much attention. This is probably the worse thing done in the US since 9/11, and at least that wasn't done by one of our own. I'm sad that it isn't getting quite as much attention as Columbine did but hey, what can you do.

[Aniki 0]

When people go nuts, I wish they'd just keep it to themselves. Go crazy in your house, just don't go hurting people! It pains me that human life was destroyed so carelessly. Thoughts, dreams, ambitions... all gone in the blink of an eye. I hope that someday we'll be above such needless murder.

[Jeigh1405241495 0]

Arkane, unfortunately the media covers the shock value, and regardless of how atrocious this event is, and while still shocking, the fact that Columbine occurred first means (and its a disturbing thought) have already become more accustomed to the idea of a school shooting. Really that's disgusting in and of itself but it's just how we work.And I agree, if these people want to go crazy, they should just kill themselves in the privacy of their own home, save the world the infection of their existence.

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

I honestly think this may be worse than Columbine was, but it might not get as much attention. This is probably the worse thing done in the US since 9/11, and at least that wasn't done by one of our own. I'm sad that it isn't getting quite as much attention as Columbine did but hey, what can you do.

It IS, unfortunately the WORST school shooting in North America. Columbine unfortunately lost half the number as to the VA Tech massacre.

By the way, usually I seldomly buy newspapers, but the scans you see up top are from yesterday's Toronto Star that I bought.

xboxrulz

[Arkane 0]

I'm not saying it wasn't worse, I'm just depressed because I know that even though it is twice as big it won't get as much attention as it should. as Jeigh said after Columbine, people, for the lack of a better word, have become used to school shootings. After the investigation I doubt anything will happen, unlike with Columbine. But anyway, it's still just a horrible thing, and I wish people, as Aniki said, could just go insane on their own time, alone.

[SilverFox1405241541 0]

Well, this is a horrible tragedy and I feel sorry for those who lost loved ones in this shooting. Makes me wonder how patehtic we are that no one could stop his killer. This reaffirms my fear of Asians.

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

Well, this is a horrible tragedy and I feel sorry for those who lost loved ones in this shooting. Makes me wonder how patehtic we are that no one could stop his killer.
This reaffirms my fear of Asians.

I'm Asian myself, so do you fear me ?


I also dug up more news leading up to the shooting and it's quite disturbing:

Jan. 18, 1984: Cho Seung-Hui is born near Seoul, South Korea.
Sept. 1992: Family immigrates to United States and settles in Detroit, later moving to Centreville, Va., a suburb of Washington, where his parents run a dry cleaners.

Spring 2003: Cho graduates from Westfield High School. He was a member of the science club.

Oct. 2003: Renews green card but keeps Korean citizenship.

Fall 2005: At Virginia Tech, on the first day of a literature course, classmates say Cho refuses to introduce himself and puts a question mark on a sign-in sheet. Oct. 2005: Odd behaviour surfaces in Cho's writing. His violent themes disturb poetry professor Nikki Giovanni. She confronts him about the dark glasses and cap he wears, but he refuses to remove them. Without asking, he snaps cellphone photos of classmates.

Giovanni complains students are scared of him and have stopped coming to class. At one point, she has guards stationed nearby. Giovanni tells department head Lucinda Roy she will resign unless Cho is removed.

Roy contacts police, who say his work doesn't contain direct threats. Roy advises Cho to seek counselling. He doesn't.

Oct. to Dec. 2005: Roy meets with Cho for three tutoring sessions.Nervous, she works out a code with her assistant in the event Cho becomes unstable. Roy gives him an A for the semester. Her colleagues believe it is because she was intimidated.

Nov. 27 2005: Cho makes "annoying" contacts with a co-ed by phone and in person. She complains to Virginia Tech police but doesn't press charges.

Dec. 13, 2005: Another female student complains of disturbing text messages from Cho. Police warn him to stay away from her. His parents tell police he may be suicidal and ask that he get counselling. After one session, Cho is voluntarily admitted to a behavioural health centre for one or two days. A doctor's report shows Cho was depressed, but his insight and judgment were normal and he denies suicidal tendencies.

Fall 2006: Cho's play Richard McBeef features a 13-year-old who accuses his stepfather of being a sexual deviant. Classmates are alarmed after the play is posted online for peer review. They fear he could be a school shooter.

When reviewing his play in class, all choose their words carefully "in case he decided to snap," said ex-classmate Ian McFarlane in a blog yesterday. "Even the professor didn't pressure him to give closing comments."

Feb. 2007: Cho legally buys a .22-calibre Walther at pawnshop in Blacksburg.

Feb. 2007: A candidate for student council visits suite Cho shares with five other students. Cho refuses to accept the candy offered to him.

March 12, 2007: Cho uses credit card to legally buy a 9-mm Glock 19 pistol and 50 rounds of ammunition from Roanoke Firearms costing $571. A background check is completed in about a minute.

April 2, 2007: An anonymous bomb threat is made to Torgersen Hall at Virginia Tech.

April 10, 2007: Cho begins to assemble the package he will send to NBC News in between shootings on April 16. Included are photos, videos and 1,800-word manifesto called "very angry, profanity-laced."

