Shooting at Va Tech

[Karibeth19]

Several of our local radio stations and newspaper websites (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070417_1__NORMA11346&breadcrumb=Breaking%20News and http://www.newsok.com/ ) are reporting that there was a lockdown at the University of Oklahoma this morning, although there is nothing on their website yet. According to an e-mail to the students from the school president, a person carrying a bag with a yoga mat near the student activities center was mistaken for carrying a rifle.

It's sad, but there will probably be a lot of copycat threats and false alarms on college campuses for the next few days. I'm sure everyone is on edge.

 

[singingpixie]

Fox is reporting that the killer's family emigrated to the U.S. prior to his arrival in 1992 and that his parents live in Centreville, VA. I'm willing to bet the authorities and investigative reporters are already there.

I live in Centreville, and the CNN reporter who was broadcasting from his parents neighborhood looked to be in the neighborhood just down the street from mine! How horrible this must all be for his family, as well as the families of all the victims.

 

[LakeAriel]

I am sorry for posting that. And you are right, someone in their right mind doesn't do that. However, I am upset and seems like there are so many people who are "not in their right mind" doing these awful things!

Please forgive me, I am sorry for posting that!!

Not to worry, shock and grief sometimes makes us react in ways we normally wouldn't. Mental and emotional illness is rampant...Why in God's name can people get their hands on automatic weapons?

 

[Amlee]

Why in God's name can people get their hands on automatic weapons?

An automatic weapon doesn't kill people. It's the person pulling the trigger that does. This guy could have had any type gun and pull this off.

 

[Soubrette]

It's sad, but there will probably be a lot of copycat threats and false alarms on college campuses for the next few days. I'm sure everyone is on edge.

Well, I'm certainly on edge now.

Just got an email from our university president that they've installed an emergency siren system. I guess I'll just go about my business until I hear a piercing noise.

 

[LakeAriel]

An automatic weapon doesn't kill people. It's the person pulling the trigger that does. This guy could have had any type gun and pull this off.

Yes he still would have killed, but I strongly doubt there would have been as many victims.

 

[Laura]

I'm sure there are going to be some twisted sickos trying to scare people by making threats to colleges.

 

[stevenpensacola]

Yes he still would have killed, but I strongly doubt there would have been as many victims.

Why do we have to find someone/something to blame OTHER than the nutcase who pulled the trigger?

It's not the school's fault, it's not the gun's fault, it's not his girlfriend's fault. THE GUNMAN IS THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS OWN ACTIONS....PERIOD!!!

 

[Amlee]

Yes he still would have killed, but I strongly doubt there would have been as many victims.

The shooter didn't use an automatic weapon. He used .22 caliber semi-automatic (shotgun, rifle) and a 9 MM Glock (handgun) which is also semi-automatic

 

[Deb in IA]

Thanks Denae. I started to get worried when people started to bash what I wrote. I really didn't mean it in the way it has come across.

I know you were just venting, and there are a lot of raw emotions here.

My point was that anger and hatred for the shooter is not going to help any of the victims' families and loved ones. Its not going to ease their pain or bring anyone back.

I think what we need is to be more aware of the things that lead up to these horrific events. Its being reported that the shooter bought his guns a month ago. I wonder if, in retrospect, anyone saw him becoming more unstable, unhinged, and volatile. What were the pressures and stresses, real or imagined, that this person was going through? And was there anything anyone could have done? That's where I think we should focus our attention and energies.

 

[lillygator]

wow - MSNBC is now reporting that the student had been referred to counseling due to disturbing writing he submitted.

 

[mickeyboat]

wow - MSNBC is now reporting that the student had been referred to counseling due to disturbing writing he submitted.

I saw that, too. It was also reported he had been in an anti-depressant.

 

[LakeAriel]

wow - MSNBC is now reporting that the student had been referred to counseling due to disturbing writing he submitted.

I just heard that too.

 

[oybolshoi]

If this has already been posted I apologize for the repeat, but I came across it while I was browsing the net on my lunch hour and thought it was worth sharing.

Prayer for Virginia Tech

It's beautiful and is certainly far more eloquent than anything I could ever say about the terrible events that took place yesterday. For anyone here who has been either directly or indirectly affected by this tragedy you have my deepest sympathies.

 

[LakeAriel]

Zack Petkewicz, a student, a hero..he and two other students held the door shut while the shooter tried to break in....They saved at least 10 others..A very emotional interview..The anchor even broke down. Zach said first he cowered, then he realized he had to do something. It saved his life and others.

 

[floridafam]

lillygator,

I read your post about the counseling and said "bingo." I knew something like that was going to come out.

I think this shows that usually there is something in the shooter's past that perhaps wasn't followed through on. We need to identify and help people with psychological issues .

We also need to crack down on kids who start with small acts of violence before they end up doing something like this either by getting them mental health help or locking them up out of normal society.

Is is just me or do we always find out that these shooters had "issues."

 

[beachblanket]

Sadly, here's a prediction: get ready for some major lawsuits against the school - not just because of the issue of security updates yesterday, but also about whether warning signals from the gunman got enough "due diligence."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070417/ap_on_re_us/virginia_tech_shooting_150

"Professor Carolyn Rude, chairwoman of the university's English department, said she did not personally know the gunman. But she said she spoke with Lucinda Roy, the department's director of creative writing, who had Cho in one of her classes and described him as "troubled."

"There was some concern about him," Rude said. "Sometimes, in creative writing, people reveal things and you never know if it's creative or if they're describing things, if they're imagining things or just how real it might be. But we're all alert to not ignore things like this."

She said Cho was referred to the counseling service, but she said she did not know when, or what the outcome was."

 

[Deb in IA]

And Professor Liviu Librescu, who survived not only the Holocaust but also Communist Romania, who barricaded the classroom door with his body and urged his students to escape, losing his own life in the process.


They are ALL heroes . . .

 

[taekwondo mom]

If this has already been posted I apologize for the repeat, but I came across it while I was browsing the net on my lunch hour and thought it was worth sharing.

Prayer for Virginia Tech

It's beautiful and is certainly far more eloquent than anything I could ever say about the terrible events that took place yesterday. For anyone here who has been either directly or indirectly affected by this tragedy you have my deepest sympathies.

Thank you for sharing the poem

 

[sydally9367]

The ceremony at Virginia Tech just started and is live on CNN (and I am sure most other news stations) if anyone is interested in tuning in. They just played the National Anthem and I am already in tears.