123-675: The Virginia Tech shooting was a spree shooting that occurred on Monday, April 16, 2007, comprising two attacks on the campus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia , United States. Seung-Hui Cho , an undergraduate student at the university, killed 32 people and wounded 17 others with two semi-automatic pistols before committing suicide. Six others were injured jumping out of windows to escape Cho. The first shooting occurred at West Ambler Johnston Hall,
246-440: A 9 mm Glock 19 . Cho was seen near the entrance to West Ambler Johnston Hall, a co-ed residence hall that houses 895 students, at about 6:47 a.m. EDT . Normally, the hall is accessible only to its residents via magnetic key cards before 10:00 a.m.; Cho's student mailbox was in the lobby of the building, so he had a pass card allowing access after 7:30 a.m., but it is unclear how he gained earlier entrance to
369-411: A dormitory , where two people were killed; the main attack was a school shooting at Norris Hall, a classroom building, where Cho chained the main entrance doors shut and fired into four classrooms and a stairwell, killing thirty more people. As police stormed Norris Hall, Cho fatally shot himself in the head. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history and remained so for nine years until
492-505: A "fully automatic" or machine pistol, which continues to fire as long as the trigger is held or until all rounds have been fired. The Mauser M712 Schnellfeuer (German for "rapid fire"), a modified Mauser C96 pistol, is a notable example of a true machine pistol. While both types of weapons operate on the same principles, fully automatic weapons must be built more ruggedly to accommodate the heat and stress caused by rapid firing, and it can be difficult (and illegal in most countries) to convert
615-428: A "semi-automatic pistol" or a "self-loading pistol" usually all imply a semi-automatic handgun that is fed by a removable magazine, which discharges one round for each trigger pull. Semi-automatic pistols use one firing chamber that remains fixed in a constant linear position relative to the gun barrel. In contrast, although double-action revolvers can also be fired semi-automatically, their rounds are not fired from
738-491: A 30-day period" and add that killing sprees are "usually accompanied by the commission of another felony." They cite Charles Starkweather and the Beltway Snipers as examples of spree killers. They define serial murder as "the killing of three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a significant cooling-off period between the killings." Under this definition, Andrew Cunanan would be categorized as
861-496: A South Korean-centric perspective not applicable to U.S. culture. South Korea's ambassador to the U.S. and several Korean-American religious leaders called on Korean-Americans to participate in a thirty-two day fast , one day for each victim, for repentance. Foreign Minister Song Minsoon announced that safety measures had been established for South Korean citizens living in the U.S., in an apparent reference to fears of possible reprisal attacks. A ministry official expressed hope that
984-432: A candlelight vigil the night of April 17, at which UVA president John T. Casteen III urged the crowd of students, which overflowed the campus's McIntire Amphitheatre , to continue to move forward to change the world. Some schools also offered or provided cash donations, housing for officers, and additional counseling support for Virginia Tech. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University , who also share
1107-500: A cartridge in one continuous motion. Each pull of the trigger on a DAO semi-automatic pistol requires the same amount of pressure. The Kel-Tec P-11 is an example of a DAO action. DAO semi-automatic pistols are most generally recommended only in the smaller, self-defense, concealable pistols, rather than in target or hunting pistols. A notable exception is the Glock range of pistols, which optimize preset triggers (similar to DAO), but
1230-516: A classroom on the third floor into his office where the door could be locked and went downstairs to investigate along with another professor, Wally Grant, where they were both shot by Cho in the hallway. Grant, who quickly fled into a bathroom, was wounded and survived, but Granata died of his injuries. None of the students locked in Granata's office were hurt or killed. In Room 211 of Intermediate French, Jocelyne Couture-Nowak saw Cho heading towards
1353-651: A machine pistol, in contrast, this can be accomplished by blowback , or, less commonly, by gas operation , harnessing gases produced when the gun is fired. The Desert Eagle is a rare example of a semi-automatic pistol that siphons off some of the gases instead of relying on short recoil operation. A revolver , which uses multiple chambers and a single barrel, and a derringer , which uses multiple chambers and multiple barrels, also fire one round per trigger pull, but achieve this in different ways and as such are not classified as being semi-automatic. A semi-automatic pistol will fire only one shot per trigger pull, in contrast to
