Virginia Tech. Shooting

[Spectre]

Wow just wow i just found out about this on yahoo i checked the news 22 dead jesus.

BLACKSBURG, Va. - A gunman opened fire in a Virginia Tech dorm and then, two hours later, shot up a classroom building across campus Monday, killing 32 people in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. The gunman committed suicide, bringing the death toll to 33.

Students bitterly complained that there were no public-address announcements on campus after the first burst of gunfire. Many said the first word they received from the university was an e-mail more than two hours into the rampage

[Heart Breaker]

Last time I checked, the number has increased to 33. Such a sad event. My heart goes out to all the families of the victims. I can only imagine how hard that must be to deal with such a tragic incident.

[CrossFan]

Yeah I just found out about it earlier today. My most sincere condolences to all who have lost members of their family.

[jitz]

Why is it always schools? The people that commit these massacres are horribly misguided in their thinking if they think shooting a bunch of kids is going to send a message to the world. For one, the media lockdown on these events is huge, any type of message left is under lock and key and never released, so the entire motive behind the killings is never known to anybody outside of the crime investigators. It's a hell of a lot of effort to go to for your voice to ultimately go unheard.

If they were to say hold a huge sign up on top of a very high building, camera crews will swarm all over it, with helicopters and photogs on the ground. They'd be live crosses, CCN tickers on what your sign says, you'd get the works. In the end they can ultimately jump and end what was apparently their miserable existence, not harming another single soul, but everyone would have got your message loud and clear.

Learn to fly a plane, attach a sign to your plane with your message and fly it into a building. Not only will the worldwide media jump onto the story due to the possible terrorist nature, but the loss of life will get you guaranteed air time for the next few days, with the message attached to your plane read out every single time.

These killers usually have a message to the world, but their uncreative way of going about send that message out is stifling it. It'll go down in history as "yet another American school shooting"; as bad as the tag line is, the regularity of these incidents is incredible, yet Americans still swear they need guns to protect themselves from themselves. The senseless killing will continue; it'll only end when Americans stop blaming the government, the schools, the parents, the bullies, video games, music, acne, lack of sporting ability, bad friends etc. Every other country deals with these , there's rare cases where these things happen, but they're rare. I can name one in Australia and that was in 1996 in Tasmania, which for you geography students, is an island off the mainland that is considered a state (it's that floating mass at the bottom).

It's a vicious cycle, this massacre only serves as inspiration for the one that will undoubtedly follow it. It all just goes down the line.

RIP the unlucky ones in the way.

[Chillalex]

maybe you should try holding a sign on top of a building, with that post written on it.

I hope the VA Tech students and relatives involved read this, when they come on to smacktalks.org, and accept my condolences.

It is fucked up though to be fair.

[CS]

From Yahoo.com:

BLACKSBURG, Va. - A Virginia Tech senior from South Korea killed at least 30 people locked inside a classroom building in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history, the university and police said Tuesday.

Ballistics tests also found that one of the guns used in that attack was also used in a shooting two hours earlier at a Virginia Tech dorm that left two people dead, Virginia State Police said.

Police identified the classroom shooter as Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a senior from South Korea who was in the English department and lived in another dorm on campus. They said Cho committed suicide after the attacks, and there was no indication Tuesday of a possible motive.

"He was a loner, and we're having difficulty finding information about him," school spokesman Larry Hincker said.

Two law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information had not been announced, said Cho's fingerprints were found on the guns used in both shootings. The serial numbers on the two weapons had been filed off, the officials said.

One law enforcement official said Cho's backpack contained a receipt for a March purchase of a Glock 9 mm pistol.

Col. Steve Flaherty, superintendent of the Virginia State Police, said it was reasonable to assume that Cho was the shooter in both attacks but that link was yet definitive.

"There's no evidence of any accomplice at either event, but we're exploring the possibility," he said.

Cho was a permanent legal resident of the United States, according to a Homeland Security Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been announced.

A memorial service was planned for the victims Tuesday afternoon at the university, and President Bush planned to attend, the White House said. Gov. Tim Kaine was flying back to Virginia from Tokyo for the 2 p.m. convocation.

The first deadly attack, at a dormitory around 7:15 a.m., left two people dead. But some students said they didn't get their first warning about a danger on campus until two hours later, in an e-mail at 9:26 a.m. By then the second attack had begun.

Two students told NBC's "Today" show they were unaware of the dorm shooting when they walked into Norris Hall for a German class where the gunman later opened fire.

The victims in Norris Hall were found in four different classrooms and a stairwell, Flaherty said. Cho was found dead in one of those classrooms, he said.

Derek O'Dell, his arm in a cast after being shot, described a shooter who fired away in "eerily silence" with "no specific target

[Nemo]

What the hell is wrong with these white kids shooting up the school? They don't even wait till 3 o'clock either. Killing people in the morning. That ain't right.

first thing i thought of when i heard about this. might be in bad taste, i dunno.

anyway yeah, it was a tragedy to say the least. shame shit like this happens, but it does and theres really nobody to blame. just a bunch of fucked up people looking to ruin shit for everybody else.

i think the worst part is that if he didnt kill himself, hed be executed - and there would be people whod protest the execution.

[Spectre]

Strum you are right but the world is messed up and people have to do stupid thing to get attention. and unfourtualy sometime taking the lives of other people. i also found out that a student from my high school went to Va tech after he gradutated last year hope he is ok.

[Tychoma]

It's 'always schools' because for the students who commit these crimes, the school is pretty much their whole social world. If they are disturbed enough to to consider violent action in response to feelings of isolation or humiliation, they will lash out at those within their world because that is what is causing them their pain or trouble or whatever.

