EP. 112 VIRGINIA - The Virginia Tech School Shooting, PT. 2: The Massacre
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This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

In last week's episode, we talked about everything leading up to April 16th, 2007, in the downward spiral of Sung-Wi Cho during his time at Virginia Tech. He was a troubled man that was painfully shy and angry with the world. Sung-Wi had been writing disturbing and violent papers for his writing classes. He had been harassing women on campus.

And in the months before the massacre, he stocked up on guns, ammunition, and everything he needed to carry out the attack. Many students and employees at Virginia Tech were very concerned about his behavior. But no one could have ever known that the shy man who barely spoke above a whisper was about to come onto their campus and commit the deadliest mass shooting in American history.

Last week's episode was about Sung-Wi Cho and his background, but today's episode is about the events of that horrific day in Blacksburg, Virginia, and the story of the Virginia Tech Massacre. I'm Courtney Brown. And I'm Colin Brown. And you're listening to Murder in America. ♪♪

It was 5am on the morning of April 16th, 2007. Joe Ost opened his eyes to see his roommate, Sung-Wi Cho, get out of bed and start clicking away on his computer. Joe tried to go back to sleep but he couldn't help but think about how strange his roommate had been acting over the past couple weeks. He started waking up around 5am every day for no particular reason.

and he would play the song Shine by Collective Soul over and over and over again. He even wrote some of the lyrics on their dorm wall. It read, quote, The suite that they lived in actually had three separate rooms with two roommates per room. So there were six guys all living together, but none of them had ever been able to get through to Seung-Wi,

They tried their best to be friendly, but he hardly ever spoke to any of them. That day, at around 5:30 am, Seung-Wi gets up from his computer and goes to the bathroom, which was littered with bits of toilet paper, discarded soap dispensers, and a sign above the toilet reminding them to flush. Also in the bathroom was their other suite mate, Kuran Jiral, who was getting ready for the day.

Like always, the two don't even acknowledge each other. After all, if Quran even tried, he would be met with silence. So the two stand next to each other as Sung-Wi brushes his teeth and puts on his acne cream. The cream is supposed to prevent breakouts and stop the spread of bacteria.

It must have been a part of his morning routine, something that he instinctively does every time he wakes up. Because in the grand scheme of things, acne is not something Seung-Wi will have to worry about after today. He knows that this will be his very last day on earth, and he plans to take as many people as he can with him.

Sung-Wi goes back to his room, gets dressed, grabs his gun, and then walks out of Harper Hall. It's unclear what was going through his mind or why he chose to walk over to West Ambler Johnston Hall Dormitory. It was only a few minutes away by foot, but once he got there, Sung-Wi kind of loitered in the foyer area.

He didn't have access to the building, so he had to wait around for someone with a swipe card to let him in. And as fate would have it, that person would end up being 19-year-old Emily Jane Hilscher. Emily graduated from Rappahannock High School in Woodville, Virginia the previous year. She was a bright girl with a promising future, and she was really excited for the next eight years that she planned to be at Virginia Tech. Emily was going to school to become a veterinarian, and she had a huge passion for horses.

She had actually joined the school's equestrian team and was a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. That morning, at around 7.02 a.m., Emily was dropped off at her dorm by her boyfriend, Carl Thornholm, who was a student at a nearby university. The two had spent the previous night cuddled up on his couch watching movies, but it was now Monday morning, and Emily had to get ready for her classes. She also promised to meet her roommate, Heather Hoff, back at their dorm room so they could walk to chemistry class together.

So a little after 7am, Emily walks up to her dorm hall and as she pulls out her keycard, she notices a young man standing nearby. It's not uncommon for students to forget their keys, so I'm sure Emily doesn't think much of it when he slips into the building behind her. But as Emily makes her way to the fourth floor to get to her room, she can't help but notice that the man is following her.

She then walks over to room 4040 and as she goes to enter, the man is still right there, close behind. It's unclear exactly what she says to Seung-Wi, but she confronts him, likely telling him to leave her alone. Over the next few moments, a heated argument ensues outside of room 4040, which is overheard by Emily's neighbor and resident assistant, Ryan Clark.

So he goes out into the hallway to make sure everything is okay.

Ryan was referred to as Stack by his loved ones. He was an amazing student at Virginia Tech, pursuing a triple major in psychology, biology, and English, and he was somehow still able to maintain a 4.0 GPA. Ryan was also very involved in his school. Not only was he the resident assistant at his dorm, but he was also an advisor in the Imaginarium Programming Resource Center and a member of the Marching Virginians University Band, where he played baritone.

He was also active in many service organizations like the Golden Harvest Food Bank. Here's what his friend Denise Aspel told National Public Radio. Ryan was just one of the best people I ever met. Even if he wasn't affected, I would still say the same thing. He would give you the shirt off his back, just even if he didn't know you. He would always make you smile.

There's no doubt that Ryan Clark would have made a huge difference in this world if his life hadn't been taken from him. And I think it goes to show exactly the kind of person he was based on his actions that morning. Ryan heard that a woman was distressed out in the hallway, so he got out of bed to help.

By the time Ryan walked out into the hallway, Seung-Wi had already pushed Emily into her dorm room and cornered her. Her roommate wasn't home yet, so it was only them two. Emily was screaming at him to leave, fearful for her life. Hearing the commotion, Ryan makes his way into the dorm to make sure everything was okay.

It all happened very quickly, but as soon as Seung-Wi sees Ryan, he pulls out his handgun and shoots Emily in the back. Next, he turns his gun towards Ryan and he shoots him in the chest. As Emily and Ryan bleed out on her dorm room floor, Seung-Wi quickly flees the scene, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints and shell casings.

Surprisingly, no one in the dorm even realized that two gunshots had gone off. However, in the room directly below Emily's, a girl awoke to the sound of a loud thud. She figured that someone had fallen out of their loft bed. So, to make sure they were okay, the girl called the campus police at 7:20 am to report it. The dispatcher notified the Virginia Tech Police that a student had fallen out of their bed.

And minutes later, officers made their way to room 4040. Upon entering the room, they were expecting to see an injured student or a busted lip from falling off the bed. But instead, they walk into a very bloody scene. There, on the ground of room 4040, were two students bleeding from their gunshot wounds.

Emily was quickly taken to Korean Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where she died three hours later from her injuries. Ryan was placed in an ambulance bound for Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg, but died while in transit. Virginia Tech police officers secured the crime scene and locked down the residence hall. They also went room to room and interviewed residents, but no one had seen anything, so they didn't have a description of the shooter. Now, it's important to note that classes had not yet started that day at Virginia Tech.

It's still only 7:30 in the morning, and over the next 20 minutes or so, the school officials were getting word of the shooting at W.A.J. Hall. The first person notified was Dr. Ed Spencer, the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. Then he notified Dr. Zenobia Hikes, the Vice President of Student Affairs. Then the Virginia Tech Police Chief Flincham placed a phone call to the Executive Vice President and notified him of the shooting.

So, the university was well aware that two students had been shot and that the gunman was still at large. But for whatever reason, they only locked down the dorm and decided to continue on with classes that day, a decision that they would deeply regret in just a few hours. By 8:00 AM, classes at Virginia Tech would begin.

and by 8:11 a.m., President Charles Steger was on the phone with the Virginia Tech Police Chief, getting debriefed about the incident.

Now, at 8:15 a.m., Heather Hugh would arrive at her dorm to meet up with her roommate, Emily. If you remember, they were supposed to meet that morning so they could walk to chemistry together. But instead, Heather comes home to see that her dorm is a crime scene. The police question her about Emily's whereabouts before the shooting, and she informs the officers that Emily had spent the weekend with her boyfriend.

Heather also tells them that Emily's boyfriend owns a gun and that they recently went to the shooting range. So from here, Carl Thornhill is now a person of interest. The Virginia Tech police thought that they had it all figured out, a lover's quarrel between two young students. Maybe there was even a love triangle of sorts, and that's how Ryan got shot too. So their focus from here was to find Carl Thornhill.

And while all of their resources went towards that, the real shooter was gearing up to commit his attack on Virginia Tech. And now we're going to take our first and only ad break.

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That's simplisafewithani.com slash in America. There's no safe like SimpliSafe. And now let's get back to our story. We all belong outside. We're drawn to nature, whether it's the recorded sounds of the ocean we doze off to or the succulents that adorn our homes. Nature makes all of our lives, well, better. Despite all this, we often go about our busy lives removed from it.

And now let's get back to today's story. At 8:25 a.m. that morning, a whole hour after the shooting, Virginia Tech's policy group had a meeting on how they will inform the university about the double shooting.

One of these members emailed a colleague in Richmond, Virginia saying quote "Gunman is on the loose. This is not releasable yet. Just try to make sure this doesn't get out." End quote. And that was just strange to me because why would you not want that information getting out? Especially when no one's been arrested yet. Following this meeting, the policy group informs the governor's office about the shooting. But classes still continue.

