EP. 112 VIRGINIA - The Virginia Tech School Shooting, PT. 2: The Massacre

Many students and employees at Virginia Tech were very concerned about his behavior. But no one could have ever known that. The shy man, who barely spoke above a whisper, was about to come onto their campus and commit the deadliest mass shooting in American history. Last week's episode was about Seung-hui Cho and his background, but today's episode is about the events of that horrific day in Blacksburg, Virginia, and the story of the Virginia Tech massacre. I'm Courtney Brown.

On the morning of April 16, 2007, Joe Aust opened his eyes to see his roommate Seung-hui Cho, get out of bed and start clicking away on his computer. Joe tried to go back to sleep, but he couldn't help but think about how strange his roommate had been acting over the past couple weeks. He started waking up around 5 a..m. every day for no particular reason. And he would play the song Shine by Collective soul, over and over, and over again.

He even wrote some of the lyrics on their dorm wall. It read Quote Teach me how to speak, Teach me how to share, Teach me where to go. The suite that they lived in actually had three separate rooms, with two roommates per room.

So there were six guys all living together, but none of them had ever been able to get through to Seung-hui. They tried their best to be friendly, but he hardly ever spoke to any of them. That day, at around 5.30 a...m, Seung-hui gets up from his computer and goes to the bathroom, which was littered with bits of toilet paper, discarded soap dispensers and a sign above the toilet reminding them to flush. Also in the bathroom was their other suite-mate, Caron Giral, who was getting ready for the day.

Like always, the two don't even acknowledge each other after all, if Caron even tried, he would be met with silence. So the two stand next to each other. As Seung-hui brushes his teeth and puts on his acne cream, the cream is supposed to prevent breakouts and stop the spread of bacteria. It must have been a part of his morning routine, something that he instinctively does every time he wakes up.

Because, in the grand scheme of things, acne is not something Seung-hui will have to worry about after today. He knows that this will be his very last day on Earth and he plans to take as many people as he can with him.

It's unclear what was going through his mind or why he chose to walk over to West Ambler Johnston Hall Dormitory. It was only a few minutes away by foot. But once he got there, Seung-hui kind of loitered in the foyer area. He didn't have access to the building, so he had to wait around for someone with a swipe card to let him in. And as fate would have it, that person would end up being 19-year-old Emily Jane Hilscher.

Emily graduated from Rappahannock High School in Woodville, Virginia, the previous year. She was a bright girl with a promising future, and she was really excited for the next eight years that she planned to be at Virginia Tech. Emily was going to school to become a veterinarian and she had a huge passion for horses. She had actually joined the school's equestrian team and was a member of the Intercollegiate Horseshow Association. That morning, at around 7.02am, Emily was dropped off at her dorm by her boyfriend, Carl Thornhill, who was a student at a nearby university.

The two had spent the previous night cuddled up on his couch watching movies. But it was now Monday morning and Emily had to get ready for her classes. She also promised to meet her roommate Heather Hoff, back at their dorm room so they could walk to chemistry class together.

It's unclear exactly what she says to Sungwee, but she confronts him, likely telling him to leave her alone. Over the next few moments. A heated argument ensues outside of room 4040, which is overheard by Emily's neighbor and resident assistant Ryan Clark. So he goes out into the hallway to make sure everything is okay.

Here's what his friend, Denise Aspel, told National Public Radio.

Next, he turns his gun towards Ryan and he shoots him in the chest. As Emily and Ryan bleed out on her dorm room floor, Sungwee quickly flees the scene.

Of bloody footprints and shell casings. Surprisingly, no one in the dorm even realized that two gunshots had gone off. However, in the room directly below Emily's, a girl awoke to the sound of a loud thud. She figured that someone had fallen out of their loft bed, so to make sure they were okay, the girl called the campus police at 7.20 a...m.

To report it.

She notified the Virginia Tech Police that a student had fallen out of their bed, and minutes later, officers made their way to room 4040.

Upon entering the room, they were expecting to see an injured student or a busted lip from falling off the bed. But instead, they walk into a very bloody scene. There, on the ground of room 4040, were two students bleeding from their gunshot wounds.

Now, it's important to note that classes had not yet started that day at Virginia Tech. It's still only 7.30 in the morning. And over the next 20 minutes or so, the school officials were getting word of the shooting at Waj Hall. The first person notified was Dr. Ed Spencer, the associate vice president for student affairs. Then he notified Dr.

Zenobia hikes the vice president of student affairs, then the Virginia Tech. Police chief, Flinchum, placed a phone call to the executive vice president and notified him of the shooting.

Now at 8.

15 a.

M.

Heather Hugh would arrive at her dorm to meet up with her roommate Emily. If you remember, they were supposed to meet that morning so they could walk to chemistry together.

Heather comes home to see that her dorm is a crime scene. The police question her about Emily's whereabouts before the shooting, and she informs the officers that Emily had spent the weekend with her boyfriend. Heather also tells them that Emily's boyfriend owns a gun and that they recently went to the shooting range. So from here, Carl Thornhill is now a person of interest. The Virginia Tech Police thought that they had it all figured out. A lover's quarrel between two young students. Maybe there was even a love triangle of sorts, and that's how Ryan got shot, too.

So their focus from here was to find Carl Thornhill. And while all of their resources went towards that, the real shooter was gearing up to commit his attack on Virginia Tech.

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25 a.

M. That morning, a whole hour after the shooting, Virginia Tech's policy group had a meeting on how they will inform the university about the double shooting. One of these members emailed a colleague in Richmond, Virginia, saying Gunman is on the loose. This is not releasable yet, just try to make sure this doesn't get out.

End quote. And that was just strange to me, because why would you not want that information getting out, especially when no one's been arrested yet? Following this meeting, the policy group informs the governor's office about the shooting.

