VA - Virginia Tech Shooting, 32 murdered, 23 injured, 16 April 2007

[Rachael]

Yes I know. That's what I mean when I ask what kind of guy must he be?
He intentionally left that to appear as though it belonged to the shooter.

I don't know Jelly. There are some really freaky people out there. I don't understand it at all. :doh: Did you see that myspace that people thought belonge to the shooter?

 

[PrayersForMaura]

He is reported to be one of the victims... poor guy.

oh my god ... dead or wounded?
That is so sad

 

[SieSie]

Second Male May Be Involved in VA Tech Massacre-abcnews

From your link,

According to the Virginia Police Chief Wendell Flinchum, officials have not definitively linked the two shootings.

Campus police have identified a person of interest who is not currently in police custody. Police say the person of interest is a male who knew the female who was killed in the original double homicide at the West Ambler Johnston Hall dormitory. Flinchum also said he is not a student and that he knew the female who was killed in the original double homicide.

Flinchum said they have ruled out the possibility of a murder-suicide in the first shooting, and that investigators have a preliminary identification of the shooter involved in the Norris Hall shooting. The police will not release the identity at this time.

So - we still don't know if the first and second shootings are linked, right? Wow.

 

[Elphaba]

ABC tagged the image with saying it was a victim being carried to safety. Since he was carried to "safety" my assumption is that he was alive.

 

[Marthatex]

Something is up with this. Not just our ill preparedness as how can we truly prepare ourselves? Our country is free, free to go to Walmart, free to go to classes etc. This could be the incidious attack that we all dread. Don't know right now but it isn't comfortable.

Terrorists usually use bombs, "dirty bombs", suicide bomber, etc.

He's Asian; maybe their was a "domestic" situation? Sounds like he's a terrorist along the lines of Dylan and Klebold myself. Violent, insane, angry, not wanting to live, so they take as many other people as they can with them.

Charles Whitman, the Amish murderer, Dylan/Klebold, they all have the same motivations and mentality.

 

[scandi]

I have to admit I think Mr Chiang is a pretty interesting guy from a lot of the things he has written into his page. I thought this was funny: "Bribes. If you receive a bribe, include it in your income".

He just loves guns and has the money to own them I think. He only buys the finest guns. I wonder if he sells them? You know, is a broker. He was accepted into Graduate school there. Pretty good I think. I read even in the regular School of Engineering it was something like 64 were accepted into the school last year and 12 graduated. I would never see this guy as a killer from just having read that. Anyway it is a moot point, as the killer who was Oriental is dead. Interesting though. Scandi

 

[Marthatex]

ABC tagged the image with saying it was a victim being carried to safety. Since he was carried to "safety" my assumption is that he was alive.

No, "safety" is a safe place. There's no guarantee that some of the wounded, with gunshot wounds, will be alive tomorrow or the next day.

 

[Marthatex]

I have to admit I think Mr Chiang is a pretty interesting guy from a lot of the things he has written into his page. I thought this was funny: "Bribes. If you receive a bribe, include it in your income".

He just loves guns and has the money to own them I think. He only buys the finest guns. I wonder if he sells them? You know, is a broker. He was accepted into Graduate school there. Pretty good I think. I read even in the regular School of Engineering it was something like 64 were accepted into the school last year and 12 graduated. I would never see this guy as a killer from just having read that. Anyway it is a moot point, as the killer who was Oriental is dead. Interesting though. Scandi

How does a graduate student afford all those guns? Usually your fellowship just barely pays the room and board.

 

[curiositycat]

Terrorists usually use bombs, "dirty bombs", suicide bomber, etc.

He's Asian; maybe their was a "domestic" situation? Sounds like he's a terrorist along the lines of Dylan and Klebold myself. Violent, insane, angry, not wanting to live, so they take as many other people as they can with them.

Charles Whitman, the Amish murderer, Dylan/Klebold, they all have the same motivations and mentality.