By 8:50 AM, the university finally types out an email that will be sent to all of Virginia Tech students and employees. But because of technical difficulties, the email wouldn't be sent out until 9:26 AM, two full hours after Emily and Ryan had been shot. Interestingly enough, the public schools in the area were on lockdown at 8:52 AM.

a full 30 minutes before the university sent out that email. And the university's president's office went on lockdown, but everyone else was just freely walking around campus, completely unaware that two students had been murdered and that a gunman was on the loose.

In the meantime, Song Wee Cho was back at his dorm as if nothing happened. After shooting Emily and Ryan, he walked back to his place, changed clothes, and then began clearing his computer by deleting emails and removing his hard drive. Then he started putting together a package. Over the past few months, he'd been making videos and taking pictures of himself in hotel rooms in the van that he rented.

Most of the pictures he took were of him pointing guns at the camera, trying to look mean and intimidating. Very different from the shy and reserved guy that he was in real life. He also took many videos of himself, explaining his hatred for society. Here are some of these videos. I didn't have to do this. I could have left. I could have fled. But no, that will no longer run. It's not for me, for my children, for my brothers and sisters, but you f***.

I did it for them. You had a hundred billion chances in the ways to have avoided today, but you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off. You're a sadistic scum. I may be nothing but a piece of . You evangelized my heart, raped my soul, and torched my conscience.

You thought it was one pathetic, bored life you were extinguishing. Thanks to you, I die, like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and the defenseless people. Do you know what it feels like to be spit on your face and have trash shoved down your throat? Do you know what it feels like to dig your own grave? Do you know what it feels like to have your throat smashed from ear to ear? Do you know what it feels like to be torched alive? Do you know what it feels like to be humiliated and be impaled upon on a cross, and left to bleed to death for your amusement?

You have never felt a single ounce of pain your whole life. Did you want to inject as much misery in our lives as you can, just because you can? You had everything you wanted. Your Mercedes wasn't enough, you brats. Your golden necklaces weren't enough, you snobs. Your trust fund wasn't enough. Your vodka and cognac weren't enough. All your debaucheries weren't enough. Those weren't enough to fulfill your hedonistic needs.

You had everything. You just loved crucifying me. You loved inducing cancer in my head, terrorizing my heart, and raping my soul all this time. When the time came, I did it. I had to.

What's interesting is that a lot of these videos were directed towards the rich and privileged. But Virginia Tech is state-funded, and although it's a great school, it isn't really a place where a bunch of rich kids go. Even further, Sung-Wi's parents weren't considered wealthy, but they were pretty well off. They lived in a decent-sized home that was worth around $400,000. And Sung-Wi also got whatever he needed growing up, including therapy, which isn't cheap.

Yeah, if you were to watch these videos, you would think that he grew up in poverty, which just wasn't the case. In reality, Sung-Wi was another one of these entitled people that thinks the world owes them something and instead of finding peace within themselves, they take their anger out on the innocent. Sung-Wi lived a life in the shadows, where no one knew his name and this was about to change that.

Not only was he going to carry out an attack on Virginia Tech, but he was also putting together a package of all of these pictures and videos so he could send it to NBC and show the world who he was. In the package, Sung-Wi included 43 photographs, the videos we just played for you, in an 1800-word manifesto.

where he praised the Columbine shooters, compared himself to Jesus, and ranted on and on about trust funds and caviar. Here is a portion of that manifesto.

Congratulations, you have succeeded in extinguishing my life. Vandalizing my heart wasn't enough for you. Raping my soul wasn't enough for you. Committing emotional sodomy on me wasn't enough for you. Every single second wasted on your wanton hedonism and menacing sadism could have been used to prevent today. Ask yourselves, what was I doing all this time? All these months, hours, seconds. Only if you could have been the victim of your crimes. Only if you could have been the victim.

Like,

He also composed a letter for the Virginia Tech English Department, specifically to Professor Carl Bean.

He was one of the many professors that Seung-Wi had issues with in the previous semesters. The package that was sent to the English department was under a false name: A. Ishmael, which is the persona Seung-Wi would occasionally go by. He also put the return address as 88 Reval Drive. The number 88 was later found to be of significance to him, but they never released what it was.

And Revolt Drive could be short for Revolution because further in the manifesto he wrote, quote, Let the revolution begin. Die, you descendants of Satan. Fuck you. Die now. I am Axe Ishmael. I am the anti-terrorist of America. End quote.

Now, after putting together the package, Sung-Wi left his dorm and walked over to the Blacksburg post office at about 9:00 AM. Keep in mind, the university still hasn't sent out the email warning students about a gunman on the loose. But the package was addressed to NBC News New York and it cost him $14.40 to mail it.

From here, Sung-Wi went back to his dorm, got dressed in a sweatshirt, cargo pants, a maroon hat, and an ammunition vest. On his arm read "Ax Ismail." He then grabs his book bag that contained a knife, chains, 400 rounds of ammunition, a 9mm Glock 19, and a .22 caliber pistol.

These are small guns that can be easily concealed in a backpack. So once everything was packed up and ready to go, he leaves his dorm and makes the 15-minute walk to Virginia Tech's Norris Hall.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech police officers were still on the hunt for potential suspect Carl Thornhill. Not long after the shooting, Carl was told that there had been a shooting at his girlfriend's dorm, so he turned his car around and headed back to Virginia Tech to make sure his girlfriend was okay. A Montgomery County deputy sheriff noticed his vehicle driving by the university, so he initiated a traffic stop, and Carl pulled over with no issues. He told the officer that he heard about the shooting and had been trying to contact his girlfriend, but she wasn't picking up the phone.

so he was driving back to check on her. A Virginia State police trooper arrived to assist with the traffic stop and questioned Carl about his relationship with the victim. A gunpowder residue test was administered, but it was becoming clear that Carl was not their suspect. Now, at this point in the story, it's 9.26 a.m., and Virginia Tech finally issued an email to campus staff, students, and faculty about the shooting on campus. The email read...

A shooting incident occurred at West Ambler Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating. The university community is urged to be cautious and are asked to contact Virginia Tech police if you observe anything suspicious or with information on the case. But second period at Virginia Tech starts at 9:05 a.m. So by the time the email was sent, many students were already in class.

and Seung-Wi Cho was just minutes away from entering Norris Hall. In fact, the email was sent at 9:26 AM and he walked through the doors at 9:30. Upon entering, Seung-Wi stops at the three main doors to the building and begins to chain them up. And to make sure no one would try to go through them, he puts a note on the door that reads, "Bomb will go off if you open the door."

From here, Seung-Wi makes his way to the second floor of Norris Hall. Room 200 happened to be empty that day because the professor canceled class. So Seung-Wi took the opportunity to go inside and gear up for the attack. Once everything was ready, he walked around the second floor, looking through the classroom windows to see how many people were in each room.

One student, named Erin Sheehan, said that she actually saw him look into her classroom window two separate times. She said, quote, End quote. But as we know now, that's not what he was doing.

In room 206 on the second floor, Dr. G. V. Loganathan was teaching his advanced hydrology class to his 13 graduate students. The people in that room had no warning, there were no screams or sounds of gunfire, just the sound of someone walking into their classroom.

Before anyone could even comprehend what was happening, Sung-Wi pulled out his gun and began to fire. The first person shot and killed was Professor G.V. Loganathan, who was standing in the front of the class.

According to We Remember, a website dedicated to the victims of this tragedy, 51-year-old Dr. G.V. Laganathan was born in India and came to the U.S. to receive his Ph.D. in engineering. He had been working for the university for over 20 years, and during his time there, he made a lasting impression on many of the students who had the pleasure of having him as their professor. His students would later say he was, quote, "...the best professor I ever had, the kindest person I ever met, and incredibly wise and gentle."

Dr. Loganathan left behind his wife and two daughters who described him as the best father a daughter could hope to have and a loving husband. Here's Loganathan's colleague, Mark Widowson, who spoke about him with the National Public Radio.

Well, GB is the kind of person you'd love to work with. He's very humble and unassuming, really not pretentious at all, kind of not your typical academic. GB had an infectious smile, a very good sense of humor, infectious laugh, and

Whenever you pass him in the hall, he'd give you a nice smile and sometimes a wave and just not a lot of small talk, but he was just always very personable. Dr. G.V. Ligonathan would be the third victim of the Virginia Tech shooting. After watching their professor get shot, chaos erupted throughout room 206. In every shooting, everything happens very fast, but instinctively, everyone quickly scattered around the room.

trying to get as far away from the shooter as possible. One graduate student named Guillermo Coleman said that he immediately got down on the ground and huddled up to the radiator that was in the classroom. He said at first he thought it was a stunt or something, but then he felt a bullet graze past his left ear, and that's when he knew this was real. Guillermo said that as he was crouching down by the radiator,

He watched as a bullet hit 34-year-old Partai Mora, Lombanturon. Mora was born in Indonesia and came to the US in 2004 to earn his doctorate. According to his loved ones, he was quiet and shy, but he always jumped at the opportunity to engage in a spiritual or intellectual conversation. He loved to go to football games, take road trips, and spend time with his friends. They said he had a contagious smile and he radiated the most positive energy that was hard to ignore.

