The family of a gunman who shot dead 32 people has apologised for the ”excruciating grief” inflicted on a United States campus, saying as the nation mourned that he had made ”the world weep”. ”Each of these people had so much love, talent and gifts to offer, and their lives were cut short by a horrible and senseless act,” said a statement issued by the family.
Bells were set to toll in the United States on Friday marking a day of mourning for 32 students and teachers shot dead on a university campus by a deranged student. The day of religious services and commemorations comes amid burning questions over how South Korea-born Cho Seung-Hui was able to buy two guns and ammunition.
A videotaped diatribe by the Virginia Tech gunman shocked students and mesmerised television viewers, but police said on Thursday it yielded little value for the investigation of the campus massacre. Students at the university expressed disgust and disbelief at self-made photos and a disturbing video the killer mailed to NBC News.
Officials at Virginia Tech faced tough questions on Wednesday as to why a student behind the worst mass shooting in United States history remained at the school although local police knew he was troubled and despite repeated complaints from fellow students and staff.
Amid the horror at Virginia Tech were tales of heroism during the rampage, including an older professor — himself a Holocaust survivor — who gave his life to protect his students. Although he was 76, long past the usual retirement age, he was still teaching at Virginia Tech on Monday when chaos erupted in Norris Hall.
The gunman who massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech university was identified on Tuesday as a student from South Korea and a troubled loner whose behavior had sometimes alarmed those around him. As students and teachers grieved at a tearful memorial service led by President George Bush, police said Cho Seung-Hui (23) had acted alone.
The gunman who killed 32 people and then himself at Virginia Tech university on Monday was identified by police on Tuesday as Cho Seung-Hui, a South Korean studying at the university. Police said Cho (23) was studying English literature. They gave no motive for the shooting rampage, the worst in United States history.
For the thousands of students on this sprawling campus in rural south-western Virginia, the worst threats early on Monday seemed to be an unusual bout of blustery weather and looming final exams. ”I was going over to grab something to eat,” said Aimee Fausser, an 18-year-old international studies student, describing her morning routine.
Police and university authorities faced pressure on Tuesday to explain how a gunman apparently evaded detection after killing two people and then went on to kill 30 others two hours later in America’s worst shooting rampage. The man, whom police have not identified, killed himself in a classroom at Virginia Tech university after opening fire on students and staff.
A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech on Monday, killing at least 31 people and injuring dozens in the deadliest shooting rampage in United States history, government officials said. The gunman was killed, bringing to death toll to 32, but it was unclear if he was shot by police or took his own life.