I got a lot of emails wondering why I didn’t make a post about the massacre at Virgina Tech and my reasoning behind this is because I didn’t know what to write. This whole incident is horrible and for it to happen to people our age and at a college, makes it more close to home than I could imagine. All I can say is that my prayers go out to everyone affected by this senseless and unimaginable tragedy..
118. Candace said:
Where the hell are the parents that destroyed that boy.
>>> Why blame the parents? Parents can’t control his personality, there are tons of loners with sexless lives, tons of boys who never get none, no matter what the media try to promote, doesn’t make them crazy and deranged. He had bigger issues than that and nothing proves that his parents were the source of his issues.
After this event, are you people still strongly supportive of gun possession in this country?
@ #120 JOSH R
DO NOT take this as a reflection on your heritage! What happened was not your fault, nor did it have anything to do with you. That is part of the problem with our country nowadays. We’re all trying to come out from under the misguided negative stigma that society places on people because of their race or culture.
BE STRONG.
R.I.P. to those dead.
….Sad
University Students Hold Vigil for Victims
Portrait Emerges of ‘Loner’ Gunman
By ADAM GELLER
AP
BLACKSBURG, Va. (April 18) — Virginia Tech students and supporters lifted thousands of candles to a sapphire sky to remember the 32 people killed by a campus gunman.
The vigil Tuesday evening testified to the unity on which the mountain campus prides itself. But in the hours after Cho Seung-Hui ‘s rampage, it was obvious the close-knit school was a community of which he never felt a part.
The gunman, who turned his gun on himself after carrying out the worst shooting massacre in modern U.S. history, was a sullen loner who 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 violent and erratic.
Professors and classmates were alarmed by his class writings _ pages filled with twisted, violence-drenched writing.
In screenplays he wrote for a class last fall, characters throw hammers and attack with chainsaws, said a student who attended Virginia Tech last fall. In another, Cho concocted a tale of students who fantasize about stalking and killing a teacher who sexually molested them.
“When we read Cho’s plays, it was like something out of a nightmare,” former classmate Ian MacFarlane, now an AOL employee, wrote in a blog posted on an AOL Web site.
“The plays had really twisted, macabre violence that used weapons I wouldn’t have even thought of.”
He said he and other students “were talking to each other with serious worry about whether he could be a school shooter.”
Despite the many warning signs that came to light in the bloody aftermath, police and university officials offered no clues as to exactly what set Cho off on the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.
“He was a loner, and we’re having difficulty finding information about him,” school spokesman Larry Hincker said.
“We always joked we were just waiting for him to do something, waiting to hear about something he did,” said another classmate, Stephanie Derry. “But when I got the call it was Cho who had done this, I started crying, bawling.”
Professor Carolyn Rude, chairwoman of the university’s English department, said Cho’s writing was so disturbing that he had been referred to the university’s counseling service.
“Sometimes, in creative writing, people reveal things and you never know if it’s creative or if they’re describing things, if they’re imagining things or just how real it might be,” Rude said. “But we’re all alert to not ignore things like this.”
With classes canceled for the rest of the week, many students left town in a hurry, lugging pillows, sleeping bags and backpacks down the sidewalks.
On Tuesday night, thousands of Virginia Tech students, faculty and area residents poured into the center of campus to grieve together. Volunteers passed out thousands of candles in paper cups, donated from around the country. Then, as the flames flickered, speakers urged them to find solace in one another.
“We will move on from this. But it will take the strength of each other to do that,” said Zenobia Hikes, vice president for student affairs. “We want the world to know we are Virginia Tech, we will recover, we will survive with your prayers.”
As silence spread across the grassy bowl of the drill field, a pair of trumpets began to play taps. A few in the crowd began to sing Amazing Grace.
April 16: A Day of Tragedy
Afterward, students, some weeping, others holding each other for support, gathered around makeshift memorials, filling banners and plywood boards with messages belying their pain.