Classes still continue by 8.50 a.m. The university finally types out an email that will be sent to all of Virginia Tech's students and employees. But because of technical difficulties, the email wouldn't be sent out until 9.26 a.m, two full hours after Emily and Ryan had been shot. Interestingly enough, the public schools in the area were on lockdown at 8.52 a...m, a full 30 minutes before the university sent out that email and the university's president's office went on lockdown. But everyone else was just freely walking around campus, completely unaware that two students had been murdered and that a gunman was on the loose.

Very different from the shy and reserved guy that he was in real life. He also took many videos of himself, explaining his hatred for society. Here are some of these videos.

Do you know what it feels like to be spit on your face and have trash shoved down your throat? Do you know what it feels like to dig your own grave? Do you know what it feels like to have your throat smashed from ear to ear? Do you know what it feels like to be torched alive? Do you know what it feels like to be humiliated and be impaled upon on a cross and left to bleed to death? For your amusement?

You have never felt a single ounce of pain your whole life. Did you want to inject as much misery in our lives as you can, just because you can? You had everything you wanted, your Mercedes wasn't enough, you brats, your golden necklaces weren't enough, you snobs.

Your trust fund wasn't enough, your vodka and cognac weren't enough, all your devotees weren't enough, Those weren't enough to fulfill your hedonistic needs. You've had everything.

You just loved crucifying me, you loved inducing cancer in my head, terrorizing my heart and raping my soul all this time. When the time came, I did it.

I had to. What's interesting is that a lot of these videos were directed towards the rich and privileged. But Virginia Tech is state-funded, and although it's a great school, it isn't really a place where a bunch of rich kids go even further. Sungwee's parents weren't considered wealthy, but they were pretty well off. They lived in a decent-sized home that was worth around $400,000..

And Sungwee also got whatever he needed growing up, including therapy, which isn't cheap.

In the package, Sungwee included 43 photographs. The videos we just played for you. In an 1800-word manifesto where he praised the Columbine shooters, compared himself to Jesus and ranted on and on about trust funds and caviar, here is a portion of that manifesto.

Today, ask yourselves, What was I doing all this time, these months, hours, seconds? Only if you could have been the victim of your crimes, only if you could have been the victim.

To you sadistic snobs, I may be nothing but a piece of dog shit. You have vandalized my heart, raped my soul and torched my conscience again and again. You thought it was one pathetic, void life that you were extinguishing. Thanks to you, I die like Jesus Christ. To inspire generations of the weak and defenseless people, my brothers, sisters and children. That you fuck like moses. I spread the sea and lead my people, the weak, the defenseless and the innocent children of all ages that you fucked and will always try to fuck to eternal freedom.

Thanks to you, sinners, you spillers of blood, I set the example of the century for my children to follow.

The number 88 was later found to be of significance to him, but they never released what it was. And Revol Drive could be short for revolution, because further in the manifesto, he wrote Let the revolution begin. Die you descendants of Satan, fuck you die.

Now I am Axe Ishmael, I am the anti-terrorist of America.

Now, after putting together the package, Sungwee left his dorm and walked over to the Blacksburg Post Office at about 9 a.

M Keep in mind, the university still hasn't sent out the email warning students about a gunman on the loose. But the package was addressed to NBC News New York, and it cost him $14.40 to mail it. From here, Sungwee went back to his dorm, got dressed in a sweatshirt, cargo pants, a maroon hat and an ammunition vest on his arm. Read Axe, Ishmael.

He then grabs his book bag that contained a knife, chains, 400 rounds of ammunition, a 9mm Glock 19 and a.

22 caliber pistol These are small guns that can be easily concealed in a backpack.

Once everything was packed up and ready to go, he leaves his dorm and makes the 15-minute walk to Virginia Tech's Norris Hall.

And Carl pulled over with no issues. He told the officer that he heard about the shooting and had been trying to contact his girlfriend. But she wasn't picking up the phone, so he was driving back to check on her. A Virginia State Police trooper arrived to assist with the traffic stop and questioned Carl about his relationship with the victim. A gunpowder residue test was administered, but it was becoming clear that Carl was not their suspect. Now, at this point in the story, it's 926 a...m. Virginia Tech finally issued an email to campus staff, students and faculty about the shooting on campus.

The email read A shooting incident occurred at West Ambler, Johnston, earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating. The university community is urged to be cautious and are asked to contact Virginia Tech Police if you observe anything suspicious or with information on the case.

M.

So by the time the email was sent, many students were already in class, and Sungwee Cho was just minutes away from entering Norris Hall. In fact, the email was sent at 926 a..m and he walked through the doors at 930. Upon entering, Sungwee stops at the three main doors to the building and begins to chain them up. And to make sure no one would try to go through them.

That reads Bomb will go off if you open the door. From here, Sungwee makes his way to the second floor of Norris Hall. Room 200 happened to be empty that day because the professor canceled class, so Sungwee took the opportunity to go inside and gear up for the attack. Once everything was ready, he walked around the second floor, looking through the classroom windows, to see how many people were in each room. One student, named Erin Sheehan, said that she actually saw him look into her classroom window two separate times.

She said It was strange that someone at this point in the semester would be lost looking for class. But as we know now, that's not what he was doing. In room 206 on the second floor, Dr. G..V. Loganathan was teaching his advanced Hydrology class to his 13 graduate students.

The people in that room had no warning, there were no screams or sounds of gunfire, just the sound of someone walking into their classroom. Before anyone could even comprehend what was happening, Sungwee pulled out his gun and began to fire. The last person shot and killed was Professor G..V. Loganathan, who was standing in the front of the class.

His students would later say he was, quote, the best professor I ever had, the kindest person I ever met, and incredibly wise and gentle. Dr. Loganathan left behind his wife and two daughters, who described him as the best father a daughter could hope to have, and a loving husband. Here's Loganathan's colleague, Mark Widdowson, who spoke about him with the National Public Radio.