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#17327982223361476-440: A mass murderer's identity is learned only after they have committed the crime. The identity of the spree killer, on the other hand, usually becomes known by police while the spree is still in progress. The term rampage killer has also been used sometimes to describe spree killers, especially when a single individual perpetrator: A rampage involves the (attempted) killing of multiple persons at least partly in public space by
1599-522: A matter of weeks. The building is used for offices and laboratories for the Engineering Science and Mechanics and Civil and Environmental Engineering departments, its primary occupants before the shootings. Plans were to completely renovate the building and for it to no longer contain classrooms. The southwest wing of Norris Hall, where the shootings took place, was closed in 2008 and completely renovated in 2008 and 2009. The building now houses
1722-446: A note on one, saying that attempting to open the door would cause a bomb to explode. Shortly before the shooting began, a faculty member found the note and took it to the third floor to notify the school's administration. At about the same time, Cho had begun to shoot students and faculty on the second floor. The bomb threat was never called in. The first call to 9-1-1 was received at 9:42 a.m. Cho geared up in empty Room 200 before
1845-473: A removable box magazine to provide ammunition, which is usually inserted into the grip. However, some pistols are based on receiver -style designs similar to existing semi-automatic rifles , and thus have the magazine inserted separately from the grip. The language surrounding "automatic", "semi-automatic", "self-loading", etc., often causes confusion due to differences in technical usage between different countries and differences in popular usage. For example,
1968-540: A screw-on wooden stock, the C-93 served well as a small pistol carbine . In 1896, Paul Mauser introduced the first model of his Mauser "Broomhandle" semi-automatic pistol, the C96 . This was the first mass-produced and commercially successful pistol to have a large-capacity, staggered-column magazine holding 10 or 20 rounds. Its original cartridge was called 7.63 mm Mauser , which was more powerful but otherwise identical to
2091-461: A semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic mode of fire. A selective-fire action pistol, though, can be converted back and forth by means of a switch, and often includes a burst mode , typically for a three-round burst with each trigger pull. Selective-fire weapons are generally used by specialized law enforcement and security personnel such as SWAT teams, hostage rescue teams, anti-terrorist units, or government bodyguards for heads of state. In
2214-409: A separate entrance. They went up to the third floor, but heard from student Emily Haas, who was wounded and survived in room 211 (Nowak's French class), saying that the gunman was in her classroom as she stayed on the line. As police started to descend the stairwell, Cho had already begun to hear the footsteps. He looked out into the hallway briefly, before walking back into the centre of room 211 towards
2337-431: A serial killer and not a spree killer. In Sexual Homicide , Ressler, Burgess and Douglas gave more emphasis to killings being at more than one location, and less precision about the time span, saying that a single event can last a short or long time, citing Christopher Wilder 's seven-week "murder event" or "killing spree". Douglas wrote that the identity of serial killers is generally unknown until they are caught, and
2460-412: A single chamber, but rather are fired from each of the chambers that are rotated into linear alignment with the barrel's position in turn just prior for each shot fired. Typically, the first round is manually loaded into the chamber by pulling back and releasing the slide mechanism. After the trigger is pulled and the round is fired, the recoil operation of the handgun automatically extracts and ejects
2583-416: A single physically present perpetrator using (potentially) deadly weapons in a single event without any cooling-off period. Semi-automatic pistol A semi-automatic pistol (also called a self-loading pistol , autopistol , or autoloading pistol ) is a handgun that automatically ejects and loads cartridges in its chamber after every shot fired. Only one round of ammunition is fired each time
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#17327982223362706-492: A sports rivalry , also united and created shirts as both a tribute and fundraiser. The front read "Orange and Maroon support Orange and Maroon", in reference to Virginia Tech sharing orange as a school color with Texas and maroon as a color with Texas A&M. The back, meanwhile, read, "The Eyes of Texas are upon you / For your spirit can ne'er be told / In times of greatest tragedy / You have a hand to hold", referencing " The Eyes of Texas " and " Spirit of Aggieland ". Both inside