“Our hearts will be heavy, our tears will fall and our questions never really answered,” one wrote.
“I think this is something that will take a while. It still hasn’t hit a lot of people yet,” said Amber McGee, a freshman from Wytheville, Va.
I’m so sad that this happened to all these young people at Virginia Tech. It hurts my heart. I wish it could have been prevented. I pray that God will comfort all of their families because this is so horrible and uncalled for. I just want to scream in anguish.
Profile of a killer: Cho Seung-Hui, 23
By Jessica Van Sack
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 – Updated: 01:06 AM EST
Ian MacFarlane’s first thought when he heard of the massacre at his alma mater was for his friends’ safety. His second was, “I bet it was Seung Cho.”
Many who had crossed paths with the silent “loner” who unleashed mass murder upon students and faculty at Virginia Tech thought of him as the strangest, spookiest person they’d ever encountered.
Cho Seung-Hui, 23, gunned down two students at the West Ambler Johnston hall dorm and then waited two-and-a-half hours before going on a bloody rampage at Norris Hall, a classroom building at the school. Survivors described him as wearing “Boy Scout-like clothes.”
The Virginia Tech senior, who moved from South Korea at age 8, was a legal permanent resident of the United States. Raised in suburban Washington, D.C., where his parents worked at a dry cleaner, Cho left an angry note in his dorm room, which a law enforcement source described as a typed, eight-page rant against “rich kids” and women.
“You caused me to do this,” the official quoted the note as saying.
David Schott, who graduated from Westfield High School in Chantilly, Va., with Cho in 2003, told the Herald in an e-mail that Cho “never spoke a word.”
“He was in one or two of my classes throughout the years and was incredibly quiet,” Schott said. “He never spoke a word. Throughout the course of a year of class with him he would only speak maybe once when a teacher called on him, and even then he would either say nothing or murmur. He didn’t make eye contact with anyone.
“People said ‘hi’ to him a lot, not expecting a response, just trying to be nice.”
At least one of those killed in the rampage, Reema Samaha, graduated from Westfield High in 2006. Authorities haven’t said whether Cho knew the young woman or singled her out.
Students yesterday said Cho was known for little more than his silent demeanor. They said he refused to introduce himself to his creative writing class last year. As classmates went around the room saying their names, he remained silent. On the sign-in sheet where everyone else had written their names, Cho had written a question mark. “Is your name, ‘Question mark?’ ” classmate Julie Poole recalled the professor asking. The young man offered little response.
Cho, an English major, produced such disturbing creative writing that a professor referred him to counseling. MacFarlane, a former playwriting classmate of Cho’s, now an employee of AOL, wrote on a news blog that “When we read Cho’s plays, it was like something out of a nightmare.”
One play, titled “Richard McBeef,” depicts an angry adolescent who believes his stepfather murdered his biological father. It is laced with references to sexual abuse. In it, a chain saw-wielding mom has a temper that flairs on a whim.
Hopefully this will make these colleges and universities crack down a bit more on campus security. I feel bad for all the families that were effected.
This is a little off topic but I don’t know about the schools you guys went to but MSU dorms were a little bit too open to outsiders. A lot of these schools to tighten their security.
Just another example as to why this site isn’t a source for real journalism. You don’t know what to write unless its trash, plain and simple. even your commentaries aren’t well written.
Its awful what happened in Virginia. And its ish like this that makes me scarred to go back to school to finish my degree. My condolences to all the family of the deceased and injured. They will never be forgotten.
We may not understand God’s ways… But we must rest in the knowledge that He knows Best. I pray for the mourning families and friends who have lost so much in so little time. My heart goes out to them, hoping that they will heal and be able to forgive the killer. Because carrying a grudge will only eat away at one’s soul.