V is the kind of person you'd love to work with. He's very humble and unassuming, really not pretentious at all. Kind of not your typical academic.

G.

V had an infectious smile, a very good sense of humor, infectious laugh. And whenever you passed him in the hall, he'd give you a nice smile and sometimes a wave. And just not a lot of small talk, but he was just always very personable.

V and their professor get shot. Chaos erupted throughout Room 206. In every shooting, everything happens very fast. But instinctively, everyone quickly scattered around the room, trying to get as far away from the shooter as possible. One graduate student, named Guillermo Coleman, said that he immediately got down on the ground and huddled up to the radiator that was in the classroom. He said. At first he thought it was a stunt or something, but then he felt a bullet graze past his left ear. And that's when he knew this was real.

Guillermo said that as he was crouching down by the radiator, he watched as a bullet hit 34-year-old Partai Mora Lumbantaran.

S in 2004 to earn his doctorate, according to his loved ones. He was quiet and shy, but he always jumped at the opportunity to engage in a spiritual or intellectual conversation. He loved to go to football games, take road trips and spend time with his friends, they said. He had a contagious smile and he radiated the most positive energy. That was hard to ignore.

His loved ones said that if he were here today, he would ask us to keep our chins up and smile. He would want us to gain strength from this tragedy and to live each day to its fullest. Mora was the fourth victim of the Virginia Tech shooting.

He loved his family and friends. A friend of Brian's, named Amy Miley, would later say Brian was a very happy individual. You couldn't help but smile when you were around him. Let's all shed tears and then smile in his memory. Brian Blum was the fifth victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

She wanted to help change the world and was already on her way to creating positive changes for many people. Julia was the sixth victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting. 24-year-old Matthew Gwaltney had been at Virginia Tech for six and a half years and was working on his master's degree in environmental engineering. According to his family, Matthew was an avid sports fan and a loyal friend. He always had a cheery disposition and cared deeply about the people in his life.

His high school principal, Robert Stansberry, told The Associated Press that Matthew was the best guy to take home to your parents. He was the seventh victim of the Virginia Tech School.

Jeremy was the eighth victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

All other parts of life. He was passionate about music, traveling, theater and politics. His friend, Steve Crivero, told The Associated Press He loved his family. He was pretty much destined to be extremely successful. Daniel was the ninth victim of the Virginia Tech shooting.

He will be remembered forever for his passion for engineering, family and life. Juan was the tenth victim of the Virginia Tech School.

We were talking about how amazing it would be when he brought his wife and son to Tech at the end of the summer. I could never have imagined that in six hours he'd be gone forever, his roommate said. He was the simplest and nicest guy I ever knew. We would be studying for our exams and he would go buy a cake and make tea for us. Waleed was the eleventh victim of the Virginia Tech shooting.

Like in Room 206, the first person he shoots is the professor, Dr. Christopher Bishop. Erin said that after watching their professor get shot, everyone got down on the ground, trying to use their desks as shields. Seung-hui was calm with no emotion as he slowly made his way down the center of the classroom, shooting every person he could. At one point, he ran out of ammunition and he had to take a few seconds to reload his gun.

Erin said that everything went really quickly, and when he first entered the classroom, she couldn't help but let out this blood-curdling scream the kind.

When you're truly facing life or death. But as she dove under her desk, she had to stop herself from screaming. He was still making his way around the classroom, shooting at everyone, and she knew she had to be quiet or she would definitely get shot. Erin said that she just kept telling herself it can't end right here, it can't end.

After Seung-hui made his way around.

Erin said that all of the people around her had been shot at least three to four times. They were all dying, but surprisingly, she hadn't been hit. And then, just as quickly as he came into the room, Seung-hui left to rain terror upon another Virginia Tech classroom, and right as he walked out. Three students named Trey Perkins, Derek O'Dell and Kaitlyn Carney, all quickly rushed towards the door of the classroom and used their feet as makeshift barricades.

There were no heavy tables around and the desks would have been useless, so this was their best option. Once they got it secured, they looked around at their classroom, which resembled a.

School, there was blood everywhere, people were shouting, crying and moaning from the pain of their bullet wounds. Someone even threw up. 21-year-old senior Kevin Stern was shot twice in his thigh and the bullet had ruptured his artery.

Thinking quickly, he grabbed an electric cord and wrapped it around his leg to stop the bleeding. This would end up saving his life, but other people in Room 207 wouldn't be as lucky. 35-year-old Professor Christopher James Bishop, who everyone called Jamie, was the first person shot in Room 207. He grew up in a small town in Georgia and was living in North Carolina with his wife before he accepted a job at Virginia Tech.

According to everyone that knew him, he was very passionate about many things in life, including art, nature and, most of all, teaching. His students would later say that he cared deeply about each and every student he had. He would take the time to get to know you, he would talk with you before class, and if you needed help, he would drop everything to make sure you understood the subject. He was also known for his long, dark ponytails that he would grow out and donate to Locks of love.

Here is what his colleague Jock Morin told National Public Radio.

He's the kid that would pick up his lunch tray at lunch and come and sit with the new kid that didn't have any friends at the table. He was that kind of a person, that's what he did for me. When I first came here, he was glad to show me around, he was glad to be my friend. When I didn't know anybody or didn't know anything. And he was always the first to put his hand up to help out and the.

She wanted to know people as they really were, not as they appeared. Nicole White was the 13th victim of the Virginia Tech School.

Like anyone else, she had her quirks, such as her tendency to talk to herself while playing video games, sticking her tongue out for photographs.

Sitting on the living room floor in random positions and singing aloud while doing her homework with her headphones. On any given day. Max could be found in her pajamas and bunny slippers, sitting on the living room floor, watching cartoons and doing chemical engineering work. End Quote, her big sister and her sorority, said quote Max was, if anything, a great friend. She'd always be there for you through the good times and the bad, and was only one call away. End quote.