2829-558: A state panel that police found 203 remaining rounds of ammunition in Norris Hall on Cho and later testified that the armed aggressor was well prepared to continue on. During the two attacks, Cho killed a total of 32 people — 5 faculty members and 27 students — before he committed suicide . The Virginia Tech Review Panel reported that Cho's gunshots wounded seventeen others; six more were injured when they jumped from second-story windows to escape from Librescu's classroom. Sydney J. Vail,
2952-661: A very heavy slide and stiff spring, making them bulky, heavy, and difficult to operate. A somewhat commercially successful blowback pistol design in the more powerful calibers was produced; the Spanish Astra 400 in 9 mm Largo and the similar Astra 600 in 9 mm Parabellum. U.S. manufacturer Hi-Point also produces a line of blowback-operated pistols in several calibers, including 9 mm and .45 ACP. Virtually all other service-caliber pistols are locked-breech designs After Hiram Maxim introduced his recoil-powered machine gun in 1883, several gunsmiths set out to apply
3075-417: Is an example of this style of action. A common mode of carry for DA semi-automatic pistols is with the magazine full, a round chambered, and the gun holstered and uncocked with the external safety unengaged or off. The Taurus PT145 is an example of a DA/SA weapon, as it has no decocker and thus has its striker primed from the moment of chambering and only enters double-action mode if a round fails to fire upon
3198-407: Is condition 1, popularly known as cocked and locked. Condition 1 (a term popularized by Jeff Cooper ) refers to having the magazine full, a round chambered, the hammer fully cocked, and the thumb safety engaged or on, at least for right-handed users. For many single-action, semi-automatic pistols, this procedure works well only for right-handed users, as the thumb safety is located on the left side of
3321-553: Is no evidence that he ever met or talked with her before the murders. In the ensuing investigation, police found a suicide note in Cho's dorm room that included comments about "rich kids", "debauchery", and "deceitful charlatans". On April 18, 2007, NBC News received the package Cho had shipped between the first and second shooting episodes, which contained an 1,800-word manifesto , photos, and 27 digitally-recorded videos in which he likened himself to Jesus Christ and expressed his hatred of
3444-524: Is primary in the differentiation of serial, mass, and spree murderers", later elaborating those spree killers "will engage in the killing acts for days or weeks" while the "methods of murder and types of victims vary". Andrew Cunanan is given as an example of spree killing, while Charles Whitman is mentioned in connection with mass murder and Jeffrey Dahmer with serial killing. In Serial Murder, Ronald M. Holmes and Stephen T. Holmes defines spree murder as "the killing of three or more people within
3567-510: Is someone who commits a criminal act that involves two or more murders in a short time, often in multiple locations. There are different opinions about what durations of time a killing spree may take place in. The United States Bureau of Justice Statistics has spoken of "almost no time break between murders", but some academics consider that a killing spree may last weeks or months, e.g. the case of Andrew Cunanan , who murdered five people over three months. The general definition of spree murder
3690-489: Is two or more murders committed by a person (or people) with no cooling-off period, in contrast to serial murder , where there is a period of time between killings. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has found the category to be of no real value to law enforcement because quantifying a "cooling-off period" is arbitrary. Serial killers commit murders in separate events, at different times. Mass murderers are defined by one incident, with no distinctive period between
3813-483: The 7.65 mm Borchardt cartridge, had been designed in 1893 and made its public debut in 1894. Borchardt based the principle of the C-93's mechanism in large part upon Maxim's toggle-lock. The C-93 featured a locking mechanism modeled after the human knee, which is called Kniegelenk in German (knee joint). The C-93 proved mechanically reliable but was too large and bulky to receive widespread acceptance. Equipped with
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3936-602: The 7.65 mm Borchardt . The Mauser was one of the first self-loading pistols used extensively in battle, notably the Second Boer War of 1899–1902. These pistols were made in 7.63 mm Mauser , or 9×25mm Mauser, along with some models eventually being made in 9 mm Parabellum and a small number in .45 ACP for China. 1898 saw the Schwarzlose Model 1898 , a semi-automatic pistol invented by Prussian firearm designer Andreas Wilhelm Schwarzlose . It
