Seung-hui Cho

Mass Murderer

Seung-Hui Cho and the 2007 Virginia Tech Massacre

Background

Seung-Hui Cho was born on January 18, 1984, in South Korea and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was eight years old. The family settled in Fairfax County, Virginia. Cho later attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly known as Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, Virginia. By April 2007, he was a 23-year-old senior majoring in English. Cho experienced serious emotional and communication difficulties from an early age. He was diagnosed with selective mutism, severe anxiety and depression while in school. Selective mutism made it extremely difficult for him to speak in certain social situations. His family arranged treatment, and school officials provided accommodations, but he became increasingly isolated as he grew older. Several Virginia Tech instructors became alarmed by Cho's behavior and violent writing. Poet and professor Nikki Giovanni removed him from one of her classes after students reported that his conduct made them uncomfortable. Lucinda Roy, then a senior university administrator and English professor, met privately with Cho in an effort to help him. Roy later described him as withdrawn and deeply troubled, although he never directly told her that he intended to commit an attack. Virginia Tech police investigated two complaints involving unwanted communications Cho sent to female students during 2005. Neither woman pursued criminal charges. On December 13, 2005, after Cho sent a suicidal message to a roommate, police transported him for an emergency mental-health evaluation. A court found that he was mentally ill and presented an imminent danger to himself, and outpatient treatment was ordered. However, significant failures occurred in the treatment and recordkeeping systems surrounding his case.

Weapons and Preparations

During the months before the massacre, Cho legally obtained two semiautomatic handguns. On February 9, 2007, he received a .22-caliber Walther P22 that he had purchased through an online firearms dealer. On March 13, 2007, he purchased a 9mm Glock 19 from a gun store in Roanoke, Virginia. He also obtained ammunition and additional magazines and practiced firing at a shooting range. Cho prepared a collection of photographs, writings and recorded statements in which he expressed anger, resentment and a desire for revenge. The material did not provide a single rational motive for his crimes. Investigators concluded that his grievances were broad, deeply personal and distorted. He blamed other people for his suffering and attempted to portray himself as a victim, but the people he murdered had not caused his problems and many had no previous relationship with him.

The First Attack at West Ambler Johnston Hall

On Monday, April 16, 2007, Cho entered West Ambler Johnston Hall, a large residence hall on the Virginia Tech campus. At approximately 7:15 a.m., he went to a fourth-floor dormitory room occupied by 19-year-old freshman Emily Jane Hilscher. Cho fatally shot Hilscher inside her room. Ryan Christopher Clark, a 22-year-old senior and resident adviser who was known to friends as Stack, apparently went to investigate the disturbance. Cho also shot Clark. Clark died at the scene, while Hilscher was transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead. Investigators initially considered the possibility that the dormitory shooting had resulted from a personal dispute. Police questioned Hilscher's boyfriend, who had dropped her off that morning, and university officials did not immediately recognize that the gunman remained on campus. The mistaken belief that the first attack was an isolated event contributed to the absence of an immediate campus-wide lockdown. ...

Confirmed Victims: (32)

Ross Abdallah Alameddine 20 yr old Male

Seung-Hui Cho