Noone deserves to go through this… But trust, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Blessings & Love
My prayers go out to all of those affected. I personally feel like all of this could have been avoided. I know that it’s too early to point fingers, but I feel so saddened by all of this. BUSH YOU ARE A DISGRACE. GUN CONTROL! The University should have been locked down after the first shooting, and they would have found him reloading in his dorm. The “Counseling Services” they sent Cho to should have kicked him out of VT. They don’t have any security cameras at VT?
I am just upset that this tragedy happened and I hope the school can get back to normal in due time.
After reading some comments:
DO NOT FEEL BAD FOR BEING KOREAN! My husbands best friends are Korean and they are smart, rich, happy, cool, healthy people. Be proud of who you are and know that mental illness affects ALL RACES. Cho needed help and never got it. Don Imus come to Duval County.
RIP VT victims
This is/was a very unfortunate event. Even with security on campus and mo matter how many procedures and policies that are in order, are we ever really initially ready to handle these tragedies? I agree with one poster who said 33 people died, not 32 and the killer! It’s really hard to pray for your enemies but after seeing and hearing this that’s exactly what we should do! It was stated that mental meds were found with his belongings. This was coming for a long time with this young man and his parents weren’t intuitive with him enough to call the dark side he obviously possessed! As parents we have to pay attention to our children and the tell tale signs they give to us when they’re in pain/distress!! We have to ask questions and be very proactive and prepare our children the best way we can for the cruel world. Instill faith, love, patience and understanding just to name a few. This young man didn’t just start feeling this way a month or so ago. During his writing he talked about sexual abuse, maybe that was one of the signs. I’m sure a whole lot is going to come out now. His ranting letter was about rich kids and women. Maybe he was teased because he was not from here! Maybe a girl he crushed on crushed him. Who knows, there are probably infinite reasons as to why he was a pot waiting to boil over? God Bless all of us! With a special prayer of mercy to help those directly affected by this ordeal.
Sad .. my prayers go out to the families of the victims of this tragic incident.. whats worse is it makes my paranoid when i walk to my classes everyday.
R.I.P
I feel so sorry for all the families of the victims of this tragedy and even worse for the shooter’s family. They not only have to deal with his death but also the very idea that he was responsible for all of this.
Jamie said:
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Just another example as to why this site isn’t a source for real journalism. You don’t know what to write unless its trash, plain and simple. even your commentaries aren’t well written.
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Please get over yourself. The whole situation was tragic, so what can somebody say? Leave a damn message of peace and love, not your hatred for some bullshit comment. Read every thing and not some of it.
tragic yes, not only that we ignore the intuition of a concerned teacher, and not only that we enable guns in our schools with no real deterence.
the real tragedy is what i saw last night about the heroes in the school. unarmed and unprotected students who took action. they risked their lives to save fellow students, while the armored cops with the big guns sat around the school listening to gunfire as children were murdered. how dare they.
Concreteloop, please don’t pay any attention to these ignorant comments down playing your work on this site. You have so many of us loyal visitors who appreciate this site. Obviously the people making negative comments like it too because not only do they keep visiting but they also take the time to click on an article, scroll down to the bottom, fill out the comment form, and write a negative comment. I hate to sway away from the topic of this post but it just disgusts me so much when people go to great lengths just to conduct themselves in an ignorant manner… especially on a story of this maginitude.
Peacee, and may God be with all of those affected by the VTech shootings.
Tiana, you were quite eloquent and I share your sentiments.
It’s unfortunate for the families what happened but there is much more than is being brought out. First off, no one dies before their time. Adults should know that already, especially if you believe in the Most High. That premise doesn’t make any sense. Beyond that the “man” that committed this act obviously had training. You don’t kill “33″ people and injure a number of others with a glock or whatever they claim he had without professional training. I mean please.
