User:Halo/Virginia Tech Perpetrator
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[edit] Perpetrator
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[edit] Background
[[Image:Cho Seung-hui 3.jpg|thumb|100px|right|Seung-Hui Cho]] The shooter was identified as 23-year-old Cho Seung-hui[1] (Hangul: 조승희), a South Korean national living in Virginia as a permanent resident. In 1992, at age eight, Cho entered the U.S. with his family through Detroit, Michigan. His last permanent address was listed as Centreville, a suburb of Washington, D.C. in Fairfax County, Virginia.[2] He last renewed his green card in 2003. The university reported he was living on campus, in Harper Hall, another dormitory just west of West Ambler Johnston Hall dormitory. In 2003, Cho graduated from Westfield High School in Chantilly, Virginia.[3][4] Victims Erin Peterson and Reema Samaha graduated from Westfield in 2006, but it is not known if Cho knew either of them.[5] He was an undergraduate student in his senior year, majoring in English. A spokesman for Virginia Tech has described him as a "loner," stating that the University was having difficulty finding information about him.[6] At times, Cho described himself as a "question mark".[7] Blacksburg police have confirmed that Cho was investigated in late 2005 in connection with stalking complaints, but no prosecution resulted.[8]
[edit] Possible motives
Cho's motives for the killings remain unclear.
Early reports suggested that the killing was the result of a domestic dispute between Cho and previously alleged girlfriend Emily Hilscher, who was later revealed to have had no prior relationship with Cho.[9]
When police investigated Cho's dorm, they found a paper describing how his life was hell and his plan of suicide. In it he laid out a list of grievances including "rich kids," "debauchery," and "deceitful charlatans" on campus. Another sentence in the paper read "you caused me to do this."[10] An initial report stated that the words "Ismail Ax" were found written on his arm in red ink, although a later report gave the spelling as "Ismael Ax" and stated that the words were tattooed on his arm.[11][12] In the package of information that Cho sent to NBC, he wrote his sender's name as "A. Ishmael".[13][14]
Professor Nikki Giovanni described Cho's writing as
| “ | 'intimidating' ... there was something mean about this boy. It was the meanness — I've taught troubled youngsters and crazy people — it was the meanness that bothered me. It was a really mean streak. | ” |
[15] Giovanni insisted that Cho be removed from her class in 2005 about six weeks after the semester had started in September. Cho had intimidated female students by photographing their legs under the desk and by writing obscene, violent poetry. Giovanni said
| “ | I was willing to resign before I would continue with him.[16] | ” |
Giovanni wrote a letter to then-department head Lucinda Roy, who removed Cho. Roy alerted student affairs, the dean's office, and the campus police, but each said there was nothing they could do if Cho had made no overt threats against himself or others. So Roy took Cho on as a kind of personal tutor.[17]
Roy described Cho as "extraordinarily lonely — the loneliest person I have ever met in my life." She said he always wore sunglasses and a cap inside, spoke in a whisper, and took cell phone pictures of her. Deeply concerned, she arranged to work one-on-one with Cho.[18][19] Roy pleaded with Cho to go to counseling. Roy said,
| “ | Because he was so depressed, I kept saying, 'Please go to counseling; I will take you to counseling.' | ” |
But when he refused to go, Roy alerted campus police and other officials about him, but was told they could not do much, as no direct threat was involved.
| “ | I was told [by counselors] that you can’t force anybody to go... so their hands were tied, too.[20][21] | ” |
Cho once scrawled a question mark on the sign-in sheet on the first day of a literature class, and other students came to know him as "the question mark kid." Christina Lilick who had gone to the same high school as Cho —once found a mysterious question mark scrawled on the dry erase board on her door. [22]
In November 2005, Cho made contact through phone calls and in person with a female student. The student notified the Virginia Tech police department, and officers responded. The student declined to press charges and referred to the contact with him as annoying. However, the investigating officer referred Cho to the university disciplinary system, the office of judicial affairs. According to Virginia Tech police chief Wendell Flinchum, a second incident of Cho's stalking a female student occurred in December 2005. "Cho instant-messaged a second female student," he said. "Again no threat was made against that student. However, she made a complaint to the Virginia Tech police department and asked that Cho have no further contact with her." Officers followed up the next morning, speaking with Cho about the matter.[23]
University officials said the school then obtained a "temporary detention order" from a local magistrate that allowed them to refer Cho to an off-campus medical facility. Cho was admitted to Carilion St. Albans Psychiatric Hospital on December 13, 2005. He was released the next day. According to Virginia law, "A magistrate has the authority to issue a detention order upon a finding that a person is mentally ill and in need of hospitalization or treatment." "The magistrate also must find that the person is an imminent danger to himself or others," says the guideline from Virginia's state court system.[24][25]
Shortly after Cho's identification as a suspect, a copy of a play by Cho entitled "Richard McBeef" began circulating online. The short play deals with topics of molestation accusations, violence involving a chainsaw, and ends with the title character delivering "a deadly blow" to his thirteen-year-old stepson.[26] Cho also wrote a second play, entitled "Mr. Brownstone"; the play is named after a Guns N' Roses song and contains lyrics copied verbatim from the song.[27]
An unnamed professor who taught Cho characterized Cho's writing as "very adolescent" and "silly," with "slapstick comedy" and "elements of violence."[28]
[edit] Preparation
Officials believe he used a 9 mm Glock 19 and a .22 caliber Walther P22 handgun.[29] Cho purchased his first gun, the .22 caliber Walther P22 on February 9, 2007 through a pawnbroker in Blacksburg.[30] On March 13, 2007, Cho purchased a second handgun, a semiautomatic 9 mm Glock 19, at Roanoke Firearms.[31] In Virginia, permanent legal residents of the United States who are 21 years of age or older are eligible to purchase handguns provided they have not been convicted of any felonies or have other disqualifications.[32] Both guns were found with their serial numbers filed off, a felony offense, federal law enforcement officials said. The owner of Roanoke Firearms was reported to have been 'devastated' when he heard news that one of his weapons was used in the incident.[33] According to former FBI agent Brad Garrett, "This was no spur of the moment crime. He's been thinking about this for several months prior to the shooting."[34]
It is not known what, if any, previous firearm experience or training Cho had completed before the massacre. It is not known where or how Cho obtained the chain with which he locked the doors at the stairway in the engineering classroom building.
One of the guns was used in both incidents. An official added that Cho was "heavily armed and wearing a vest."[35][36][37][38]
[edit] Message to NBC News
[[Image:ChoSh.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Cho included this photograph of himself in a package sent to NBC]]
On April 18, 2007, NBC News received a package from Cho timestamped between the first two murders and the rest of the massacre two hours later. It contained an 1,800 word manifesto,[39] pictures, and twenty-three digital videos.[40] In the videos Cho compares himself to Jesus Christ and elaborates on his hatred of the wealthy.[41][42]
NBC released video excerpts from Cho's manifesto on NBC Nightly News later on the evening of April 18.[43] The decision attracted immediate criticism from survivors and their families, [44] local law enforcement officials [45] and the FBI.[46]