Maxine Turner was the fourth victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

Michael Pohl was the 15th victim of the.

Her former pastor would say quote You meet a lot of young people in your life, but not a lot will make. The impression that Lauren did to know her was to love her, she was always ready and willing to do for someone else.

Was also noted that Lauren absolutely loved her time at Virginia Tech. She even told her family that it was quote almost like heaven. Which is just so sad because the place she loved so dearly would end up being the place where she would die. Lauren McCain was the 16th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting. The last victim of Room 207 was 22-year-old.

Jarrett Lane was the 17th victim of the Virginia Tech School shooting. Now, like we mentioned earlier, three of the uninjured students in Room 207 quickly ran to the door and barricaded it with their feet as soon as Seung-hui left the room. But moments later, he tried to get into the classroom again. He pushed up against the door with all of his might, but they pushed back. And after a few moments, Seung-hui knew he wouldn't be able to get back in. So he shot a few rounds through the door. Wood splintered around the room, but luckily no one else would get hurt, however, six people would die in Room 207 and six others were wounded.

Colin Gardard was a senior at Virginia Tech at the time. He and his friend Christina Heeger drove to Norris Hall that morning. And they even sat in the parking lot before French class and contemplated on whether or not they should skip. They decided to be good students and go to class. Another student in this class was a girl named Rachel Hill. She was late that day because of the shooting at her dorm.

She likely assumed that class would be safer than staying in her dorm. Or two students had just been brutally murdered, but she couldn't have been more wrong. After their professor alerted them to the shooter, Colin quickly calls 911. Dispatch would receive the call at approximately 9 41 a...m.

The call would not come in time. Professor Nowak and a student named Henry Lee would jump into action and push a wooden desk up against the door. But as soon as they do, Sung Wee pushes through it and shoots them. From here, the entire class scatters around the room, diving under desks and trying their best.

I dove under a desk and kind of prepared to die. I guess he just started picking people off with the gun. I heard it more than I saw it. I just expected after every bullet, I just prepared myself for the hit, but it never came.

For me, Clay would be one of the.

This would be the deadliest room in Norris Hall. After shooting the first two victims, Sung Wee methodically walks down the aisles, shooting everyone he can. 20-year-old sophomore Matthew Laporte was watching as his classmates were getting gunned down and he.

Decided to risk his life and attempt to take down the shooter. Matthew stands up and he charges at Sung Wee, but as he does, he is riddled with seven bullets. And one thing I want to note is that Sung Wee purchased hollow point bullets for this attack. These types of bullets expand once they hit their target, making them even more deadly. After killing Matthew Laporte, Sung Wee Cho makes his way around the room, firing bullets into students as they hide under their desks.

Clay Violin would later tell NBC Quote it sounded rhythmic-like. He took his time between each shot, he kept up the pace, moving from person to person. Now, keep in mind Colin Gardard is still on the phone with 911 during all of this. So the dispatcher hears everything. She asks if Colin is okay, but he doesn't want to answer, afraid that the gunmen will hear him.

Eventually, however, Sung Wee walks down the row of desks and is standing right in front of him. And before he knew it, he too.

Was dead. He was shot in the head with two bullets, Colin began screaming. And in the process, his cell phone goes flying out of his hands and slides across the floor. To 19-year-old Emily Haas, who is hiding under her desk moments earlier, two bullets grazed her head, so she laid there, gripping the playing dead. The dispatcher would later say that at this point in the phone call, the room was eerily silent.

But then you hear soft cries and moaning. The sounds of people dying before leaving, Sung Wee circled around the class once more, murdering the students who were still making sounds. And then, once he was satisfied, he calmly walked out of the room, but he wasn't.

And then the gunman came back, he started shooting again. And I'm assuming he just unloaded another round into everybody, even people who had already been shot. He must have unloaded three rounds because he.

At the end of it all, 12 people would die inside of room 211.

And she did in her last moments. Jocelyn did everything she could to protect her students, the memorial website reads. Jocelyn's brutal death contrasts sharply with her peaceful life, filled with family hikes in the bucolic countryside of her homes in the forests of Nova Scotia and Southwest Virginia. Her flower-filled home gardens, her congenial gatherings with friends and students, and her cherished family. She died in the school setting that had been the touchstone of her life. Her colleague, Richard Triock, would later say this.

She's really someone who would just do whatever she could to try to find new and interesting ways to present material and communicate that passion to her students.

Here is what Susan Willis told NPR about his high school experience.

You've worked hard to be number two or to be even number one. And he said to me, Please don't make me do it. And so it was for probably a month. He would walk by my office and he would.

Say yes. And we had this unwritten kind of communication where, you know, I was really supporting him and moving him to that next level. And he worked with his teachers. And all they did was tweak it. And he gave the best address in which he shared with us in a crowd of 5,000 people. I have to tell you the graduation ceremony. How he came to this country without speaking any English, the son of immigrant parents, and how he made it to number two of his class. And that, if he could do it, think of the opportunities for everyone. And that was such an unforgettable address. And then afterwards he shared with me that thank you, he said, and he grabbed me and hugged me and said, Thank you for making me do that.

And we hugged and we went out and we talked with his parents and we hugged again and it.

End quote Henry Lye was the 19th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

His English instructor, Robert Cantor, wrote Ross always sought to make others laugh and enjoy life. From our first few days together in class, I remember thinking, Here's a man who's going to make his children laugh. Here is a man who deserves the title beloved. Here's a man who, just by being himself, makes you a better person. Another instructor, Brent Stevens, wrote Ross talked in every one of my classes.

He talked about his life, his emotions, his deep insights into the materials. He put himself out there in front of 35 people, most of whom he didn't know, helping us to understand what we were reading and viewing. With his unique perspective, knowing Ross, Alameddine sustains the belief that we all need so desperately right now that there is good in the world. Ross was the 20th victim in the.