His loved ones said that if he were here today, he would ask us to keep our chins up and smile. He would want us to gain strength from this tragedy and to live each day to its fullest. Maura was the fourth victim of the Virginia Tech shooting. From here, Sung-Wi walks through the aisles of the classroom, shooting every person he can. We don't necessarily know the order in which these graduate students were shot because a horrifying fact about room 206 is

was that Sung-Wi returned to this room three separate times throughout the shooting and each time he entered he killed more people. So some of their deaths were quick, others weren't. And 12 of the 13 people inside of room 206 would get shot, 9 of whom would die. One of the victims in room 206 was Brian Blum.

He had received his undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech in Civil Engineering and he was working on his master's degree in Water Resources. The We Remember site reads, "His first love was for God, and his relationship with Him was shown through his kindness, his warm smile, memorable laugh, and his friendliness with everyone he met."

he loved his family and friends." A friend of Brian's named Amy Miley would later say, "Brian was a very happy individual. You couldn't help but smile when you were around him. Let's all shed tears and then smile in his memory." Brian Blum was the fifth victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

Another victim in room 206 was 23-year-old Julia Pride. Julia was working towards her master's degree in biological systems engineering. She was also a certified wildland firefighter and cared deeply for the environment. Her goals in life were to get her doctorate, become a professor, and

and research ways to create pure water and sustainable agriculture in Africa. Her loved ones said she cared and thought about others much more than she paid attention to any personal concerns. She wanted to help change the world and was already on her way to creating positive changes for many people. Julia was the sixth victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

24-year-old Matthew Gwaltney had been at Virginia Tech for six and a half years and was working on his master's degree in environmental engineering. According to his family, Matthew was an avid sports fan and a loyal friend. He always had a cheery disposition and cared deeply about the people in his life. His high school principal, Robert Stansbury, told the Associated Press that Matthew was the best guy to take home to your parents. He was the seventh victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

Jeremy Herbstritt was a 27-year-old graduate student in civil engineering. According to his family, Jeremy was the best storyteller. He was fun, loving, had a great sense of humor, and he loved spending time outdoors. They also described him as a "bright young man, a hard worker, and a wonderful son and brother." Jeremy was the eighth victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

22-year-old Daniel O'Neill was a graduate student in engineering, and he took his education very seriously. But he also liked to enjoy all other parts of life. He was passionate about music, traveling, theater, and politics. His friend Steve Carvero told the Associated Press, he loved his family. He was pretty much destined to be extremely successful. Daniel was the ninth victim of the Virginia Tech shooting.

26-year-old Juan Ortiz was from Puerto Rico, and he was said to earn his master's degree in civil engineering later that year. His father would say, quote, he was an extraordinary son, what any father would have wanted, end quote.

The memorial website for Ron reads: "Juan's life was characterized by his love for his family and his desire to become a better person each day. He lived his life with great intensity as if each day was his last. He changed the life of everyone he met and filled it with love and happiness. He will be remembered forever for his passion for engineering, family, and life."

Juan was the tenth victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting. The last victim of Room 206 was 32-year-old Walid Shalan, who was from Egypt. Walid was a doctoral student in civil engineering. He had a wife and one-year-old son. According to his friends, he had been up all night the night before studying for an exam. One friend said, "We were talking about how amazing it would be when he brought his wife and son to Tech at the end of the summer. I could never have imagined that in six hours he'd be gone forever."

His roommate said, "He was the simplest and nicest guy I ever knew. We would be studying for our exams and he would go buy a cake and make tea for us." Waleed was the 11th victim of the Virginia Tech shooting.

Like in many mass shootings, people in nearby classes heard the loud bangs, but they didn't immediately think it was gunfire, especially because this was back in 2007 when mass shootings weren't as prevalent as they are today. Erin Sheehan was right next door in her elementary German class when everyone started to hear these loud popping noises.

Someone in the class jokingly says that they should put something in front of the door, just in case. But as soon as they say this, Sung-Wi walks through the doors of the classroom holding two guns, and he begins shooting. Like in room 206, the first person he shoots is the professor, Dr. Christopher Bishop.

Aaron said that after watching their professor get shot, everyone got down on the ground, trying to use their desks as shields. Seung-Wi was calm, with no emotion, as he slowly made his way down the center of the classroom, shooting every person he could. At one point, he ran out of ammunition and he had to take a few seconds to reload his gun. Aaron said that everything went really quickly,

And when he first entered the classroom, she couldn't help but let out this blood-curdling scream. The kind of scream that is only released when you're truly facing life or death. But as she dove under her desk, she had to stop herself from screaming. He was still making his way around the classroom, shooting at everyone. And she knew she had to be quiet or she would definitely get shot.

Erin said that she just kept telling herself, "It can't end right here. It can't end." After Seung-Wi made his way around the classroom, Erin said that all of the people around her had been shot at least three to four times. They were all dying. But surprisingly, she hadn't been hit. And then just as quickly as he came into the room,

Sung-Wi left to rain terror upon another Virginia Tech classroom. And right as he walked out, three students named Trey Perkins, Derek O'Dell, and Caitlin Carney all quickly rushed towards the door of the classroom and used their feet as makeshift barricades. There were no heavy tables around and the desks would have been useless. So this was their best option.

Once they got it secured, they looked around at their classroom, which resembled a war zone. There was blood everywhere. People were shouting, crying, and moaning from the pain of their bullet wounds. Someone even threw up. 21-year-old senior Kevin Stern was shot twice in his thigh.

and the bullet had ruptured his artery. Thinking quickly, he grabbed an electric cord and wrapped it around his leg to stop the bleeding. This would end up saving his life. But other people in room 207 wouldn't be as lucky. 35-year-old Professor Christopher James Bishop, who everyone called Jamie, was the first person shot in room 207.

He grew up in a small town in Georgia and was living in North Carolina with his wife before he accepted a job at Virginia Tech. According to everyone that knew him, he was very passionate about many things in life, including art, nature, and most of all, teaching. His students would later say that he cared deeply about each and every student he had. He would take the time to get to know you.

He would talk with you before class, and if you needed help, he would draw up everything to make sure you understood the subject. He was also known for his long dark ponytails that he would grow out and donate to Locks of Love. Here is what his colleague Jock Morin told National Public Radio:

On most days, Jamie was probably the happiest person that you'll ever find. He was always happy to be here, even though work, like for most of us, is sometimes a difficult thing to come into, especially on a Monday morning. But it just didn't matter to Jamie. He was here to help out folks, and he enjoyed doing it. He was, as I said to somebody earlier today,

He's the kid that would pick up his lunch tray at lunch and come and sit with the new kid that didn't have any friends at the table. He was that kind of a person.

Dr. Christopher Bishop was the 12th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

Another victim in Room 207 was 20-year-old Nicole White. Nicole grew up with her loving family in Smithfield, Virginia, and since she was little, she always had a big heart for others. She loved animals, children, and she even worked as a lifeguard and an emergency medical volunteer for her town's rescue squad.

According to Virginia Tech's memorial page, Nicole loved her friends and her friends loved her. She was the type of person who would not judge a person by his or her outward appearance, but looked at the person's heart. She wanted to know people as they really were, not as they appeared. Nicole White was the 13th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting. Another victim inside room 207 was 22-year-old Maxine Turner, who everyone called Max.

The memorial website reads "She was brilliant, beautiful, and extraordinarily talented, although she would have denied all of the above."

She excelled at everything she committed herself to, including swing dancing, taekwondo, schoolwork, violin, or just her favorite video game, Zelda. She made it all look easy. Like anyone else, she had her quirks, such as her tendency to talk to herself while playing video games, sticking her tongue out for photographs,

and sprawling on the living room floor in random positions and singing aloud while doing her homework with her headphones on. Any given day, Max could be found in her pajamas and bunny slippers, sitting on the living room floor watching cartoons and doing chemical engineering work." Her big sister in her sorority said, "Max was, if anything, a great friend.

She'd always be there for you through the good times and the bad, and was only one call away." Maxine Turner was the fourth victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

23-year-old Michael Pohl Jr. was also in Room 207. His family would later say that Michael struggled with his speech impediment growing up, which always led to some bullying. But this experience really gave him a huge heart for others. Michael knew what it was like to be the odd man out, so anytime he saw someone struggling, he would befriend them. Michael also had a huge passion for learning and being a part of something bigger than himself, so he really loved the time he spent at Virginia Tech before it was taken away from him.

Michael Paul was the 15th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting. The next victim in room 207 was 20-year-old Lauren McCain. According to her family, she was passionate about everything in life. She loved her family, music, working out, learning, but most of all, she loved God. Lauren lived every day with a mission, quote, to touch those she met with his love and glorify him, end quote.

Her former pastor would say, "You meet a lot of young people in your life, but not a lot will make the impression that Lauren did. To know her was to love her. She was always ready and willing to do for someone else." It was also noted that Lauren absolutely loved her time at Virginia Tech. She even told her family that it was "almost like heaven."