4059-544: The American Psychiatric Association . Cho had previously been diagnosed with selective mutism and severe depression . During much of his middle school and high school years, he received therapy and special education support. After graduating from high school, Cho enrolled at Virginia Tech. Because of federal privacy laws, the university was unaware of Cho's previous diagnoses or the accommodations he had been granted at school. In 2005, Cho
4182-490: The American Red Cross dispatched several dozen crisis counselors to Blacksburg to help students. University officials also allowed students, if they chose, to abbreviate their semester coursework and still receive a grade. The day following the shooting, a memorial event was held at Cassell Coliseum . The event included a speech by then- President George W. Bush . The space reached capacity and overflow seating
4305-543: The Associated Press , raised questions about and speculated on the similarity between a stance in one of Cho's videos that showed him holding and raising a hammer, and a pose from promotional posters for the South Korean film Oldboy . Investigators found no evidence that Cho had ever watched Oldboy , and the professor who made the initial connection has since discounted his theory that Cho was influenced by
4428-686: The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the National Rifle Association (NRA) supported the legislation. The measure passed the House of Representatives on a voice vote on June 13, 2007. The Senate passed the measure on December 19, 2007. President Bush signed the measure on January 5, 2008. On March 24, 2008, the Department of Education announced proposed changes in the regulations governing education records under
4551-632: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Certain changes address issues raised by the Virginia Tech shooting and are intended to clarify for schools the appropriate balance to strike between concerns of individual privacy and public safety. When the citizenship of the shooter became known, South Koreans expressed shock and a sense of public shame, while the government of South Korea convened an emergency meeting to consider possible ramifications. A candlelight vigil
4674-488: The Massengill Report , some of the victims' families called for then- Governor Tim Kaine to relieve Virginia Tech's president, Charles W. Steger , and campus police chief, Wendell Flinchum , of their positions. Kaine refused, reasoning the school officials had "suffered enough". In the hours and days following the shooting, makeshift memorials to those killed or injured began appearing in several locations on
4797-698: The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). It also led to the passage of the first major federal gun control measure in the U.S. since 1994. The law strengthening the NICS was signed by President George W. Bush on January 5, 2008. Administrators at Virginia Tech were criticized by the Virginia Tech Review Panel, a state-appointed panel tasked with investigating the incident, for failing to take action that might have decreased
4920-750: The Orlando nightclub shooting . It remains the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history and the deadliest mass shooting in Virginia history. The attacks received international media coverage and provoked widespread criticism of U.S. gun culture . It sparked debate about gun violence , gun laws , gaps in the U.S. system for treating mental health issues, Cho's state of mind, the responsibility of college administrations, privacy laws , journalism ethics , and other issues. News organizations that aired portions of Cho's multimedia manifesto were criticized by victims' families, Virginia law enforcement officials, and
5043-469: The convocation at Virginia Tech the day after the shootings. The Internal Revenue Service and Virginia Department of Taxation granted six-month extensions to individuals affected by the shootings. Governor Kaine returned early from a trade mission to Japan and declared a state of emergency in Virginia, enabling him to immediately deploy state personnel, equipment, and other resources in the aftermath of
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5166-424: The trigger is pulled, as the pistol's fire control group disconnects the trigger mechanism from the firing pin /striker until the trigger has been released and reset. A semi-automatic pistol recycles part of the energy released by the propellant combustion to move its bolt , which is usually housed inside the slide . After a round of ammunition is fired, the spent cartridge casing is extracted and ejected as
5289-475: The 20th century has been for semi-automatic pistols to replace revolvers for military use, although the transition has been slower in police and civilian use. As of 2011 , revolvers are mainly used in jurisdictions that permit their use for civilian self-defense, hunting, plinking , and target practice. Semi-automatic pistols are by far the most popular for concealed carry by civilians, primary handguns for police and military use, backup guns for police use, and where