Her memorial reads quote She had immeasurable integrity, courage and strength, and was a gift to all who knew her. Here is what her friend buddy Miller told NPR.

She was helping other people, I mean, she was just so ambitious, is what I love. She wanted to join the Peace Corps. When she got out, she convinced one of my other friends to go with her.

She was learning Russian, I think that's one of her Russian lessons. I mean, I was so horrible at it. But she loved the Russian language and Russian history, and I think she's actually in international studies.

A family friend named Luann McNabb would later tell NPR the following.

She recently was at Westfield High School, played one of the sisters in Arsenic and Old Lace and just stole.

He was also a member of the Southern Colonels, the Cadet Jazz band. Matthew's goal in life was to eventually be an active duty intelligence officer, which he definitely would have excelled at. And his bravery during the shooting would not go unnoticed. On April 9, 2015, Matthew Laporte was posthumously honored for his heroism displayed during the Virginia Tech shooting and given the Airman's medal. His family accepted the medal in his honor. It took eight years for Matthew's actions that day to be recognized.

An eyewitness in the classroom testified that Matthew was trying to secure the door so the gunman couldn't enter. Forensic evidence backed the eyewitness account due to the location of Matthew's body and how he was displayed near the door with his arms outstretched. The airman's medal is the highest medal a person can receive without being in combat. Matthew Laporte was a 23rd victim in the.

She went to a Christian high school in Richmond, Virginia. And the superintendent would later say. QuoTE The world has lost one of its brightest prospects. End quote. The people that knew her said that it is quote. Difficult to capture the beauty, intelligence, poise, leadership, and other wonderful traits that Rachel possessed. Rachel Hill was the 24th victim.

They also said he had a big, beautiful smile, was a great friend and was a wonderful brother and son. Daniel loved to play around the house, imitating superheroes and singing a lot, which he never stopped doing. Even though his sister made fun of him. Because he had a special way of doing it, his singing always inspired him. Daniel believed that God put everyone here to make a difference in someone's life. He loved to see his friends happy, and many of his friends viewed him as a role model.

Daniel Cueva was the 25th victim in the Virginia Tech school shooting.

She had recently been accepted as a Bible study leader on campus, and she was really excited about that, along with her faith. Mary loved playing the clarinet, traveling and being around her family. But according to her loved ones, she was happiest when she was helping others. And her beautiful smile and sweet personality will be greatly missed. Mary Reed was the 26th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

At the time, she was international studies in French at Virginia Tech, as well as being in a sorority and in the Top 1 of residence hall leaders. So she had a lot on her plate, but she always handled it with grace. Caitlin had an infectious smile and warm personality, and, according to her loved ones, she made everyone feel like her best friend. She was also a very talented musician who loved to sing and play violin. The superintendent at her high school would later say quote She actually has been described as someone who was like a magnet for other kids.

And end quote. Caitlin Hammerin was the 27th victim in the Virginia Tech school shooting.

She wanted to help others and did so in both ways, big and small. Austin's favorite quote captures much of her outlook on life quote No one can do everything.

Can do something, and if everyone does something, then together we can change the world. Austin Cloyd was the 28th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

But according to Erin's Memorial, her personality was a wonderful blend of warmth and magnetism, anchored by a sound moral compass. She lived a life that was filled with joy and freely shared that joy with others. And shortly before the shooting, she had been elected as co-president for a school organization called Empower, which is all about building confidence among minorities. Here's what her basketball coach, Pat Deegan, said about her to NPR.

She was one of the finest, if not the finest young lady I ever had the pleasure to, you know, to work with. Because she made it her business to make everyone around her a better person.

Professor Hyun Chang is teaching a small class of 10 on issues in scientific computing. She heard the loud popping sounds from the hallway and opened her class door to see what was going on. And as she did, she sees a young Asian man with his gun pointed down. Moving towards their classroom, she quickly slams the door and all of the students in the room start pushing a heavy.

To block the door moments later, the students feel a hard push so they push back. It was Sungwee trying to gain entrance to their classroom. He managed to open the door about six inches, but he knew he wouldn't be able to get in, so he just fired a few rounds into the class. But luckily no one was injured. And from here, he moves along.

Here is one of the students in that classroom describing what happened.

So it was about a three-minute response time from the initial call. And as they pulled up, they could hear the shots from inside the building. There aren't very many videos from this because it was back in 2007, but we were able to find one from a civilian standing outside of Norris Hall.

As police officers rushed towards the entrance to Norris Hall, they quickly find that all the main entrances are chained shut. So they try to shoot at the chains with their pistols, but no luck. They'll have to get a stronger gun to gain entrance. In the meantime, Sungwee is still.

Upon hearing the gunshots, he gets as many students into his office and locks the door. Kevin Granata was a military veteran, and he didn't want to just sit in his office and wait around when students were getting murdered on the floor beneath him. So heroically, he rushes downstairs to confront the shooter, but as soon as Sungwee sees him, he points his gun in his direction and fires multiple shots. Kevin Granata was a husband and father of three. He was a professor of engineering, science and mechanics, and he absolutely loved his job.

After serving in the military, he did orthopedic research in hospitals and then finally became a professor at Virginia Tech. During his time here, he was one of the top five biomechanic researchers in the country. Here is what his colleague told.

Kevin Granata was the 30th victim.

Emily Haas was still on the phone with 911 when Sungwee entered and began shooting more students. The dispatcher asked Emily what was going on, and she responded I can't talk. He's in here, then the dispatcher listens in horror as she hears screams echo through the phone. One of the bullets had hit Emily, and she yells that she's been hit and that the gunman is reloading. A few more shots ring out throughout Room 211 and then Sungwee leaves once.

So he quickly runs back down the staircase. Here is that janitor and his account of the shooting.