Which is just so sad because the place she loved so dearly would end up being the place where she would die. Lauren McCain was the 16th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

The last victim of Room 207 was 22-year-old Jarrett Lane. Jarrett was always very involved. In high school, he participated in band, varsity football, basketball, tennis, and track, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. He would end up graduating valedictorian at his high school, and his success would not stop there. At the time of the shooting, Jarrett was only one month away from graduation, and afterwards, he had big plans of getting his graduate degree from the University of Florida. But sadly, he was not able to do so.

He would never make that move because the opportunity was taken from him. Jarrett Lane was the 17th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

Now, like we mentioned earlier, three of the uninjured students in room 207 quickly ran to the door and barricaded it with their feet as soon as Sung-Wi left the room. But moments later, he tried to get into the classroom again. He pushed up against the door with all of his might, but they pushed back. And after a few moments, Sung-Wi knew he wouldn't be able to get back in, so he shot a few rounds through the door. Wood splintered around the room, but luckily, no one else would get hurt. Now,

However, six people would die in room 207 and six others were wounded. Now, as Sung-Wi Cho was shooting through the door of room 206, the people in room 211 were confused as to what was going on. Professor Jocelyn Nowak was teaching her French class when the loud noises interrupted her lesson. And she actually says out loud, "Please tell me that isn't what I think it is."

Just to make sure, she walks over to the door and opens it a few inches to peek out into the hallway. But as soon as she does, she sees a young man with two guns walking towards her. She quickly slams the door and turns around with a fearful look in her eyes. "Get to the back. Get under your desk. Call 911," she says. Colin Gardard was a senior at Virginia Tech at the time.

He and his friend, Christina Heger, drove to Norris Hall that morning and they even sat in the parking lot before French class and contemplated on whether or not they should skip. They decided to be good students and go to class. Another student in this class was a girl named Rachel Hill. She was late that day because of the shooting at her dorm.

She likely assumed that class would be safer than staying in her dorm, where two students had just been brutally murdered, but she couldn't have been more wrong. After their professor alerted them to the shooter, Colin quickly calls 911. Dispatch would receive the call at approximately 9:41 AM, but help would not come in time.

Professor Nowak and a student named Henry Lee would jump into action and push a wooden desk up against the door. But as soon as they do, Sung-Wi pushes through it and shoots them. From here, the entire class scatters around the room, diving under desks and trying their best to escape the gunfire.

One student in room 211, named Clay Violent, told All Things Considered, "The next thing I know there's this gun coming through the door followed by a man. I catch a glimpse of him and he's an Asian man. I thought he looked like a student. He looked younger and he had a utility belt on for ammo. I dove under a desk and kind of prepared to die, I guess. He just started picking people off with the gun. I heard it more than I saw it. I just expected after every bullet. I just prepared myself for the hit. But it never came for me."

Clay would be one of the lucky ones in room 211. This would be the deadliest room in Norris Hall. After shooting the first two victims, Sung-Wi methodically walks down the aisles, shooting everyone he can. 20-year-old sophomore Matthew Laporte was watching as his classmates were getting gunned down and he decided that he was going to risk his life and attempt to take down the shooter.

Matthew stands up and he charges at Sung-Wi, but as he does, he is riddled with 7 bullets. And one thing I want to note is that Sung-Wi purchased hollow point bullets for this attack. These types of bullets expand once they hit their target, making them even more deadly. After killing Matthew Laporte, Sung-Wi Cho makes his way around the room.

firing bullets into students as they hide under their desks. Clay Violin would later tell NBC, "It sounded rhythmic-like. He took his time between each shot. He kept up the pace, moving from person to person."

Now, keep in mind, Colin Gardard is still on the phone with 911 during all of this, so the dispatcher hears everything. She asks if Colin is okay, but he doesn't want to answer, afraid that the gunmen will hear him. Eventually, however, Seung-Wi walks down the row of desks and is standing right in front of him. And before he knew it, he too is riddled with bullets. Colin begins screaming.

and in the process his cell phone goes flying out of his hands and slides across the floor to 19 year old Emily Haas who is hiding under her desk. Moments earlier two bullets grazed her head so she laid there gripping the phone playing dead. The dispatcher would later say that at this point in the phone call the room was eerily silent but then you hear soft cries and moaning

The sounds of people dying. Before leaving, Seung-Wi circled around the class once more, murdering the students who were still making sounds. And then once he was satisfied, he calmly walked out of the room. But he wasn't finished just yet.

Clay Violin told all things considered Then he left the room and the room was pretty silent Except for some sounds, some cries, and some pretty gruesome sounds I told everyone to stay quiet and play dead I remember saying that, especially to this girl that was next to me She kept crying for her friend and I told her to stay quiet and play dead And then the gunman came back

he started shooting again. And I'm assuming he just unloaded another round into everybody, even people who had already been shot. He must have unloaded three rounds because he stopped to reload and then he'd do it again. I can't imagine what it would be like, the fear of having a gunman walking around the room, shooting everyone around you. And then for lack of a better word, the relief you must feel when they finally leave the room.

The people in room 211 thought that the gunman was gone, but he would come back and make his way around the room once more as students played dead. Some people, like Clay Violin, would walk away unharmed, but that wouldn't be the case for many. At the end of it all, 12 people would die inside of room 211.

Professor Jocelyn Couture-Nouak was known as a wonderful mother, wife, and teacher. She was born and raised in Canada, but was really excited when she and her husband got job opportunities at Virginia Tech in 2001. Her daughter, Francine, would later tell the Daily News, "My mother was a very big opponent of guns. She really abhorred violence, especially with guns. I definitely could see her fighting to the end." And she did. In her last moments, Jocelyn did everything she could to protect her students.

The memorial website reads, Jocelyn's brutal death contrasts sharply with her peaceful life, filled with family hikes in the bucolic countryside of her homes in the forests of Nova Scotia and southwest Virginia, her flower-filled home gardens, her congenial gatherings with friends and students, and her cherished family. She died in the school setting that had been the touchstone of her life.

Her colleague Richard Trioch would later say this.

She's someone who was very well liked and respected by her colleagues and also by her students. I mean, I've not heard anything other than positive comments about her from students over the years. And since this event, I've received numerous emails from former students praising her and talking about how much they will miss her.

She's really someone who would just do whatever she could to try to find new and interesting ways to present material and communicate that passion to her students. - Jocelyn Couture-Nawak was the 18th victim in the Virginia Tech school shooting. - The next victim in room 211 was Henry Lee, the one who tried to help push the desk in front of the door.

Henry was a 20-year-old freshman whose family moved from Vietnam in 1994. He had a pretty big family. He was the ninth of 10 children, and according to his loved ones, Henry didn't speak any English when he came to the United States, but he was a quick learner and he really excelled in school.

Here is what Susan Willis told NPR about his high school experience. When I first talked to Henley and I shared with him, I announced he was number two in the class. And I said, Henley, you'll have to give us a salutatory address. And he looked at me and he said, Ms. Willis, please let someone else do that. And I said, no.

And I knew he was just a little uncomfortable speaking in large crowds. And I said, you have such a story to tell. And it's so important for you. You've worked hard to be number two.

I would be number one. And he said to me, please, don't make me do it. And so it was for probably a month. He would walk by my office and he would shake his head no. And I would nod my head yes. And we had this unwritten kind of communication where, you know, I was really supporting him and moving him to that next level.

And he worked with his teachers and all they did was tweak it and he gave the best address in which he shared with us in a crowd of 5,000 people, I have to tell you, the graduation ceremony, how he came to this country without speaking any English, the son of immigrant parents, and how he made it to number two of his class. And that if he could do it, think of the opportunities for everyone.

And that was such an unforgettable address. And then afterwards, he shared with me that, thank you, he said. And he grabbed me and hugged me and said, thank you for making me do that. And we hugged and we went out and we talked with his parents and we hugged again. And it was such a proud moment for him. Henry was brilliant. During his first year at Virginia Tech, he was doing really well.

He was excited for his future. The memorial website reads, "Although the Lai family will forever miss their treasured child, they will find comfort in knowing that Henry died a heroic death while trying to help his teacher block their classroom door. Henry Lee was the 19th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting."

Another victim in room 211 was 20-year-old Ross Alameddine, who was described as an intelligent, funny, easygoing guy. I'm going to read you some of the things his classmates and teachers said about him. Kamal Makhdoum wrote, There's no one else who made me laugh during class like Ross did or willingly drove downtown in the middle of the night to have profound religious discussions over some pizza. I wish we could sit down again and try to finalize our definition of the meaning of life or discuss the differences between Massachusetts and Virginia, anything.

Thank you for being a part of my life. His English instructor, Robert Cantor, wrote, Ross always sought to make others laugh and enjoy life. From our first few days together in class, I remember thinking, here's a man who's going to make his children laugh. Here is a man who deserves the title beloved. Here's a man who, just by being himself, makes you a better person.

Another instructor, Brent Stevens, wrote, Ross talked in every one of my classes. He talked about his life, his emotions, his deep insights into the materials. He put himself out there in front of 35 people, most of whom he didn't know, helping us to understand what we were reading and viewing with his unique perspective. Knowing Ross Alameddine sustains the belief that we all need so desperately right now, that there is good in the world. Ross was the 20th victim in the Virginia Tech school shooting.