I don't know if this was a terrorist attack or not. I doubt it... BUT it sure has caused a lot of terror in people!
I will say this with all due respect Martha...that's just not true. Within the last couple of months I saw a documentary on Fox regarding JIHAD. Children are taught from a young age that is is the most wonderful thing you can do to commit suicide after killing the "enemies" of the God of Islam. They consider that to be Christians and Jews. The sad thing is that we are all waiting for another 9-11 or "dirty bomb". We have terrorist living amongst us that will willingly and proudly commit suicide to achieve their goals.

 

[Marthatex]

OK - and the war has WHAT to do with this?

They're all dead, and they're all Americans.

He was making a comparison/contrast of our priorities regarding what we react to in horror and shock; and what we move to the back of our minds because we're used to it and don't really see it up close.

 

[LionRun]

This is just sooo awful. Those students that are now gone lost their chance in this life and they didn't deserve it in any way. Some of those students may be scarred for the rest of their lives, bless their hearts, the families of the murdered will forever grieve and feel the emptiness, and it goes on and on. The selfish criminal who did this has blown a part countless lives. I feel so angry and sad I don't know what to do with it.

At a glance the killer's actions remind me of a suicide by mass homicide. In other words he was going to kill himself, but, not without first taking out as many as he could. It makes me sick.

You guys are really good at research. You are a wealth of information. Thank you for keeping us all updated.

Lion

 

[scandi]

Hi Marthatex :blowkiss: I wondered that too, but for some reason this guy looks pretty clean cut, everything is neat in the photos, nice parquet floor, so that is why I thought since he loves guns so much he might have a license to broker them. Going into Grad school he would be what, 23 or 24 maybe, so old enough to be enterprising. To go to Grad school he has to have $$$'s right? It was mainly just a gut feeling, as I really have no idea

Scandi

 

[angelwngs]

Every student that I've heard interviewed on Fox has said that the campus acted totally appropriately and did everything they reasonably to keep them safe considering the situation. The media is out of control in trying to make the news rather than just reporting it.

Colleges are noted for attempting to cover-up, silence, etc. bad PR so that their attendance stays up. 20/20, Dateline and others have done stories on this. Murders, rapes etc barely make a 'blimp' in the news because the colleges do not want the bad publicity....

This tragic mass murder on VT campus is so large and horrific that there is only so much damage control which the colleges can successfully accomplish.

Doesn't anyone find it remotely odd that with Columbine, the two student killers names and pictures were on TV within no time flat of the shootings and they stayed front and center for months afterward. A primarily county funded and operated 'business' such as a school system has very limited funding in comparrison to that of a University........

The colleges are almost like an Indian Reservation (can be- no offense intended toward our Native Americans) with their own 'Security' to often 'handle' their own 'issues', and in the case of colleges, these 'situations' are often handled as quietly as possible. When it is indeed a serious emergency with death and/or more criminal events and the local police are brought into the picture, they are often as 'silent' about the facts as the LE involved in this case.

Many college towns would not be more than a one traffic light, bump in the road, without the income generated from the college, its student body and faculty. The LE 'has no choice' but to scratch the back of the people 'scratching theirs'.

The bottom line is, that every parent in this country should educate their children in what to do in various emergency situations to protect themselves and others around them, (if they can help them, too), if they should they find themselves caught in a situation such as today when they are trapped and do not have the immediate support and help of school officials and law enforcement to keep them safe.

Parents of students (High School and Middle School age ) should also have codes with their children that identify emergency situations with both the parent and the student and a predesignated 'safe place' perarranged for pick up of child when necessary.

If they are under 'lock down', parents should advise students what to do in those situations as well.

Barricading the door with their bodies will get them killed.

Bowing on their knees to the gun man will get them shot in the head.

Carefully planned exit through windows may be their only emergency option.