And that's when he jumped out of the classroom and in the middle of the hallway and started shooting at me. And I ran down the stairs, got out of there and ran down the stairs. I heard five shots when he let up, when he let the gun out, I think it was a handgun and started making it black. I was going pretty fast, trying to get down that back step to get out of there.

I just went over there and told them all of them better watch, they're gonna get shot. I said. Somebody asked me. I don't know if there's a shoot going on, I just know I just said me he did. Hadn't been for him, I probably wouldn't even be in here today.

Luckily, this shooting was.

The first jumper, a male student, kicked out the screen and swung the upper window out. And over the next few minutes, students either jumped or attempted to lower themselves down and drop to the ground. All 10 students who jumped would survive, but some did break some bones. These students were still jumping out of the window when Sungwee Cho approached their classroom. Professor Labrescu did his best to hold the door, but he couldn't for much longer. Eventually, Sungwee pushed his way inside and immediately shot the 76-year-old.

Dr. Liviu Labrescu absolutely loved teaching, which is why he was still doing it at 76 years old. His colleagues would later say he loved his position as a professor. A prolific researcher and a wonderful teacher, he devoted himself to the profession solely for the love of it. When it was discovered that he risked his life to save his students, it didn't come as a surprise to anyone.

That's just the kind of person he was, and he would later be granted many awards for his bravery on that day. Here's the Engineering Department head, Ishwar Puri.

His work has helped us make better airplanes, better composite materials. Both Liviu and Kevin were dedicated teachers, They mentored large numbers of students I received messages from.

Manal Panchal was the 32nd and final victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

After he witnessed the murder of his professor, Matt curled his body into a ball and closed his eyes. He then listened as Sungwee walked towards a student huddled against the wall. He shot her, but she would survive. Next, Sungwee walks over to Matt, stands over his body and fires a shot in his direction. The bullet would graze his hairline and hit him in his upper right arm.

Matt said he then laid down and played dead until Sungwee finally walked out of the room. He would later say I lay there and let him think he had done his job. I wasn't moving at all, hoping he wouldn't come back. Luckily he wouldn't. When Matt opened his eyes, he saw blood everywhere.

At the time, he didn't realize that most of the blood was coming from his sweatshirt. Then he looked over at the girl that had been shot, She was moaning and there was blood coming out of her mouth. But luckily they would both survive. Now, at this point, it's about 9 50 a..m and the police finally got a shotgun so they could blast through the chains on the main entrance.

It's also at this time when the university sends a second email about an active shooter on campus. It read. QUoTE A gunman is on the loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows. End quote.

There were also four loudspeakers around campus broadcasting the same message, alerting students to stay safe. There was chaos all over campus, but it was all about to come to an end. Upon hearing the shotgun blast, Sungwee goes back to room 211. There were students everywhere, sprawled out on the floor, many were dead.

Others were dying or pretending to be dead. The room was filled with sounds of moaning, burgling, and people gasping for air. Sungwee made his way around the room once more, firing shots at several students. It was difficult for him to walk around the dead bodies. Colin Goddard, who had been shot three times, lay as still as he could.

He said he could see Sungwee's feet casually walking around the room after hearing the shotgun blast on the first floor, Sungwee knew that. It was only a matter of time until the police apprehended him. So, standing in the middle of room 211, surrounded by the people he killed and injured, Sungwee Cho put his gun up to his head and pulled the trigger. After about 11 minutes, the Virginia Tech school shooting had finally come to an end, but the damage that had already been done was devastating.

Moments later, the survivors of Room 211 heard the police at the. There were bodies piled in front of it, so Clay Violin had to move them over so the police could make their way in. Soon enough, everyone heard the officer scream out, shoot her down, meaning their nightmare was finally over. The gunshot wound to Sungwee's face made him completely unrecognizable, much like many of his victims. And as the police went room to room, it was unlike anything they had ever seen.

There were bodies everywhere, blood covered the floors, and pieces of flesh were scattered around the rooms. Many of these first responders held back tears as they stepped over bodies to help the injured sergeant. Matthew Brunuck, one of the.

And at that particular point, it was just breathtaking. To go from one room where you see several people who have lost their lives, then go to another room with twice that many people. It's at that point where you start to realize that, wow, this is a tremendous incident. What drives somebody, what state of mind gets them to a position where you could carry out something like this?

And everything from here happened very quickly. The uninjured students were rushed out of Norris Hall, and the building was now a massive crime scene. Freshman Matthew Murray watched the chaos. He recalled. People were running out of Norris and screaming.

Streams of people were running out constantly, it was controlled, but you could tell everyone was panicked and very upset. This shooting was catastrophic, the worst our country had ever seen at the time. Although it only lasted about 11 minutes, Sungwee Cho fired 174 rounds of hollow point bullets, killing 32 people and injuring 17. Shortly after 10 a...m, the first round of wounded students were taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg.

General Surgeon Davis Stoeckle and his team first focused on the severely wounded patients. The wounds ranged from a single gunshot to the leg, bullet holes through the stomach and wounds that had severed livers, colons and kidneys. By 10.17 that morning, a third email was sent by the Virginia Tech Administration that canceled classes and advised students to stay in their homes. Then, at 10.52 a...m. a fourth email was sent by the Virginia Tech Administration that warned students about multiple shootings, with multiple victims in Norris Hall. They also said that the shooter was in custody, but they were searching for a possible second shooter as protocol.

And one of the first things.

Many people whose loved ones are associated with that building will begin frantically calling, trying to get in touch with them to make sure they're safe. But 32 families will never get that call back. By mid-afternoon that day, over 200 people show up at the hospital, waiting to know the fate of their loved one for hours. They will be on edge, praying that everything will be okay. But then, after a while, a group stands up at the front of the room and everyone goes silent.