20-year-old Leslie Sherman was another victim in Room 211. She was known for her love of photography, reading, history, and traveling. But one of the main things that stuck out about her was that she really had a heart for the less fortunate. According to her loved ones, she would spend her time caring for others by volunteering at retirement homes or coaching at the Special Olympics.

Her goal in life was to eventually join the Peace Corps. Her memorial reads, quote, She had immeasurable integrity, courage, and strength, and was a gift to all who knew her. Here is what her friend, Buddy Miller, told NPR. I don't even know how to explain it. It was almost unfathomable to think of a girl who just...

She was so selfless. You know, it was just always nice. You never saw her down. She was so optimistic all the time. I mean, even in the grievances situation, she was just happy. She was helping other people. I mean, she was just so ambitious is what brought luck. She wanted to join the Peace Corps when she got out. She convinced one of my other friends to go with her. She was...

Leslie Sherman was the 21st victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

18-year-old Rima Samaha was just beginning her adult life. She was the youngest of three children and really embraced her Lebanese heritage. Rima loved to perform, whether it be acting or dancing, but family was always her number one priority. She was extremely close to her parents and siblings, and she always made time to visit her grandparents and extended family as well. She surrounded herself with great people who described her as open, creative, witty, and cheerful. A family friend named Luann McNabb would later tell NPR the following,

Reema was the 22nd victim in the Virginia Tech school shooting.

Like we mentioned earlier, 20-year-old Matthew Laporte risked his life that day trying to take down the gunman in this horrific shooting. He was actually going to Virginia Tech on an Air Force ROTC scholarship after a teacher recommended the school. He was also a member of the Corps of Cadets, where he played tenor drum for the regimental band and the Heidi Tidies. He was also a member of the Southern Colonels, the cadet jazz band. Matthew's goal in life was to eventually be an active duty intelligence officer, which he definitely would have excelled at.

and his bravery during the shooting would not go unnoticed.

On April 9, 2015, Matthew Laporte was posthumously honored for his heroism displayed during the Virginia Tech shooting and given the Airman's Medal. His family accepted the medal in his honor. It took eight years for Matthew's actions that day to be recognized. An eyewitness in the classroom testified that Matthew was trying to secure the door so the gunman couldn't enter. Forensic evidence backed the eyewitness account due to the location of Matthew's body and how he was displayed near the door with his arms outstretched.

The Airman's Medal is the highest medal a person can receive without being in combat. Matthew Laporte was the 23rd victim in the Virginia Tech school shooting. - 18-year-old Rachel Hill was very excited for her future at Virginia Tech. She wanted to get her PhD in biochemistry and really make a difference in the world.

She loved reading, classic movies, volleyball, hanging out with her parents, but most of all, she loved God. Rachel's senior quote in her yearbook actually read, God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain, but without stain.

She went to a Christian high school in Richmond, Virginia, and the superintendent would later say, "The world has lost one of its brightest prospects." The people that knew her said that it is "difficult to capture the beauty, intelligence, poise, leadership, and other wonderful traits that Rachel possessed." Rachel Hill was the 24th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

21-year-old Daniel Cueva was born in Peru, but he and his family came to the United States in the year 2000. In school, he was always very involved.

Daniel participated in swimming, tennis, he ran cross country, and he graduated with honors. His family said that whatever he puts his mind to, he will accomplish. They also said he had a big beautiful smile, was a great friend, and was a wonderful brother and son. Daniel loved to play around the house imitating superheroes and singing a lot, which he never stopped doing even though his sister made fun of him because he had a special way of doing it. His singing always brought happiness to the hearts of his family.

Daniel believed that God put everyone here to make a difference in someone's life. He loved to see his friends happy and many of his friends viewed him as a role model. Daniel Cueva was the 25th victim in the Virginia Tech school shooting. The next victim of room 211 was 19-year-old Mary Reed. She was born in Seoul, South Korea, the same place that Sung-Hui Chu was born.

But unlike him, Mary was nothing but a light in this world. She was the oldest of her five siblings and absolutely loved being an older sister. She hadn't decided on a major yet, but she was leaning towards elementary school education because of how much she loved children. She had recently been accepted as a Bible study leader on campus and she was really excited about that.

Along with her faith, Mary loved playing the clarinet, traveling, and being around her family. But according to her loved ones, she was happiest when she was helping others, and her beautiful smile and sweet personality will be greatly missed. Mary Reed was the 26th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

19-year-old Caitlin Hammerin was another victim in Room 211. At the time, she was majoring in international studies and French at Virginia Tech, as well as being in a sorority and in the top 1% of residence hall leaders. So she had a lot on her plate, but she always handled it with grace. Caitlin had an infectious smile and warm personality. And according to her loved ones, she made everyone feel like her best friend. She was also a very talented musician who loved to sing and play violin.

The superintendent at her high school would later say, quote, "She actually has been described as someone who was like a magnet for other kids and a role model, always very positive," end quote. Caitlin Hammerin was the 27th victim in the Virginia Tech school shooting. - Another person to die in room 211 was 18-year-old Austin Cloyd, who was from Blacksburg, Virginia. Her father actually taught accounting at Virginia Tech, so this school meant a lot to their family.

And I'm going to read a quote from her memorial because it was beautifully written, but it says, quote, Austin had a brilliant mind, a compassionate heart, and an iron will. She was a child who knew love and knew how to love. Austin loved her brother, her parents, and her entire family.

She wanted to help others and did so in both ways big and small. Austin's favorite quote captures much of her outlook on life: "No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. And if everyone does something, then together we can change the world." Austin Cloyd was the 28th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

The last victim of Room 211 was 18-year-old Erin Peterson. Erin was an only child to her parents, and they absolutely adored her. They referred to her as their dewdrop from heaven.

Erin was captain of her basketball team in high school, the very same high school that Sung-Wi Cho attended, although it's unclear whether or not she knew him. But according to Erin's memorial, her personality was a wonderful blend of warmth and magnetism anchored by a sound moral compass. She lived a life that was filled with joy and freely shared that joy with others.

And shortly before the shooting, she had been elected as co-president for a school organization called Empower, which is all about building confidence among minorities. Here's what her basketball coach, Pat Deegan, said about her to NPR. She excelled in every area that you can think of. She was a very good student.

She was an excellent athlete, an outstanding basketball player. She was on the varsity for the past three years, sophomore through senior year. But most importantly, she was one of, and I've been teaching and coaching for 27 years. She was one of the finest, if not the finest, young lady I ever had the pleasure to work with because she made it her business to make everyone around her a better person.

Aaron Peterson was the 29th victim in the Virginia Tech school shooting. After leaving room 211, Sung-Wi goes back into the hallway and makes his way towards room 205. Professor Hai-An Chang is teaching a small class of 10 on issues in scientific computing. She heard the loud popping sounds from the hallway and opened her class door to see what was going on.

And as she did, she sees a young Asian man with his gun pointed down moving towards their classroom. She quickly slams the door and all of the students in the room start pushing a heavy rectangular desk to block the door. Moments later, the students feel a hard push, so they push back. It was Sung-Wi trying to gain entrance to their classroom.

He managed to open the door about 6 inches, but he knew he wouldn't be able to get in, so he just fired a few rounds into the class, but luckily no one was injured. And from here he moves along. Here is one of the students in that classroom describing what happened.

He came to our door, tried the handle. He couldn't get it in because we were pushing up against it. Tried to force his way in, got the door to open up about six inches, and then we just lunged at it and closed it back up. And that's when he backed up and shot twice into the middle of the door thinking we were up against it.

And you might be wondering, where are the police? Well, keep in mind, we're still only about five minutes into the shooting. Sung-Wi Cho entered Norris Hall at about 9.30 a.m., but he didn't start shooting until 9.40. And the Blacksburg Police Department received a call about the shooting just one minute later at 9.41 a.m. So once they realized the shooter was on campus, the 911 call was transferred to the Virginia Tech Police Department. And at around 9.45 a.m., police officers pulled up to campus and were finally arriving outside of Norris Hall.

So it was about a three minute response time from the initial call. And as they pulled up, they could hear the shots from inside the building. There aren't very many videos from this because it was back in 2007, but we were able to find one from a civilian standing outside of Norris Hall.

As police officers rush towards the entrance to Norris Hall, they quickly find that all of the main entrances are chained shut. So they try to shoot at the chains with their pistols, but no luck. They'll have to get a stronger gun to gain entrance. In the meantime, Sung-Wi is still terrorizing students and employees on the second floor of Norris Hall. He tries to get into room 205, but he couldn't because the students were blocking the door with the heavy desk.