Even older elementary school children, 4 th and 5 th graders can understand that an extreme emergency situation may dictate that the students themselves must make the decision to open the emergency exit door to their room and to run to safety on the school grounds, as they encourage other students to exit the same way. ( A teacher being violenty threatened by another adult at the classroom door- This type situation actually happened in our local school system, in my son's 4th grade classroom several years ago. Thankfully, I was aware of the danger my son and his classmates were in and had advised him of the situation prior to it actually happening. Teachers are human too... They can go through NASTY divorces with crazy husbands or wives... the same as the rest of the population can....We never know what may happen unexpectedly within our schools... and must prepare our children to deal with the dangers if they DO NOT have an adult official present and capable of doing it for them. )

Talking to our children about safety issues in today's school settings Kindergarten through College when the "SYSTEM" can not protect them may save their lives. (Of course, on an age appropriate scale....)

People.... please.... help PROTECT our Children.....


Angelwngs, former teacher and concerned human............

 

[scandi]

Thanks for that really great post Angelwngs, I never have been told or read what to do in a situation like that. We should all know what to do in suck emergency situations.

I did hear the student today who with his friends barricaded the door. Those kids were really lucky, as the killer shot several rounds thru the door and missed, then walked across the hall and shot those kids!

 

[angelwngs]

Thanks for that really great post Angelwngs, I never have been told or read what to do in a situation like that. We should all know what to do in suck emergency situations.

I did hear the student today who with his friends barricaded the door. Those kids were really lucky, as the killer shot several rounds thru the door and missed, then walked across the hall and shot those kids!

Exactly, Scandi.

Some students allegedly barricaded the door with their bodies in one classroom and were shot through the door according to a student interviewed who was there.

The other student, in a different classroom, who instead, suggested to use huge furniture etc. probably saved many lives...... today.............

 

[KarlK]

What terrifies a nation more than senseless killings of our children. Something is off here. I just think that this sounds like a Jihad attack.

Actually it does not, the MO is very different from that of Islamist terrorists who almost always use explosives or military grade weapons so as to create as much property damage and kill as many people as possible all at once, and make sure everyone knows where it came from. In this regard the Oklahoma City bombing bore the signature of a Jihad terrorist attack and that's why the initial assumption was that middle-eastern terrorists were involved, we had a hard time believing some average white kid from upstate New York had done it. Today's event is more than likely the sicko deed of a genuine whack-job acting on personal impulse. In fact it reminds me of the Montreal Massacre. See the Crime Library or google Marc Lepine.

 

[scandi]

On our local NBC affiliate they have a special on this tragedy right now. Don't think I can watch it as we know so much more right now than is being broadcast! When they put this show together they thought one person was responsible for all the shootings. I don't think that is true at this point. :doh:

Scandi



PS: Hmmm They just said Federal investigators tonight believe the first 2 killings were what started this mass murder. They must think it is the same guy after all!

 

[LionRun]

If it is the same person, I wouldn't surprised to learn that he planned the whole thing. He arrived fully prepared to murder many people, and that may have taken pre-meditation. He allegedly chained the doors closed to lock students in to be sure he could kill as many as he could. He had ample ammunition to kill so many poor souls.

I really think it was a suicide by mass homicide. Geesh, what a scum. I have no problem with him offing himself either. I would hate to see taxpayers pay for his room, board, TV, and dental for the rest of his life. The only reason that I wouldn't have minded if he didn't off himself would have been if he were willing to talk to LE and forensic psychiatrists. Perhaps then more could be learned in order to better recognise signs indicating a potential mass murderer, and to help prevent future mass murders.

Lion

 

[Buzz Mills]

I just heard that the serial numbers were filed off of both guns used in the shootings--hopefully the number was stamped in and they can still recover the serial numbers. That information is disturbing as that person would have had to have an ulterior motive to file the numbers off in an attempt to hide where the guns originated from..

 

[frangi8773]

http://snipurl.com/1gt36

Just caught this link on Crimerant

Fran