It's the few seconds before many of their lives will change forever. Then, slowly but surely, the names of the deceased will be read out to the room. Some people will drop to the ground, some will cling to each other and cry, others will let out horrible screams.

They are now a part of a group that no one wants to be a part of. A group that has significantly grown in the years since this tragedy.

Over the next few hours, many families all over the planet were getting the phone call that they had been dreading all along. The news of the mass shooting at Virginia Tech was quickly making headlines all over the world. Here are some parts of the press conference from the Virginia Tech police that day. This is the most horrific incident that's occurred on a college campus in our country. We have the families, the staff here at Virginia Tech, the law enforcement agencies involved in our thoughts and prayers and hope that you will as well.

What went on during that incident certainly caused tremendous chaos and panic. Victims were found in at least four classrooms, as well as a stairwell. We know that there were a number of heroic events that took place. Later that day, at 4.01 p...m. President George Bush addressed the nation from the White House.

The exact toll has not yet been confirmed, but it appears that more than 30 people were killed and many more were wounded.

I've spoken with Governor Tim Kaine and Virginia Tech President Charles Steger. I told him that. Laura and I, and many across our nation are praying for the victims and their families, and all the members of the university community who have been devastated by this terrible tragedy.

I told him that my administration would do everything possible to assist with the investigation and that I pledged that. We would stand ready to help local law enforcement and local community in any way we can during this time of sorrow.

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.

Today, our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones at Virginia Tech.

We hold the victims in our hearts, we lift them up in our prayers, and we ask a loving God to comfort those who are suffering today. Thank you.

Inside Cho's room, they found a toolbox, different writings from his desk, a chain from a closet shelf, a folding knife, a combination padlock, a compact computer, assorted books and notebooks, a digital camera, keys, CDs and a Citibank credit card statement. But his cell phone and computer hard drive would.

Sungwee Cho's identity wouldn't be released until the following day, on April 17th, 2007, at 9 15 a.

M. They also confirmed a total of 33 fatalities, including the gunman. At 9 30 a..m. that day, Virginia Tech canceled all of its classes for the week and gave students time to grieve and speak with a counselor if needed. And at 2 p..m.

That day, Virginia Tech held a convocation ceremony at Castle Coliseum. Here are some special moments from that ceremony.

We are Virginia Tech, we are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on. We are embracing our mourning. We are Virginia Tech.

We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend, to cry and sad enough to know we must laugh again. We are Virginia Tech. We do not understand this tragedy, we know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS.

Neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by a rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community be devastated for Ivory. Neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant. Killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built, with his own hands being run over by a boulder. Because the land was destabilized, no one deserves a tragedy.

We are Virginia Tech. The hokie nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong and brave, and innocent and unafraid, we are better than we think, and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imagination and the possibility.

We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness. We are the hokies. We will prevail, we will prevail, we will prevail.

We are Virginia Tech. The university also held a candlelit vigil where thousands of Virginia Tech students and faculty came together to pay their respects to the victims.

It will never be the same with us before because, I mean, this is always going to affect us and I.

I'm just glad to see this many people out here, to know that we have a community this big. That's willing to, you know, set aside their time and say, you know, we were all part of this together. We want the world to know we are Virginia Tech. We will recover, we will survive.

Thank you.

You can just picture him in there, dressed up in that, in the vest and the, you know, backwards hat with, you know, all ducked out. And it is kind of eerie to look at that. And it was kind of it was kind of really upsetting to know that he thought like that and to actually hear that. He put put together a package, almost a going away package.

It just continues to get, um, that this, this, this guy walked among us as students in this, you know, pride community, proud community that we have here. On April 19, 2007, Virginia Tech announced that all students who were killed would receive posthumous degrees. Graduation was just a month away, so many degrees were given to the families at the regular commencement ceremony, more privately.

That same day, all autopsies were completed on the victims and the shooter. The autopsy of Sungwee Cho revealed no abnormalities in his brain function. There were also no drugs or alcohol in his system. The following day, Sungwee Cho's family released a statement to the public, written by his sister. They read the following.

She then lists all the victims we pray for their families and loved ones who are experiencing.

Grief. And we pray for those who were injured and for those whose lives are forever changed because of what they witnessed and experienced. Each of these people had so much love, talent and gifts to offer, and their lives were cut short by such a horrible and senseless act. We are humbled by this darkness. We feel hopeless, helpless and lost.

This is someone that I grew up with and loved. Now. I feel I didn't know this person. We have always been a close, peaceful and loving family. My brother was quiet and reserved, yet struggled to fit in. We never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence.

He has made the world weep. We are living a nightmare. There is much justified anger did, and a lot of questions are left unanswered. Our family will continue to cooperate fully and do whatever we can to help authorities understand why these senseless acts happened. We have many unanswered questions as well.

Our family is so, very sorry for my brother's unspeakable actions.

Embassy in Seoul, where so many people came to pay their respects to the victims. South Korea's ambassador also encouraged people to fast for 32 days, one day for every victim.

Now, the people that he was in contact with at Virginia Tech were constantly trying to get him to go to therapy, so there were people actively trying to help. And I think it's also important to note that this was back in 2007, before mass shootings were a norm here in America. Of course, nowadays, if someone is talking like he was or posting on social media really disturbing things, we know now to report that kind of stuff. But back then, no one could have ever suspected that he would go on to do what he did.

Now, one big piece of scrutiny in this case is Virginia Tech's response to the shooting on campus. Like we mentioned earlier, the first two victims of the shooting were killed over two hours before Sung Hwi opened fire on Norris Hall. If Virginia Tech would have shut down classes right then and there, we wouldn't be telling you this story right now. And 32 people might still be here today. But, like we mentioned at the time, they believed that the shooting was a domestic issue.

And clearly, when the victims families found out about all of this, they were outraged. They sent their children off to these schools, expecting them to be protected, and many felt like the university failed them. So there was a huge investigation into all of this, and after more than 200 interviews and multiple hearings, a report was issued on August 29, 2007..