5412-452: The 22 students enrolled in the class, 18 were present at the time of the shooting. In addition to the professor, a total of eleven students were killed and another six were injured. The sole uninjured survivor, Clay Violand, played dead and was (alongside a wounded female student) one of only two people to walk out of the room as soon as police arrived. As in Room 207, Cho fired into Room 211 from
5535-698: The Belgian firm of Fabrique Nationale (FN) and later by Colt in the U.S. Browning's first successful design was the Browning M1900 . Like Georg Luger 's work conducted around the same time in Germany, it was designed alongside a in 7.65 mm cartridge, but the 7.65 mm Browning (aka .32 Auto) differs substantially from Luger's 7.65 mm Parabellum . Browning went on to design .25, .38, .380, and .45 ACP cartridges for his semi-automatic pistol designs. Browning must be given credit for developing
5658-780: The Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention, the Biomechanics Cluster Research Center, and the Global Technology Center, as well as other programs. Ambler Johnston Hall was also closed and renovated. The east wing now houses the Honors Residential College, which opened in fall 2011; in fall 2012, the west wing reopened as the Residential College at West Ambler Johnston. After the release of
5781-601: The FN Browning Hi-Power , announced in 1922, during the last years of his life, working on this design until his death in 1926. This was a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol capable of holding 13 rounds in the magazine (plus one chambered). The next notable design was the 7.65 mm Luger by Georg Luger , which although successful in its function, nonetheless failed to have adequate stopping power and failed to win widespread acceptance. In 1902, Luger's subsequent and similar P08 in 9 mm Parabellum overcame
5904-555: The HSMF had reached approximately $ 7 million. In July 2007, Kenneth R. Feinberg , who served as Special Master of the federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, was named to administer the fund's distributions. In October 2007, the families and surviving victims received payments from the fund ranging from $ 11,500 to $ 208,000. Early in June 2007, Virginia Tech announced that it would begin to reoccupy Norris Hall within
6027-410: The U.S. and abroad, the incident also caused many universities to re-examine their own campus safety and security procedures as well as their mental health support services. The International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators convened a Special Review Task Force, which issued its report on April 18, 2008, titled, "The IACLEA Blueprint for Safer Campuses". The report was "a synthesis of
6150-507: The United States, selective-fire weapons are not legally available to civilians unless they live in a state that allows civilian ownership of National Firearms Act or Title II weapons. Self-loading automatic pistols can be divided into "blowback" and "locked breech" categories according to their principle of operation. The blowback operating principle is suitable for smaller, lower-powered calibers, such as .32 ACP and .380 ACP , as
6273-520: The Virginia Tech Foundation announced that $ 3.2 million was moved from the HSMF into 32 separately-named endowment funds, each created in honor of a victim killed in the shooting. This transfer brought each fund to the level of full endowment, allowing them to operate in perpetuity . The naming and determination of how each fund would be directed was being developed with the victims' families. By early June 2007, donations to
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#17327982223366396-459: The ads featuring images of South Korea's culture and natural beauty in between the news reports of the rampage. Hundreds of colleges and universities throughout North America responded to the incident with official condolences and by conducting their own vigils, memorial services, and by other gestures of support. Virginia Tech's traditional sports rival, the University of Virginia (UVA), held
6519-431: The building. At around 7:15 a.m., Cho entered the room that freshman Emily J. Hilscher shared with another student, and shot Hilscher, a 19-year-old from Woodville, Virginia . After hearing the gunshots, a resident assistant , 22-year-old senior Ryan C. Clark of Martinez , Georgia , attempted to aid Hilscher. Cho shot and killed Clark. Hilscher remained alive for three hours after being shot, but no one from
6642-459: The campus. Many people placed flowers and items of remembrance at the base of the Drillfield observation podium in front of Burruss Hall . Later, members of Hokies United, an alliance of student organizations on campus created to respond to shooting, placed thirty-two pieces of Hokie Stone , each labeled with the name of a victim, in a semicircle in front of the Drillfield viewing stand. What
