The Virginia Tech massacre

(Appendix to week 1 lesson 3)

The Virginia Tech massacre was a university shooting that took place as two separate attacks approximately two hours apart on April 16, 2007 on the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. A gunman killed 32 people and injured 29 before committing suicide, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The gunman, Cho Seung-hui, was born in South Korea and grew up in Northern Virginia. He had permanent residence status and was a fourth-year English major at Virginia Tech.

Attacks

West Ambler Johnston shootings

Authorities believe that Cho shot his first victims at around 7:15 a.m. EDT in West Ambler Johnston Hall, a co-ed dormitory that houses 895 students. A young woman, Emily J. Hilscher and a male resident assistant, Ryan C. Clark were killed.

Norris Hall shootings

Approximately two hours after the initial shootings, shots were reported in a classroom at Norris Hall. By the end of this second attack, 30 student and faculty victims lay dead in at least four classrooms and a second-floor hallway of the building. It was later revealed that Cho sent a package to NBC News between the two shootings. At least 11 murder victims were found in a French class, five in a German class, nine in a hydrology class, two in a solid mechanics class, and one in the hallway. An eyewitness told a Collegiate Times reporter that a gunman shot about 19 people attending a German class in Norris Hall, including the professor. Only four people emerged unharmed from the German class. Erin Sheehan, one of the four, said the shooter peeked in twice, earlier in the lesson, like he was looking for someone, somebody, before he started shooting." Virginia Tech student Jamal Albarghouti used his cell phone to capture video footage of part of the attack; this was later broadcast on many news outlets. Student Nikolas Macko described to BBC News his experience at the center of the shootings. He had been attending a math class (near the German class) and heard gunshots in the hallway. At least three people in the classroom barricaded the door using a table. At one point, Macko said, the shooter attempted to open the classroom door and then shot twice into the room; one shot hit a podium; the other went out the window. The shooter reloaded and shot into the door, but the bullet did not penetrate into the room. He stated there were "many, many shots" fired. There were several scenes of resistance against the offender: Professor Liviu Librescu held the door of his classroom, Room 204, shut while Cho attempted to enter it. Librescu was able to prevent the gunman from entering the classroom until his students had escaped through the windows, but was eventually shot five times and killed. Jocelyne Couture-Nowak appears in her final moment to have tried to save students in her classroom, after looking the killer in the eye in the hallway. One of the only three students believed to have survived in the French class told his family that Couture-Nowak ordered her students to the back of the class for their safety before making an unsuccessful attempt to barricade the door. Kevin Granata left his third-floor office of Norris Hall and went down to the second floor as the second round of shootings took place. Apparently he heard a

commotion and went into the hallway to see if he could help. He was killed there by Cho. Partahi Lumbantoruan attempted to block a door from Cho's entry to protect fellow students and was killed. Zach Petkewicz and two other classmates barricaded a door with a table, helping to save 11 students from Cho's gunfire.

Cho was found dead in the building from a self-inflicted gunshot.

Perpetrator
The shooter was 23-year-old Cho Seung-hui living in Virginia. An undergraduate at Virginia Tech, Cho lived in Harper Hall, a dormitory west of West Ambler Johnston Hall. A spokesman for Virginia Tech has described him as a " loner." Several former professors of Cho have stated that his writing was disturbing and he was encouraged to seek counseling. He had also been investigated by the university for stalking and harassing female students. In 2005, Cho had been declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice and ordered to seek outpatient treatment. Cho's motives for the killings remain unclear.

Assignment: Are these statements True or False? 1. The shooter killed himself. 2. They do not know what motives the shooter had for the killing. 3. There were more shooters involved. 4. The shooting took place in a shopping mall. 5. There were 32 people killed. 6. How old was the shooter 7. Which country did the shooter come from? 8. What kind of person was the shooter? 9. How many scenes of resistance are reported in the text? 10. What were Chos motives for the killings?

The Virginia Tech massacre

Wordlist

Massacre = De slachtpartij, Het bloedbad Approximately = Ongeveer, omstreeks Authorities = De gezaghebbers, De overheid Co-ed = Kamer- en studiegenoot Initial = Voorafgaande, eerste Revealed = Ontdekken Package = Pakket Hydrology = The study of water Solid = Stevig, betrouwbare Emerged unharmed = Ongedeerd gebleven

Peeked = Gluren,blik werpen Capture = bemachtigen Barricaded = Blokkeren Penetrate = Doorboren, indringen Attempt = Poging tot Self-inflicted = Zelf toegebracht Undergraduate = Student (nog geen diploma) Loner = Iemand die erg op zichzelf is (Remi) Harassing = Lastig vallen Outpatient treatment = poliklinische behandeling