So he starts walking through the hall trying to find another classroom. At this point, Professor Kevin Granada was in his office on the third floor of Norris Hall. Upon hearing the gunshots, he gets as many students into his office and locks the door. Kevin Granada was a military veteran.

and he didn't want to just sit in his office and wait around when students were getting murdered on the floor beneath him. So, heroically, he rushes downstairs to confront the shooter, but as soon as Sung-Wi sees him, he points his gun in his direction and fires multiple shots. Kevin Granada was a husband and father of three,

He was a professor of engineering science and mechanics and he absolutely loved his job. After serving in the military, he did orthopedic research in hospitals and then finally became a professor at Virginia Tech. During his time here, he was one of the top five biomechanic researchers in the country. Here is what his colleague told NPR:

Kevin Granada was the 30th victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

From here, Sung-Wi Cho circled back to room 207, the elementary German class. But four students, two of which were injured, held the door with their hands, trying to keep their bodies as far away from the door as possible. Sung-Wi pushed against them but was only able to open the door about an inch. He shot at the door handle a few times before giving up and walking over to the next class, which happened to be room 211, the intermediate French class.

Emily Haas was still on the phone with 911 when Sung-Wi entered and began shooting more students. The dispatcher asked Emily what was going on and she responded by whispering, I can't talk, he's in here. Then the dispatcher listens in horror as she hears screams echo through the phone. One of the bullets had hit Emily and she yells that she's been hit and that the gunman is reloading. A few more shots ring out throughout room 211 and then Sung-Wi leaves once again.

Now, something to note is that right before the shooting started, a faculty member at Norris Hall actually saw the doors chained up and the bomb threat note that was posted above. She gave the note to the janitor and asked him to run it up to the Dean's office, which was located on the third floor. But by that time, the shooting had already started.

This same janitor was now on the second floor at this point and he sees Seung-Wi in the hallway, loading his gun, so he quickly runs back down the staircase. Here is that janitor and his account of the shooting. I was hollering and I said, "He's gonna kill me! He's gonna kill me! He's after me!" And I said, "We gotta get out of here! I'm scared to death."

When he heard me, he started shooting. A girl got up and shut the door and he started to turn around and shoot the door. Shoot through the door. And that's when he jumped out of the classroom and in the middle of the hallway started shooting at me.

And I ran down the stairs, got out of there and ran down the stairs. I heard five shots when he let the gun off. I think it was a handgun. It was automatic and it was black. I was going pretty fast trying to get down them back steps to get out of there. I just went over there and told them all of them better watch, they're going to get shot. I said, somebody asked me over on the north, there's a shoot going off. I just know, I just said the Lord saved me.

Luckily, this shooting was about to come to an end, but not before Sung-Wi would take a few more lives. His last stop was room 204, where Professor Liviu Librescu was teaching his solid mechanics class. There were 12 students in his classroom and as soon as shots rang out on the second floor,

Professor Labrescu started coming up with a plan on how he would save his students. There was a window in his class, and he instructed everyone to open it up and jump out while he barricaded the door. It was a pretty far jump, about 19 feet to the grassy surface below, but the odds of surviving that were far greater than being shot.

The first jumper, a male student, kicked out the screen and swung the upper window out. And over the next few minutes, students either jumped or attempted to lower themselves down and dropped to the ground. All 10 students who jumped would survive, but some did break some bones. These students were still jumping out of the window when Seung-Hui Cho approached their classroom. Professor Labrescu did his best to hold the door.

but he couldn't for much longer. Eventually, Seung-Wi pushed his way inside and immediately shot the 76-year-old professor in the head.

Dr. Liviu Librescu was actually a Holocaust survivor from Romania. After World War II, he decided to become an engineer. He and his wife immigrated to the United States in 1978, and over the years, he became one of the most respected researchers in the field of aeronautical engineering. Dr. Liviu Librescu absolutely loved teaching, which is why he was still doing it at 76 years old.

His colleagues would later say he loved his position as a professor, a prolific researcher, and a wonderful teacher. He devoted himself to the profession solely for the love of it.

When it was discovered that he risked his life to save his students, it didn't come as a surprise to anyone. That's just the kind of person he was. And he would later be granted many awards for his bravery on that day. Here's the engineering department head, Ishwar Pari. Liviu Librescu had a great thirst for freedom. He was born in Romania and he grew up under communist rule. He wanted to leave Romania and he was told that in order to leave Romania, he would have to disappear.

He worked in an institute and for several years he did literally that. He disappeared. He didn't publish and finally he got his exit visa. His thirst for freedom brought him to the United States. He was a giant. One of the most highly-faceted scholars in the area of aeroelasticity.

Dr. Livio Libresco was the 31st victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting.

Alongside the professor in room 204 was a graduate student named Manal Panchal. Like her professor, Manal refused to jump out of the window until all of the other students were safe, and unfortunately, she too would be gunned down by Sung-Wi Cho.

26-year-old Meena Panchal was a graduate student from India who was working towards becoming an architect. She'd only been at Virginia Tech for a year, but had already touched so many lives. She loved swimming, poetry, soft rocks, watercolor painting, and her family. Her memorial reads, "There are some people who need a year to be noticed, some who need a big achievement, and some conquer the world with power and fame. There are others who change the world simply by being themselves, offering peace and happiness with their smiles.

Minyu, you were one of those. Minal Panchal was the 32nd and final victim of the Virginia Tech school shooting. There were still students jumping out of the window when Seung-Hui Cho entered the class. One of them was 23-year-old engineering student Matt Webster, who got a good look at the shooter. He would later say, "He was decked out like he was going to war. Black vest, extra ammunition clips, everything."

After he witnessed the murder of his professor, Matt curled his body into a ball and closed his eyes. He then listened as Seung-Wi walked towards a student huddled against the wall. He shot her, but she would survive. Next, Seung-Wi walks over to Matt, stands over his body, and fires a shot in his direction. The bullet would graze his hairline and hit him in his upper right arm.

Matt said he then laid down and played dead until Seung-Wi finally walked out of the room. He would later say, "I lay there and let him think he had done his job. I wasn't moving at all, hoping he wouldn't come back." Luckily, he wouldn't. When Matt opened his eyes, he saw blood everywhere. At the time, he didn't realize that most of the blood was coming from his sweatshirt.

Then he looked over at the girl that had been shot. She was moaning and there was blood coming out of her mouth, but luckily they would both survive. Now at this point it's about 9:50 am and the police finally got a shotgun so they could blast through the chains on the main entrance. It's also at this time when the university sends a second email about an active shooter on campus.

It read, quote, "A gunman is on the loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows." There were also four loudspeakers around campus broadcasting the same message, alerting students to stay safe. There was chaos all over campus, but it was all about to come to an end. Upon hearing the shotgun blast, Sung-Wi goes back to room 211.

There were students everywhere, sprawled out on the floor. Many were dead, others were dying or pretending to be dead. The room was filled with sounds of moaning, gurgling, and people gasping for air. Seung-Wi made his way around the room once more, firing shots at several students. It was difficult for him to walk around the dead bodies.

Colin Goddard, who had been shot three times, lay as still as he could. He said he could see Seung-Wi's feet casually walking around the room. After hearing the shotgun blast on the first floor, Seung-Wi knew that it was only a matter of time until the police apprehended him. So standing in the middle of room 211, surrounded by the people he killed and injured,

Sung-Wi Cho put his gun up to his head and pulled the trigger. After about 11 minutes, the Virginia Tech school shooting had finally come to an end, but the damage that had already been done was devastating. Moments later, the survivors of room 211 heard the police at the door. There were bodies piled in front of it, so Clay Violin had to move them over

so the police could make their way in. Soon enough, everyone heard the officers scream out "Shoot her down!" meaning their nightmare was finally over. The gunshot wound to Seung-Wi's face made him completely unrecognizable, much like many of his victims. And as the police went room to room, it was truly unlike anything they had ever seen. There were bodies everywhere.

Blood covered the floors and pieces of flesh were scattered around the rooms. Many of these first responders held back tears as they stepped over bodies to help the injured.

Sergeant Matthew Brunnock, one of the first responding officers, would later say,

and at that particular point it was just breathtaking to go from one room where you see several people who have lost their lives then go to another room with twice that many people it's at that point where you start to realize that wow this is a tremendous incident what drives somebody what state of mind gets them to a position where you could carry out something like this and everything from here happened very quickly

The uninjured students were rushed out of Norris Hall and the building was now a massive crime scene. Freshman Matthew Murray watched the chaos from a different building. He recalled, "...people were running out of Norris and screaming. Streams of people were running out constantly. It was controlled, but you could tell everyone was panicked and very upset. This shooting was catastrophic, the worst our country had ever seen at the time."

Although it only lasted about 11 minutes, Sung-Wi Cho fired 174 rounds of hollow-point bullets, killing 32 people and injuring 17. Shortly after 10 a.m., the first round of wounded students were taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg.

General Surgeon Davis Stoeckel and his team first focused on the severely wounded patients. The wounds ranged from a single gunshot to the leg, bullet holes through the stomach, and wounds that had severed livers, colons, and kidneys. By 10:17 that morning, a third email was sent by the Virginia Tech administration that canceled classes and advised students to stay in their homes.

Then at 10.52 a.m., a fourth email was sent by the Virginia Tech administration that warned students about multiple shootings with multiple victims in Norris Hall. They also said that the shooter was in custody, but they were searching for a possible second shooter as protocol. And one of the first things I always think about in the hours after these horrific shootings are the victim's family members. At some point that morning, they'll get word about a shooting at Virginia Tech.