6765-412: The carry and concealment of weapons on a college campus, with the exception of sworn police officers in the conduct of their professional duties". The subsequent Position Statement goes into greater detail. Additionally, the report includes an acknowledgement of the "professionalism and well coordinated response" of all the law enforcement agencies and first responders, and ends its conclusion with "Securing
6888-515: The class of 2011. In the days following the shooting, the campus community received several thousand pieces of artifacts and messages of condolence, arriving from over eighty countries and every state within the U.S. These included artwork, cards, poetry, and original music. These items were later gathered and photographed by the University Library and are available online. President Bush and his wife, First Lady Laura Bush , attended
7011-412: The director of the trauma center at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital , said that Cho's choice of 9 mm hollow-point ammunition increased the severity of the injuries. Between the two pistols, a total of 174 bullets were fired by the assailant during the attacks. Twenty-eight of the victims were shot in the head. The shooter was identified as 23-year-old Seung-Hui Cho, a senior at Virginia Tech. He
7134-435: The door with a large table after graduate assistant Haiyan Cheng ( Chinese : 程海燕 ; pinyin : Chéng Hǎiyàn ), who was substituting for the professor, and a student saw Cho heading toward them. Cho shot through the door about seven times, but failed to force his way in. No one in the classroom was wounded or killed. Across the hall in Room 204, Liviu Librescu , a Holocaust survivor from Romania , forcibly prevented
7257-413: The doorway, and then walked up and down the aisles methodically targeting potential survivors as they tried to hide. He did not say a single word throughout the shooting and occasionally reloaded his weapon in the hallways, before re-entering classrooms to resume shooting. Retracing his path, Cho returned to Room 206. According to a student eyewitness, the movements of a student named Waleed Shaalan, who
7380-586: The doorway. She and student Henry Lee barricaded the door with a few desks while she yelled at students to get down on the floor and under their desks and call 9-1-1. Cho pushed through the barricade and entered the room, killing Nowak and Lee who fell behind the door. A student named Matthew La Porte , who was a trained Air Force ROTC member of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets , charged towards Cho and attempted to tackle him, but died after being shot seven times during his attempt to save his class. Of
7503-439: The first time. Two other students who were also in the room made it out alive. (Cho had entered Room 206 three times.) After his first entry to Room 207, several students had barricaded the door and had begun tending to the wounded. When Cho returned minutes later, Katelyn Carney and spokesperson Derek O'Dell were injured while holding the door closed, but the remaining students survived. In room 205, students had already barricaded
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#17327982223367626-402: The gunman from entering the room by holding the door closed with his body until most of his students escaped through the windows. After kicking open the window screens, the students successfully escaped. Some suffered leg injuries while landing on the ground two floors below, others survived after landing on the shrubbery just below the window and then ran either to some ambulances pulling up or to
7749-420: The hammer or striker may be either thumb-cocked or activated by pulling the trigger when firing the first shot. The hammer or striker is recocked automatically during each firing cycle. In double-action pistols, the first pull of the trigger requires roughly twice as much pressure as subsequent firings, since the first pull of the trigger also cocks the hammer (if not already cocked by hand). The Beretta 92F/FS
7872-479: The hard drive. About an hour after the attack, Cho is believed to have been seen near the campus duck pond. Although authorities suspected Cho had thrown his hard drive and mobile phone into the water, a search by divers was unsuccessful. Almost two hours after the first killings, Cho appeared at a nearby post office and mailed a package of writings and video recordings to NBC News ; these materials proved to be of little investigative value to authorities. The package
7995-440: The incident, the federal government passed the first gun control law in more than a decade. The bill, H.R. 2640 , mandates improvements in state reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) in order to halt gun purchases by criminals, those declared mentally ill, and other people prohibited from possessing firearms, and authorizes up to $ 1.3 billion in federal grants for such improvements. Both