My heart and prayers goes out to all the victim’s families and students at VT.
that’s sad yo like dey did not do anything and da korean kid had to kill dem i swear wats wrong wid des people yo dey did not do anythnig
I am a Virginia resident and a college student at VCU in Richmond Va. This hit SOOO close to home for me. I know plenty of people that go to VTech and it scared the mess out of me when I heard about it that morning from my boy that goes there. I called everyone I knew and thank god they were okay. RIP to all those who died, and my prayers go out to the families especially to the killers family. Their sons actions were disgusting and I know that it has put them to shame.
damn this sh@! is crazy. there was a rally at my school yesterday. My college is located downtown in an urban congested area with crime, anyway we have campus police who look just like regular police & drive police cars & suvs & arrest people. Well i just found out that these fools dont even have guns!!! Anyway there’s now a move to get them to have guns. My school is nowhere near as big as VTECH so i would assume most schools campus police are armed…
though like someone else stated here, it seemed even the armed police didnt make much difference at VTECH
i know some would state that more guns arent the answer & i damn sure dont know what the answer is to protect oneself & others from random violence. someone said no one dies before their time & I DISAGREE, people die before their “time” every damn day otherwise what the hell are we so upset about.
i mean we live in a rich country where innovation is all around us & unfortunately it seems guns & wackos with guns is something thats here to stay. It would be great if someone could invent something little and non lethal, like a mini tranquilizer gun for humans (sorta like the big tranquilizer guns used to subdue dangerous animals) that would knock someone out instantly or some shyt. This thing could be little enough to clip to a belt or a garter worn on calf or thigh.
Maybe a muthaeffer would think twice before deciding to just start shootin if he knew his dumb ass might end up lyin somewhere unconscious for 2 hrs & what might be done to him in that timespan.
Maybe i’m off the wall but damn i hate just being angry without an outlet for that anger.
This is just so horrible. Everytime I hear this story I feel sick!!!
My prayers goes out to the victums family and friends…
This is so sad.People’s lives are gone. I mean we dont know the whole story, but taking anothers life is just terrible. Those students got up that morning having no idea they weren’t gonna make it home. I know the worlds not perfect, but damn it’s like you cant even look out your window anymore or enjoy the view in your Backyard because you might get shot or raped. I thank God everyday for my life, I may not have everything but I have a life. And thats more than I can ask for. God Bless!
I will continue to pray for the victims who have lost their lives and those who are recovring I’m praying for the families as well!!!
R.I.P TO ALL THOSE AFFECTED. THANK GOD I LIVE IN THE U.K.
ONLY IN AMERICA…
148. jen said:
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R.I.P TO ALL THOSE AFFECTED. THANK GOD I LIVE IN THE U.K.
ONLY IN AMERICA…
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For you to make that comment was unnecessary and ignorant. You cannot bless someone and in the same breath speak negative. Stereotyping brings nothing to the table. You cannot judge a country based on one person’s actions. You should have kept it to yourself.
The devil is busy all over the world. People are dying over things that can be easily prevented and eliminated (medical conditions, war & violence, nutrition, etc). My only prayer is that everyone, regardless of where you come from and what you do in life take this horrific event as an example that life is so precious.
We all need to start praying and be genuinely concerned and help each other to change the world we live in. There is too much anger, fear and hate. We all need love and acceptance. The battle was already won; we just need to stand for what is right and make a change starting with our leaders.
God bless each person who was affected by the massacre at Virginia Tech University. May you be able to find peace of mind, support and comfort.
Jen -
I apologize if I said anything to offended you. You are entitled to your opinion, however I think this particular blog is not the right moment or place to throw stones about countries.
True – America does have some SERIOUS problems that need to be dealt with. However, sweetie people are in mourning in this place and do not wish to hear negative statements. Please respect that.
I used to attend Florida State University a few years ago and I remember being in classes with as many as 200 students as well as in classes that were so small the rooms had no windows.
Looking back, I don’t know what I would’ve done if a gunman came from nowhere and started blasting away in one of my windowless classrooms. I know I would have no escape. My life would probably flash before my eyes. I’d probably feel like the biggest target in the room. I would be terrified beyond words.