Most of them will be worried for their loved one, but I'm sure a part of them believes that they have to be okay. After all, of the 34,000 people on campus, what are the odds that your loved one was among the 32? Details will be sparse at first, but then they'll learn that the shooting took place at Norris Hall, the engineering building.

Many people whose loved ones are associated with that building will begin frantically calling, trying to get in touch with them to make sure they're safe. But 32 families will never get that call back. By mid-afternoon that day, over 200 people show up at the hospital, waiting to know the fate of their loved one. For hours, they will be on edge, praying that everything will be okay.

But then after a while, someone stands up at the front of the room and everyone goes silent. It's the few seconds before many of their lives will change forever. Then slowly but surely, the names of the deceased will be read out to the room. Some people will drop to the ground. Some will cling to each other and cry. Others will let out horrible screams.

They are now a part of a group that no one wants to be a part of. A group that has significantly grown in the years since this tragedy. Everyone in the room that day had an earth-shattering experience. But there were also parents all over the United States and the world

who weren't able to get in touch with their loved one. Upon hearing about the shooting, Caitlin Hamrin's parents began calling her over and over again, but they couldn't get a hold of her. They lived in upstate New York and immediately hopped in their car to make the drive to Blacksburg, Virginia.

They didn't know it at the time, but their daughter, Caitlin, had been killed. Over the next few hours, many families all over the planet were getting the phone call that they had been dreading all along. The news of the mass shooting at Virginia Tech was quickly making headlines all over the world. Here are some parts of the press conference from the Virginia Tech police that day. This is the most horrific incident that's occurred on a college campus in our country. We have the families...

the staff here at Virginia Tech, the law enforcement agencies involved, and our thoughts and prayers and hope that you will as well. What went on during that incident certainly caused tremendous chaos and panic. Victims were found in at least four classrooms as well as a stairwell. We know that there were a number of heroic events that took place. Later that day, at 4:01 p.m., President George Bush addressed the nation from the White House.

Our nation is shocked and saddened by the news of the shootings at Virginia Tech today. The exact toll has not yet been confirmed, but it appears that more than 30 people were killed and many more were wounded. I've spoken with Governor Tim Kaine and Virginia Tech President Charles Steger. I told him that Laura and I and many across our nation

are praying for the victims and their families and all the members of the university community who have been devastated by this terrible tragedy. I told them that my administration would do everything possible to assist with the investigation and that I pledged that we would stand ready to help local law enforcement and the local community in any way we can during this time of sorrow. Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning.

When a sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community. Today our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones at Virginia Tech. We hold the victims in our hearts, we lift them up in our prayers, and we ask a loving God to comfort those who are suffering today. Thank you.

By 8.45 that night, the last deceased victim was taken out of Norris Hall and transported to the medical examiner's office. Then, at 9.06 p.m., Virginia State Police investigators arrived at 2121 Harper Hall. Karen Grewal opened the door to a large police presence, and that's when he realized that his roommate, the same person he had seen nearly 16 hours ago, was the cause of the horrific massacre on campus.

Sung-Wi's roommates were interviewed and gave their account of their quiet suite mate and his odd behavior. Waking up early, playing the same song over and over on his computer, his antisocial behavior, his fake girlfriend from outer space named Jelly, and his recent obsession with women around campus. Detectives scoured the room for evidence while police went door to door in Harper Hall with a picture of Sung-Wi Cho, asking residents if they knew him.

Inside Cho's room, they found a toolbox, different writings from his desk, a chain from a closet shelf, a folding knife, a combination padlock, a compact computer, assorted books and notebooks, a digital camera, keys, CDs, and a Citibank credit card statement. But his cell phone and computer hard drive would never be recovered. Interestingly enough, before the identity of the gunman was released to the public,

Whispers of the shooter's description had been floating around campus, and one of the English professors at Virginia Tech, Nikki Giovanni, said that as soon as she heard the shooter's description, she immediately knew that it was her former student, Sung-Wi Chu. She would later say, quote, When I heard the suspect was an Asian student, I had no doubt in my mind who did it, end quote.

Sung-Wi Chu's identity wouldn't be released until the following day, on April 17th, 2007, at 9:15 AM. They also confirmed a total of 33 fatalities, including the gunman. At 9:30 AM that day, Virginia Tech canceled all of its classes for the week and gave students time to grieve and speak with a counselor if needed.

And at 2:00 PM that day, Virginia Tech held a convocation ceremony at Castle Coliseum. Here are some special moments from that ceremony. - We are Virginia Tech.

We are sad today and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on. We are embracing our mourning. We are Virginia Tech. We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly. We are brave enough to bend to cry and sad enough to know we must laugh again. We are Virginia Tech.

We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS. Neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by a rogue army. Neither does the baby elephant watching his community be devastated for ivory. Neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water.

Neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy. We are Virginia Tech. The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong and brave and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be.

We are alive to the imagination and the possibility. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness. We are the Hokies. We will prevail. We will prevail. We will prevail. We are Virginia Tech. The university also held a candlelit vigil where thousands of Virginia Tech students and faculty came together to pay their respects to the victims. ♪

It'll never be the same as before. Because, I mean, this is always going to affect us and we'll get back to

to as normal as we can, but we'll always have this as a part of our life. You know, most of us got through yesterday okay because it hadn't really set in what had happened, but for me, it hit me last night that there were 33 people dead that would not be graduating from this university, and that's kind of hard to take even if you didn't know anyone to realize exactly what had happened. But one of the most important things to move on is to realize that

When all is said and done, Blacksburg is still largely the safe and quiet town than it was before. I'm just glad to see this many people out here, to know that we have a community this big that's willing to set aside their time and say, we were all part of this together.

We want the world to know we are Virginia Tech. We will recover. We will survive with your prayers. Thank you very much. It wouldn't be until the following day on April 18th, 2007, when NBC News in New York would receive a package in the mail.

They were shocked to find Sung-Wi Cho's disturbing photos, videos, and manifesto. NBC News submitted the documents to the FBI and only a fragment of the pictures and videos were broadcast nationwide. As you can imagine, for the students and faculty at Virginia Tech, seeing these photos and videos was incredibly disturbing.

It just kind of, it's kind of eerie. You know, everybody sees this picture on the news and stuff like that, and you know, you can put a face to it and everything like that, but actually hear him speak and hear his thoughts and understand how truly troubled an individual he really was. It kind of hits home, really does hit home. You can just picture him in there, dressed up in that, in the vest and the, you know, backwards hat with, you know, all decked out. It is kind of eerie to look at that, and it was kind of,

It was kind of really upsetting to know that he thought like that. I actually hear that he put together a package, almost a going away package. It just continues to get more and more eerie.

that this guy walked among us as students in this proud community that we have here. On April 19, 2007, Virginia Tech announced that all students who were killed would receive posthumous degrees. Graduation was just a month away, so many degrees were given to the families at the regular commencement ceremony, more privately. ♪

That same day, all autopsies were completed on the victims and the shooter. The autopsy of Song Wee Cheol revealed no abnormalities in his brain function. There were also no drugs or alcohol in his system. The following day, Song Wee Cheol's family released a statement to the public, written by his sister. They read the following.

On behalf of our family, we are so deeply sorry for the devastation my brother has caused. No words can express our sadness that 32 innocent people lost their lives this week in such a terrible, senseless tragedy. We are heartbroken. We grieve alongside the families, the Virginia Tech community, our state of Virginia, and the rest of the nation and the world.

Every day since April 16th, my father, mother, and I pray for the students. She then lists all the victims. We pray for their families and loved ones who are experiencing so much excruciating grief.

And we pray for those who were injured and for those whose lives are forever changed because of what they witnessed and experienced. Each of these people had so much love, talent, and gifts to offer, and their lives were cut short by such a horrible and senseless act. We are humbled by this darkness. We feel hopeless, helpless, and lost. This is someone that I grew up with and loved.

Now I feel I didn't know this person. We have always been a close, peaceful and loving family. My brother was quiet and reserved, yet struggled to fit in. We never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence. He has made the world weep. We are living a nightmare. There is much justified anger and disbelief at what my brother did, and a lot of questions are left unanswered.

Our family will continue to cooperate fully and do whatever we can to help authorities understand why these senseless acts happened. We have many unanswered questions as well. Our family is so very sorry for my brother's unspeakable actions. It is a terrible tragedy for all of us.

The massacre was also huge news in South Korea, where the Cho family was from. Their president, Roh Moo-hyun, said that the shooting was "beyond description." Many South Koreans were ashamed that someone from their country could commit such an atrocity. After the shooting, a candlelit vigil was held outside of the U.S. embassy in Seoul, where so many people came to pay their respects to the victims. South Korea's ambassador also encouraged people to fast for 32 days, one day for every victim.

And clearly there was a lot of outrage here in America, especially when all of the details came to light. For one, Sung-Wi Cho had been showing signs of disturbing behavior far before the shooting. In high school he wrote about his admiration for the Columbine shooters. And then all throughout college, he was turning in work that proved he was a very dark individual.