8118-449: The initial lead proved erroneous". The panel made more than seventy preventive recommendations, directed to colleges, universities, mental health providers, law enforcement officials, emergency service providers, law makers and other public officials in Virginia and elsewhere. While the panel did find errors in judgment and procedure, the ultimate conclusion was that Cho himself was responsible for his own actions, and to imply that anyone else
8241-477: The lethal effects of failing to "implement and administer valid procedural and substantive safeguards aimed at securing the broad Va Tech and Blacksburg community against Level II type incidents involving acts of terrorism and mass casualties". The report does not comment on gun control or mental health issues. Some of Cho's family members expressed sympathy for the victims' families and described his history of mental and behavioral problems. Cho's maternal grandfather
8364-493: The movie. The Virginia Tech Review Panel concluded that because of Cho's inability to handle stress and the "frightening prospect" of being "turned out into the world of work, finances, responsibilities, and a family," he chose to engage in a fantasy in which "he would be remembered as the savior of the oppressed, the downtrodden, the poor, and the rejected." The panel went further, stating that, "His thought processes were so distorted that he began arguing to himself that his evil plan
8487-507: The murders. How to distinguish a spree killer from a mass murderer, or a serial killer, is subject to considerable debate, and the terms are not consistently applied even within the academic literature. The United States Bureau of Justice Statistics has defined a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders". The Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment lists five different categories of spree killers and cites Mark O. Barton as an example of
8610-453: The nearest bus stop. Librescu was shot through the door four times. Two others who were lying in a corner near the windows were injured, but survived and described that, after most of their classmates escaped through the windows and after the armed aggressor shot four times through the door, he finally forced his way in. Upon seeing the open windows and hardly any students in the room, Cho confronted Professor Librescu and student Minal Panchal who
8733-400: The number of casualties. The panel's report also reviewed gun laws and pointed out gaps in mental health care as well as privacy laws that left Cho's deteriorating condition untreated when he was a student at Virginia Tech. 37°13′37″N 80°25′19″W / 37.227°N 80.422°W / 37.227; -80.422 The shootings occurred in two separate incidents. The first incident
8856-410: The pin's impact; at other times, it operates as a single-action striker-fired firearm. In contrast, a single-action (SA) semi-automatic pistol must be cocked by first operating the slide or bolt, or, if a round is already chambered, by cocking the hammer manually. The M1911 is an example of this style of action. All SA semi-automatic pistols exhibit this feature and automatically cock the hammer when
8979-420: The pistol and is easily accessible only for those who are holding the pistol in the right hand. Many modern SA semi-automatic pistols have had their safety mechanisms redesigned to provide a thumb safety on both sides of the pistol (ambidextrous), thereby better meeting the needs of left-handed, as well as right-handed users. Many SA semi-automatic pistols have a hammer position known as " half-cocked ". Squeezing
9102-500: The problem of inadequate stopping power and featured a greatly improved Borchardt-type Kniegelenk ("knee-joint") locking mechanism. Unlike Browning's locked-breech design, the barrel in a Kniegelenk design does not tip up and down while the gun is fired, thereby theoretically improving shooting accuracy. Luger's P.08 was adopted by the German military and served as their standard sidearm in World War I . During World War II, Germany
9225-481: The professor, then continued firing, killing nine of the thirteen students in the room and injuring two others. After exiting the classroom, Cho fired down the hall at two students who were fleeing from Room 204 next door. The fleeing students managed to escape down the stairwell across the hall. He also fired at another student and substitute professor from Room 205 who were peering out from the door, but they survived. He went into Room 207, where instructor Jamie Bishop
9348-615: The reports written following the tragedy at Virginia Tech and related recommendations for campus safety by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators". The Task Force made twenty specific recommendations, representing "the Association's priorities for the betterment of campus safety" and reinforcing "key goals and objectives in mitigating and responding to threats at institutions of higher learning." The report states, "IACLEA does not support