Right now, as the profiles emerge, I feel immense pain for the families left behind, but even greater pain for the students and teachers killed and wounded at Virginia Tech. They had no way out. No way to know a murderer was on a mission to cut their lives short. So many lives are gone or forever affected by a piece of the evil that consumes the hearts of many men.
I pray that the tragedy is not in vain. I’m also praying that people will take a close look and see the reality of the world in which we live. For those reading this, make sure your heart is right. When it’s your time to go, God doesn’t hesitate to fulfill His plan. I lost my 23 year-old cousin in a car accident last December and though it was hard to deal with, I know everything happens for a reason.
God is able to provide healing and it is my heartfelt prayer that He will comfort those who suffer in their hearts.
Rest in peace to all the students and teachers who passed away……
RIP to those who lost their lives.
And may peace be with the family members.
This was a terrible tragedy! Imagine sending your child to college to get an education and gettign news that they were killed brutally by a mentally ill student who also killed himself.No real closure because the killer is dead and cant verbalize why he did what he did,and he was such a loner that noone can give any real info about WHO HE WAS! Its just sad 33 people dead, and it didnt have to happen,It seems like several people were atleast alil aware that this guy CHo was mentally or emotionally disturbed.He seemed anti social and bizzarre. They should have seen to it that this guy received mental help or that he was kicked off campus when he stalked those 2 women in the past! Time bomb ticking and waiting to go off.
that`szz reall sad. R.I.P.
This sucks so bad, my prayers go out to them. In other news, a bomb killed 183 people in Baghdad, but i guess no one cares about that because not many Americans were involved.
******I don’t know if everyone has been following this, but the gunman mailed a package to NBC in NY confessing to the crime. They’re saying he mailed them a “manifesto” containing pictures and somewhat of an explanation. He mailed it overnight during the 2 hour gap between shootings. I saw the video on MSNBC.com.**** This is extremely sad and disturbing. By listening to his rants, he was OBVIOUSLY a very distrubed individual. I’m STILL (and always) praying……
Actually you’re not safe anywhere,really.There are dangers in everything.It’s like you taking risks as soon as you step out the door whether you’re in compton or an upscale Bel-Air neighborhood.You never know when your time will come.’Cause some folks are so sorry or crazy they gotta do stupid sh!t like what happened at vtech.And how come nobody give a damn when folks in Iraq get blown up for no f*cking reason?Or that folks over seas die everyday because of that f*cked up government they got?The victoms died but they can become all mighty angels in heaven.I’m sorry they families have to go through that.But that shooter needs help.He the one who needed to be preyed for.Because his whole life must have been full of mysery.It’s ashamed to be like that-to be trapped in insanity.Yeah I see folks at that b-ball post swarming around like LEECHES when it’s a more impotant post.They talking bout a few pics of people at a basketball game and it’s twice as many posts as 33 folks at vtech getting killed for no reason whats so ever.Dang.I like pop cukture as much as the next girl but this is rediculious.Oh I get how it is Ya’ll think Beyonce,Kimora,Tyra,Jessica,and Jay-Z pics are more important than 33 lives?…smh
#89 YOU ARE 100% RIGHT!
Words can not describe the sorrow I feel for the victims and their families. I don’t know if anything could ever be said or done to lessen their pain. My hearts and positive energy goes out to all affected by this senseless cowardly actions.
Can I ask a question? What was going on in that school that drove this boy over the edge. This is mad crazy what happened, but someone needs to come forwrd and speak about what was really going on. I think his roomie should start talking. I think there is more to this story much much more…watch This boy may be disturbed but SOMETHING happened.
Please any VA tech student out there who knows anything please speak on it. There is some kind of inner world there, whats really going on????