Now, the people that he was in contact with at Virginia Tech were constantly trying to get him to go to therapy. So there were people actively trying to help. And I think it's also important to note that this was back in 2007, before mass shootings were a norm here in America.

Of course, nowadays, if someone is talking like he was or posting on social media really disturbing things, we know now to report that kind of stuff. But back then, no one could have ever suspected that he would go on to do what he did. Now, one big piece of scrutiny in this case is Virginia Tech's response to the shooting on campus.

Like we mentioned earlier, the first two victims of this shooting were killed over two hours before Sung Wee opened fire on Norris Hall. If Virginia Tech would have shut down classes right then and there, we wouldn't be telling you this story right now, and 32 people might still be here today.

But, like we mentioned at the time, they believed that the shooting was a domestic issue. And clearly, when the victims' families found out about all of this, they were outraged. They sent their children off to these schools expecting them to be protected. And many felt like the university failed them.

So there was a huge investigation into all of this and after more than 200 interviews and multiple hearings, a report was issued on August 29th, 2007 and they found that the Virginia Tech administration waited far too long to issue a warning about a shooting on campus.

Some families would even file wrongful death lawsuits against the employees of Virginia Tech and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Erin Peterson and Julia Pride's families reported that their daughters would still be here today if the administration had notified students of the shooting on campus and ordered a lockdown immediately, especially since the gunman was still on the loose.

A jury later found the Commonwealth of Virginia liable for the deaths of the two women and awarded the families $4 million, but the amount was reduced to $100,000 eventually.

However, the Commonwealth appealed the verdict and stated that they could not be held liable because a person does not have a duty to warn or protect another from the criminal acts of a third person. It also stated that the administration, quote, believed that the shooter had fled the area and posed no danger to others. It cannot be said that it was known or reasonably foreseeable that students in Norris Hall would fall victim to criminal harm.

Now, the Virginia court reversed the verdict and the families were actually awarded no money. But they did have to pay fines by the U.S. Department of Education for violations of the federal Clery Act. And the Clery Act requires a threat be reported in a timely manner.

which obviously didn't happen here. So Virginia Tech was fined $55,000, but it was later reduced to $32,500. And Virginia Tech was not very happy about this. They would respond saying, quote, "...we disagree with the U.S. Department of Education's ruling."

that the university's actions on the morning of April 16th, 2007 are in violation of federal law, which requires a timely warning to a campus community upon knowledge of certain crimes committed on campus. As we demonstrated in our 72-page response and analysis, we believe that the timely warning actions on April 16th were well within the standards and practices in effect

at the time. Now, how they thought that two hours was an appropriate time to alert students of a double homicide, I don't know how they came to that conclusion, but there's that. The university did eventually announce on the seventh anniversary of the shooting that they did pay their fines.

Following this, they also turned their attention towards their mental health system. Many believed that if Sun Wee Cho would have gotten the proper mental health counseling, that this shooting could have been prevented. So the following year, the General Assembly approved an additional $42 million for Virginia's mental health system, but the amount was reduced in the years after due to the Great Recession.

This shooting also brought about conversations about campus safety. Following the shooting, Virginia Tech, along with many other schools across the country, created a threat assessment team and an emergency notification, a system that notifies students immediately when there's a threat on campus.

In the years following the shooting, it was difficult for many students to return to Virginia Tech and continue on with their college careers. Lots of the survivors would actually return to the school and get their degrees, which is incredibly admirable. Emily Haas, who was on the phone with 911 in room 211, would return to Virginia Tech, but she faced PTSD every day. She would later say...

Being in that classroom setting, when a student would bust in the classroom, I would freak out. Still to this day, I think about, if something goes down, how do I get out?

Now, W.A.J. Hall, where the first two victims were shot, would be closed for two years following the shooting and renovated. Norris Hall would also be renovated. Nowadays, when victims return to the second floor, they don't even recognize it because it looks so different. But they still do hold classes there. Except instead of engineering classes, it's the school's center for peace studies and violence prevention. Nowadays, the campus of Virginia Tech has moved on from the tragedy.

yet has found their own unique way to honor it every year, and in some ways, every day. There's a website, weremember.vt.edu, that functions as a permanent online memorial to all of the victims, a virtual meeting place that people across the world can access in order to pay their respects and to reflect on the tragedy. We actually used this website to get a lot of our information for this episode. On campus, a permanent memorial was eventually installed, called the April 16th Memorial.

The official description of the memorial from the We Remember website reads: "In the hours following the April 16th tragedy, the student-driven volunteer organization Hokies United placed 32 Hokie stones on the drill field. The semicircle of stones became a place to gather, to mourn, and to reflect, and the poignant display inspired today's memorial. As a community, we dedicate 32 engraved Hokie stones in honor and in memory of the members of our Hokie family who lost their lives.

Hokie Stone has long symbolized the foundation of Virginia Tech. Now, it also symbolizes our relentless spirit, our courage to move forward, and our determination never to forget.

Now, interestingly, even though there are only 32 stones present at the memorial currently, immediately after the shooting, there were 33. That's right, the students had even placed a memorial stone for Song Wei, even though this stone was eventually removed when the memorial became permanent and was never replaced. Students left Song Wei notes stating that they weren't mad at him and that if they ever met someone like him, they hoped that they could be the light in their life that they needed.

Other notes stated that Sung-Wi had shamed his family, failed in his mission to cripple the community, and would now face the judgment of God. This reminded me a lot of the memorial that was immediately erected after the Columbine school shooting, where crosses were erected for the victims and crosses were erected for the shooters too, even though they didn't last long because eventually angry parents had them torn down.

Every year, various events on campus take place that encourage current students, alumni, and members of the community to participate so that they can keep the memory of those 32 victims alive. A memorial run is held, for example, every year that typically starts at the Alumni Mall, weaves throughout the buildings on campus, and ends at the April 16th Memorial. Thousands typically attend this run and participate to keep the memory of those lives lost alive.

In addition, every year on April 16th, right at midnight when the day begins, a ceremony is held at the memorial, where a candle is walked out from nearby Burris Hall, an academic building, and is lit by members of the student body, who then read out the names of the 32 Hokies who lost their lives. For almost an hour after the candle is lit, members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets keep watch and stand guard next to the candle, ensuring that it will remain burning for the entirety of the day.

Later that morning, a wreath-laying ceremony takes place, with the wreaths being brought out by members of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, wreaths which are then placed on the memorial by the current president, executive vice president, and provost.

Then, finally, right at 11:59 that evening, the candle is extinguished and silently walked back into Burris Hall. A move which Virginia Tech states signifies the university's commitment to never forget the tragic events that unfolded on that horrific day so many years ago. And I was in contact with a survivor from room 211 named Christina.

She was actually shot three times and she's dedicated her life to school safety with the Koshka Foundation that she founded. We will be making a donation to that today. I encourage you all to do the same. But one thing I spoke with her about was the fact that this school shooting happened back in 2007, 16 years ago.

And she, along with many other victims, figured that afterwards, changes would be made. Especially with 32 people losing their lives, surely our nation would come together and make sure this would never happen again. But as we all know, that is sadly not the case. In fact, since 2007, mass shootings have begun to happen at an exponentially higher rate.

From 2015 to 2018, there were an average of 342 mass shootings every year. But in recent years, those numbers are doubling. Since 2020, we are now seeing over 600 mass shootings every year. Those numbers are horrifying. And listen, many victims of this shooting believe in the second amendment, the right to bear arms.

But they also believe that there should be stronger background checks for gun purchases, which is what the majority of America really wants for our country. I think we can all agree, regardless of your political party, that people like Sung-Wi Cho should never be able to get their hands on these types of weapons. And we definitely aren't overlooking the mental health aspect of these cases either.

Many people believe that if Sung-Wi Chu would have gotten the mental health help that he needed, he might have not committed this tragedy. So that's also something we need to consider as well.

A recent poll released by Fox News showed that Americans from both political parties, in fact, support a number of proposed gun control reforms, including stricter background checks, more stringent enforcement of existing gun laws, raising the minimum age to purchase an assault rifle at 21, and even background checks to purchase ammo. Now, Colin Goddard, who was shot four times at Virginia Tech, is now a father, husband, and an advocate to end gun violence.

To this day, he continues to lobby for stricter laws that enforce background checks for anyone purchasing a firearm.

In an interview for ABC News, he said, "I met a great woman and had a family through this tragedy. I would have done everything I could have to not be in that classroom that day. But life gives you the cards and you have to do something with them. We as individuals don't need to be defined by those uncontrollable events. I think a better definition of who we are is what we choose to do after. How we remember, how we choose to learn, and how we go forward."

Hey, everybody. It's Colin here. And Courtney. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of Murder in America. I know that this series was a little bit hard to get through, but Courtney, you have some thoughts on this? Yeah, I just, I know a lot of people like to have these episodes recorded

grouped into one so that you can get it all over with in one episode. But there are a lot of people out there that don't care to hear about the shooter and their background, understandably. So that's why we like to split it up. This episode's more focused on the victims, which is the most important part of the story. Yeah, most definitely. I agree with that. And I really like the way you did this. But anyways...

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