I've been following this story since it broke (how sad does that sound?), so I've pretty much heard and discussed nearly every 'side' of the arguments surrounding it, and I can't be bothered to go into any of them again. I'll just say that this such a senseless tragedy that has and will cause a frightful amount of pain for hundreds of people for years to come. The extinction of 30+ futures is such a desperately sad occurrence.

Edited April 17, 2007 by Tychoma

[Legendeath]

Well I was going to make a post but most the points I was going to say were said. As for the reason why he did all that is because as always. Personal issues with friends or love (NOTE: the first person killed was with his ex-girlfriend).

I hate criticize my country but honestly. Do you hear incidents like this at other countries? No. Their news is that something two times worse has happened but we have to make a fucking deal with it when it comes to us. We are a ridiculous culture that takes everything for granted and that we don't realize how much better we are off. And when problems come around that they can't handle it's always some fucking suicide or homicide.

What makes it worse it that people all of a sudden blame it on all this random shit which ties into nothing at all. Today I hear Jack Thompson saying video games probably help fuel the situation WTF? You don't need to play a video game to know how to kill 33 people at a school. Another thing he said is that from the game is that he possibly could have gotten angry and thought it was ok to do what you do in video games. Last time I checked no one was that fucking retarded.

Then another thing is that we need guns to protect ourselves from ourselves this is agree on. I think we do basically because if you really wanted to buy a gun you could get it just as easily get as if they were banned.

Well their's my rant which made pretty much no sense and which also went off topic but I personally had to.

[Nemo]

...I hate criticize my country but honestly. Do you hear incidents like this at other countries? No. Their news is that something two times worse has happened but we have to make a fucking deal with it when it comes to us. We are a ridiculous culture that takes everything for granted and that we don't realize how much better we are off. And when problems come around that they can't handle it's always some fucking suicide or homicide....

im having trouble understanding what you just said there. are you trying to say that 33 people being executed isnt newsworthy? or that its being blown way out of proportion?

also, this wasnt americas fault. dont you dare try and play the bush card this time.

[Fozy]

No, he just worded it wrong.

[samountain]

I really doubt this guy had a message. He had no friends, no girlfriend (I'm pretty sure it wasn't his girlfriend, he didn't even talk to anybody), he sat by himself and wrote stupid plays, and when people tried to reach out to him he acted like a retard. For a 23 year old, he had the mental capacity of a 14. He didn't leave a suicide note, but like a list of people he hated (jocks, blah blah, usual bullshit). The guys a tool.

That being said, I really really feel sorry for his parents. The shit they have to go through is the worst. When you can put your loved ones through that, the people that cared about him no matter what (it seems like the only people), well, I dunno. You're just a massive wanker I guess.

I seriously think there needs to be SOME revision of gun laws in the US. After the Port Arthur Massacre in Australia and the Monash University Massacre we've improved our gun laws and we don't have this kind of shit. If you restrict the type of guns people can get and the process in getting them, well it might deter some people and that would be a success.

But yeah, big tragedy. And only 4 days before the date Columbine occurred. Blah.

[jitz]

You can tell he works at a newsagency surrounded by newspapers. Hey Hill what's the weather going to be tomorrow?

[Joe =/]

Today I hear Jack Thompson saying video games probably help fuel the situation WTF? You don't need to play a video game to know how to kill 33 people at a school. Another thing he said is that from the game is that he possibly could have gotten angry and thought it was ok to do what you do in video games.

Jesus christ, I can't stand it when people blame video games and films, it seems any young guy who murders people - video games and films are the reason behind it. I don't think they are cathartic or ever will be..

[epleboy]

Today I hear Jack Thompson saying video games probably help fuel the situation WTF? You don't need to play a video game to know how to kill 33 people at a school. Another thing he said is that from the game is that he possibly could have gotten angry and thought it was ok to do what you do in video games.

Jesus christ, I can't stand it when people blame video games and films, it seems any young guy who murders people - video games and films are the reason behind it. I don't think they are cathartic or ever will be..

I'll second that, that's some stupid shit. The kid was just fucked up, plain and simple. It's a truly horrific event.

[Niles Jansen The Third]

...I hate criticize my country but honestly. Do you hear incidents like this at other countries? No. Their news is that something two times worse has happened but we have to make a fucking deal with it when it comes to us. We are a ridiculous culture that takes everything for granted and that we don't realize how much better we are off. And when problems come around that they can't handle it's always some fucking suicide or homicide....

im having trouble understanding what you just said there. are you trying to say that 33 people being executed isnt newsworthy? or that its being blown way out of proportion?

also, this wasnt americas fault. dont you dare try and play the bush card this time.

Yeah, Bush has never stepped foot inside of a school, other then to read a story about ducks.

No way he could be to blame.

Anywho, this is a horrible thing to have happened. I hate seeing things like this- who really deserves to die at the hands of another man, let alone a man you did nothing to? Horrible.

[Thom]

Little harsh on Del there don't you think Sahill?

[Legendeath]

Actually the last person I would have blamed is bush in fact I support bush. My point is that we overreact. Sure 32* people is alot and is was in our own country. But then the next thing you hear is something like "54 killed 37 of our own 133 injured today in Iraq as a car bomb went off ".

[Thom]

The of the shooting there was a car bomb in Bahgdad which killed 140 people, it got a mention on the news once.

[Big Bizang]

So The Times ran an article comparing his video with Oldboy. Fuck the fuck off. You can't lay the blame on that fantastic film. So he held a hammer and a gun to his head, like no film has ever done that before. Also to pinpoint it on a Korean film because he was Korean is borderline racist.