MY PRAYERS GO OUT TO THE VICTIMS FAMILIES.I WAS READING THE PAPER TODAY AND READ HOW MANY SIGNS WERE THERE THAT THIS SICK BASTARD WAS A TIME BOMB READY TO EXPLODE.I MEAN NO ONE WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT THIS WOULD HAPPEN BUT COME ON THERE WERE SO MANY SIGNS.I CRIED LOOKING AT THE NEWS OF THE PROFESSOR WHO SURVIVED THE HOLOCAUST AND THEN HE DIED SAVING THE LIVES OF HIS STUDENTS.I CANNOT IMAGINE HOW THOSE STUDENT WHO DIED WERE GOING THROUGH.I HOPE THAT KOREAN BASTARD CHO SEUNG-HUI BURNS IN HELL.I HATE WHAT HE PUT THOSE INNOCENT PEOPLE THROUGH.IF HE WANTED TO KILL HIS SELF SO BE IT BUT WHY TAKE OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES?
any va tech student that knows something about what happened prior to this devastation, feel free to go to myspace/tearose33 lets talk privately
This whole case is heartbreaking. All these people had so much to give to the world. I feel for his family to. How do you even process that?
Y0 THATS S00.. SAd HE SHOUlD HAVE 0ff HiS SElF [[SiCK0]]
I’m stationed overseas ( originally from VA) and when I heard about this nightmare– well there are no words for the amount of shock and disbelief I felt. I truly pray for all those affected by this horrible event.
My prayers goes out to all of the families and students at Virginia Tech!!!
As a Hokie, I would like to thank you for mentioning this. Blacksburg is my home and the members of Virginia Tech are my family, so when someone comes into your home and kills 33 members of your family, it is devastating. Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers.
- Alex
To those who wanted to know what happened prior to this:
Virginia Tech is one of the safest schools in American. Many people leave the doors unlocked unafraid of people coming or stealing. You can leave your laptop at a coffee shop and it will still be there two hours later. This could happen anywhere. Our administration made some difficult decisions, but no one could have forseen what was going to happen. I am a Hokie and will always be a Hokie. I’m back home in Newport News right now, but I miss Blacksburg more and more everyday. Come Monday, I will proudly step back onto that campus with more Hokie pride than ever.
I think it is most sad that 33 lives could have been saved had someone provided this young man with help well before this incident. This individual was a SENIOR in college – he went to elementary, middle and high school and through four years of college at a intensely competitive school and yet somehow never got the help he needed? Many people after the fact talked about his demeanor and lack of ANY social connection…and yet he still managed to make it through that many years surrounded by others? Those that reached out to him and lived with him never expressed any concern to anyone else – just thought to themselves “he’s a little strange?” Two teachers thought he was disturbed and needed help and both of them were virtually ignored?
That is the true tragedy of this situation as well as how the media handled it by focusing attention on the shooter and the new “record.” as well as broadcasting his rants and photos. This will only feed the next individual.
I would say to all of you in view of this…many of us know people who could need help. Mental illness is not only stigmatized, it is not a health-care priority. That needs to change, because many people are dealing with a lot of psychic pain in this world right now. As someone mentioned in the last month, there were two public domestic shootings (including one at another campus) a workplace shooting and then this. We need to learn from this and get people help or assistance when they are in need instead of ignoring, stigmatizing them and drawing them further inward.
To all of those who are now in the Light, I say please help assist those of us on earth. Those young lives will surely be missed in the physical plane but in the spiritual plane, they will become part of the fabric of spirit that is on the side of Light. We need those angel to help battle the ever-increasing darkness.
We need everyone to show more love, more kindness, more compassion and more healing in the wake of all this. As we can see we are not safe anywhere until we can love everyone, even the least of us.
Sometimes this site is mired in jealousy and pettiness but I’m glad this event brought out positivity from everyone posting. It’s truly needed.
MsTee2U i agree with you people need to show more respect to one another and reach out to other people. There are people are there hungry for relating to others. Some people just don’t give them a chance.
God bless. It’s also nice to see so many expressions of condolences. People can sometimes be so harsh when posting, to see this much love is a beautiful thing.
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