Christopher James “Jamie” Bishop, a 35-year-old male instructor of German, was tragically killed on April 16, 2007, in Blacksburg, Virginia. He was one of the victims of the mass shooting that occurred on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly known as Virginia Tech. On that morning, Bishop was teaching an Introductory German class in Norris Hall when a gunman entered his classroom and opened fire.
Bishop was one of the first individuals shot by the assailant. In addition to Bishop, four students in his classroom also lost their lives, and six others were wounded.
The perpetrator of this violent act was identified as Seung-Hui Cho, a 23-year-old senior at Virginia Tech. Cho had a history of mental health issues, including a diagnosis of severe depression and selective mutism. In 2005, he had been accused of stalking female students and was declared mentally ill by a special justice, who ordered him to attend treatment which he reportedly never received. On the day of the massacre, Cho carried out two separate attacks on the university campus. The first occurred at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a dormitory, and the second, more deadly assault took place at Norris Hall. After killing 32 people and wounding many others, Cho died by suicide as police were breaching the building.
Jamie Bishop was remembered by those who knew him as a kind and dedicated educator. He was passionate about teaching German and was popular among his students, known for his willingness to provide individual help. Beyond his role as an instructor, Bishop was also a talented multimedia artist, photographer, and graphic designer. He was married to Stefanie Hofer, who also taught in the German program at Virginia Tech. His father is the award-winning science fiction author Michael Bishop. As the perpetrator took his own life, there were no arrests or trial for the murder of Christopher James “Jamie” Bishop and the other victims of the Virginia Tech shooting.