And they found that the Virginia Tech administration waited far too long to issue a warning about a shooting.

However, the Commonwealth appealed the verdict and stated that they could not be held liable. Because a person does not have a duty to warn or protect another from the criminal acts.

Department of Education for violations of the Federal Clery Act and the Clery Act, requires a threat be reported in a timely manner. Which obviously didn't happen here. So Virginia Tech was fined $55,000, but it was later reduced to $32,500, and Virginia Tech was not very happy about this. They would respond saying, quote We disagree with the U.S.

Department of Education's ruling that the university's actions on the morning of April 16th, 2007, are in violation of federal law. Which requires a timely warning to a campus community upon knowledge of certain crimes committed on campus. As we demonstrated in our 72-page response and analysis, we believe that the timely warning actions on April 16th were well within the standards and practices in effect at the time. Now, how they thought that two hours was an appropriate time to alert students of a double homicide. I don't know how they came to that conclusion, but there's that. The university did eventually announce, on the seventh anniversary of the shooting, that they did pay their fines.

In the years following the shooting, it was difficult for many students to return to Virginia Tech and continue on with their college careers. Lots of the survivors would actually return to the school and get their degrees, which is incredibly admirable. Emily Haas, who was on the phone with 911 in Room 211, would return to Virginia Tech, but she faced PTSD every day. She would later say Being in that classroom setting, when a student would bust in the classroom, I would freak out. Still, to this day, I think about if something goes down, how do I get out?

Now, WAJ Hall, where the first two victims were shot, would be closed for two years following the shooting and renovated Norris Hall would also be renovated. Nowadays, when victims return to the second floor, they don't even recognize it because it looks so different. But they still do hold classes there, except instead of engineering classes, it's the school's center for peace Studies and violence Prevention.

Nowadays, the campus of Virginia Tech has moved on from the tragedy, yet has found their own unique way to honor it. Every year, and in some ways, every day. There's a website, weremember..vt..edu that functions as a permanent online memorial to all of the victims. A virtual meeting place that people across the world can access in order to pay their respects and to reflect on the tragedy, we actually used this website to get a lot of our information for this episode. On campus, a permanent memorial was eventually installed, called the April 16 Memorial.

The official description of the memorial from the We Remember website reads In the hours following the April 16 tragedy. The student-driven volunteer organization Hokies United placed 32 Hokie Stones on the drill field. The semicircle of stones became a place to gather, to mourn and to reflect, and the poignant display inspired today's memorial. As a community, we dedicate 32 engraved Hokie Stones in honor and in memory of the members of our Hokie family who lost their lives. Hokie Stone has long symbolized the foundation of it. It also symbolizes our relentless spirit, our courage to move forward, and our determination never to forget.

Now, interestingly, even though there are only 32 stones present at the memorial currently, immediately after the shooting, there were 33.

That's right. The students had even placed a memorial stone for Sungwee, even though this stone was eventually removed when the memorial became permanent and was never replaced. Students left Sungwee. Notes stating that they weren't mad at him and that if they ever met someone like him. They hoped that they could be the light in their life that they needed. Other notes stated that Sungwee had shamed his family, failed in his mission to cripple the community and would now face the judgment of God. This reminded me a lot of the memorial that was immediately erected after the Columbine school shooting, where crosses were erected for the victims and crosses were erected for the shooters, too. Even though they didn't last long, because eventually, angry parents had them torn down.

Every year, various events on campus take place that encourage current students, alumni, and members of the community to participate. So that they can keep the memory of those 32 victims alive. A memorial run is held, for example, every year that typically starts at the Alumni Mall, weaves throughout the buildings on campus and ends at the April 16th Memorial. Thousands typically attend this run and participate to keep the memory of those lives lost alive. In addition, every year on April 16th, right at midnight, when the day begins, a ceremony is held at the memorial. Where a candle is walked out from nearby Burris Hall, an academic building, and is lit by members of the student body. Who then read out the names of the 32 hokies who lost their lives for almost an hour after the candle is lit, members of the Virginia Tech Corps of cadets keep watch and stand guard next to the candle, ensuring that it will remain burning for the day.

Later that morning, a wreath-laying ceremony takes place, with the wreaths being brought out by members of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad. Wreaths which are then placed on the memorial by the current president, executive vice president and provost. Then, finally, right at 1159 that evening, the candle is extinguished and silently walked back into Burris Hall. A move which Virginia Tech states signifies the university's commitment to never forget the tragic events that unfolded on.

But one thing I spoke with her about was the fact that this school shooting happened back in 2007, 16 years ago. And she, along with many other victims, figured that. Afterwards, changes would be made, especially with 32 people losing their lives, surely our nation would come together and make sure this would never happen again, but as we all know, that is sadly not the case. In fact, since 2007, mass shootings have begun to happen at an exponentially higher rate.

From 2015 to 2018, there were an average of 342 mass shootings every year, but in recent years those numbers are doubling. Since 2020, we are now seeing over 600 mass shootings every year. Those numbers are horrifying. And listen, many victims of this shooting believe in the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms.

But they also believe that there should be stronger background checks for gun purchases, which is what the majority of America really wants for our country. I think we can all agree, regardless of your political party, that people like Sungwee Cho should never be able to get their hands on these types of weapons. And we definitely aren't overlooking the mental health aspect of these cases either. Many people believe that if Sungwee Cho would have gotten the mental health help that he needed, he might have not committed this tragedy. So that's also something we need to consider as well.

A recent poll released by Fox News showed.

I would have done everything I could have to not be in that classroom that day. But life gives you the cards and you have to do something with them. We as individuals don't need to be defined by those uncontrollable events. I think. A better definition of who we are is what we choose to do after, how we remember, how we choose to learn and how we go forward.

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