April 13, 2007: An anonymous bomb threat is made to three residence halls and engineering building. A written bomb threat similar to those phoned in was found in Cho's room after the shooting.

April 16, 2007:

5 a.m.: Roommate Joe Aust is awakened by Cho as he works on his computer.

5:30 a.m.: Roommate Karan Grewal bumps into Cho in the bathroom, where he brushes his teeth, wets his contact lenses and applies moisturizer. He's in boxer shorts and a T-shirt. As usual, Cho doesn't say a word.

Aust said Cho recently began getting up at about 5:30 a.m., popped prescription pills every day. Recently, he went to the campus gym at night to lift weights. He cut his hair into a military-style buzz.

Aust said Cho may have had an imaginary girlfriend, a supermodel named "Jelly."

7:15 a.m.: Virginia Tech police receive a 911 call about shots fired at West Ambler dormitory. Investigators discover the bodies of a male and female student. They believe it's a domestic dispute gone bad.

9:01 a.m.: Cho mails his package to NBC, received at a Virginia post office about an hour and 45 minutes after dorm shootings."He had the wrong address and ZIP code," said Steve Capus, NBC News president.

Police believe he also returned to his dorm to reload his guns.

9:15 a.m.: While interviewing a "person of interest" about the double murders, police are alerted to shots fired at Norris Hall engineering building.

9:45 a.m.: Police arrive to find the front doors chained from inside. As investigators ram open doors, shots are being fired on the second floor. Bodies are found scattered in four rooms and the stairwell. Cho has killed himself. A 9-mm Glock and new Walther P22 are found near his body. The serial numbers had been filed off. One was used in the earlier shootings.

Witnesses say he calmly shot point-blank at students and professors, firing through doors at others who tried to barricade themselves. He never wavered, often reloading. He shot many people three or more times at close range.

Police search Cho's bedroom and recover chain and combination lock. Also seized were a folding knife; two computers, a hard disk and floppy disks; documents, books, notebooks and writings; a digital camera; compact disks; and two Dremel tools used for cutting and sanding. The writings include rants about wealthy kids and debauchery.

April 18, 2007: Cho's manifesto arrives at NBC.

"You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today," Cho says on one video. "But you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off."

Compiled by Leslie Ferenc

Source

xboxrulz

[Killer008r 0]

I know this is a bad tradigy and everything but. When you think about it, this kind of thing happens every day in some countries. And yet we don't mourn for them, infact we don't really even bother to care. Even though they're human, we should care. I feel sorry fro the losses but I really don't understand why when over 100 troops of ours die along with 100+ civilians die from a suecide bomber. Suecide bombers don't just pick from a college, or a town, they pick where ever they can get alot of kills, schools, elementary, little kids, soccer fields, resturaunts, ANYTHING.

[SilverFox1405241541 0]

Oh...I didn't know you were an Asian eerm....nevermind...just I'm scared of Asians enough as it is, just being honest.

[Punkcat 0]

I know this is a bad tradigy and everything but. When you think about it, this kind of thing happens every day in some countries. And yet we don't mourn for them, infact we don't really even bother to care. Even though they're human, we should care.
I feel sorry fro the losses but I really don't understand why when over 100 troops of ours die along with 100+ civilians die from a suecide bomber.

Suecide bombers don't just pick from a college, or a town, they pick where ever they can get alot of kills, schools, elementary, little kids, soccer fields, resturaunts, ANYTHING.

I absolutely agree with you.

I don't live in the States. From an outside point of view, I see a country that is giving away free green cards everywhere, inviting people from other countries to become US citizens - I see this ad for example everytime I open Yahoo Mail. This is the "American Dream" open to these "new" citizens, just that they will never be "real" US citizens. Most Americans, like SilverFox, are afraid of Asians, Arabs, Latinos, black people, and the list becomes endless.
At the same time, The US is engaged in a foreign policy to take meassures against possible enemies and take war to their countries instead of having it in their own country. Now, nobody mourns people who die in those countries, just because they are citizens of a country that seems a possible threat to the US.
And in the end, US society is not attacked from outside, but from inside. In this case was an Asian, but in many other cases, everyday, it's an American shooting against another. What I can see is that this society is crumbling from the inside, like a statue with sand feet.

[Mandi 0]

I hope the victim's R.I.P

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

Oh...I didn't know you were an Asian eerm....nevermind...just I'm scared of Asians enough as it is, just being honest.

Just joking with ya, no offence taken.

xboxrulz

[Moon Child 0]

Agreeing with some members here I do agree that this sort of thing happens everyday in the rest of the world, but it's because the US is so plush and protected and generally don't expect this sort of thing, it catches us off guard. In other places having social riots and mass massacres are people's living reality, but not with us.

 

I just don't know why anyone would be scared of the different races who they think would do this sort of thing. When you get down to it and look past the racial fixture, we're all individuals with minds. Some more sane than others. So if you're going to be scared, then be scared and paranoid of everyone around you. The saying always goes, "It's the ones you least expect it from." If there can be pedophiles caught red-handed who happen to be respected members of a community, I wouldn't doubt it anyone is an exception.