9471-408: The resistance of the recoil spring and mass of the slide are sufficient to retard the opening of the breech until the projectile has left the barrel and breech pressure has dropped to a safe level. For more powerful calibers such as the 9 mm Parabellum (9 mm) and .45 ACP , some form of locked-breech is needed to retard breech opening, as an unlocked blowback pistol in these calibers requires
9594-559: The safety of our campuses is an iterative process that requires an institutional and personal commitment from every member of our educational communities. Let these recommendations strengthen that resolve." EQUITAS, a Canada-based think tank specializing in international law , published a report pertaining to the Virginia Tech shooting which includes a review of measures for counterterrorism and campus security adopted between 1993 and April 27, 2003. The report criticizes Virginia Tech's institutional decision-making process and summarizes
9717-461: The same .45 ACP ammunition used in the M1911A1, because of the great demand for handguns and the need to adopt a common cartridge for use in both semi-automatic pistols and revolvers. After World War II, most nations eventually adopted 9 mm Parabellum caliber pistols employing some variant of Browning's locked-breech design for their standard-issue military pistols. The most popular early choice
9840-490: The same principles to handguns, including Maxim. Maxim's designs for smaller firearms using his recoil-powered ideas never went into production. In the 1880s, other designers worked on self-loading designs. The Salvator Dormus was the first semi-automatic pistol followed closely by the Schönberger-Laumann 1892 . The first model to gain any commercial success was Hugo Borchardt 's C-93 , which, together with
9963-510: The school, law enforcement, or hospital notified her family until after she had died. Cho left the scene and returned to his room in Harper Hall , a dormitory west of West Ambler Johnston Hall. While police and emergency medical services units were responding to the shootings in the dorm next door, Cho changed out of his bloodstained clothes, logged on to his computer to delete his e-mails and his student university account, and then removed
10086-956: The second floor, they heard Cho fire his final shot; Cho's body was discovered in room 211, which was Professor Nowak's classroom. In the aftermath, high winds related to the April 2007 nor'easter prevented emergency medical services from using helicopters for evacuation of the injured. Victims injured in the shooting were treated at Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg, Carilion New River Valley Medical Center in Radford , Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem , and Holston Valley Hospital in Kingsport , Tennessee . Virginia Tech first informed students of
10209-576: The second one. He is also noted alongside mass murderers, such as Patrick Sherrill , in the respective entry about mass murder. In The Anatomy of Motive , John E. Douglas cites Charles Starkweather and Andrew Cunanan (who murdered five people over three months) as examples of spree killers, while Jack Levin calls Starkweather a mass murderer and Cunanan a serial killer. In Controversial Issues in Criminology , Fuller and Hickey write that "[t]he element of time involved between murderous acts
10332-458: The seriousness of Cho's problems. The report pointed to failures by the university's counseling center, flaws in Virginia's mental health laws, and inadequate state mental health services, but concluded that "Cho himself was the biggest impediment to stabilizing his mental health" in college. The report also said the classification detail that Cho was to seek "outpatient" rather than "inpatient" treatment would generally have been legally interpreted at
10455-402: The shell casing and reloads the chamber. This mode of operation generally allows for faster reloading and storing a larger number of cartridges than a revolver. Some modern semi-automatic pistols are exclusively double-action (DA or DAO) trigger function; that is, once a round is chambered, each trigger pull cocks the hammer, striker, or firing pin, and additionally releases the same to fire
10578-669: The shooting began. According to several students, he looked into several classrooms, likely to see how many people were in each room. Erin Sheehan, an eyewitness and survivor who had been in Room 207, told reporters that the shooter "peeked in twice" earlier in the lesson and that "it was strange that someone at this point in the semester would be lost, looking for a class". At 9:40 a.m., Cho began shooting. His first attack after entering Norris occurred in an advanced hydrology engineering class taught by G. V. Loganathan in room 206. Thirteen registered students were inside. Cho shot and killed
10701-536: The shooting would not "stir up racial prejudice or confrontation". Some South Koreans criticized the fasting proposal, saying that it directed undue attention on Cho's ethnicity and not other reasons behind the shooting. News reports noted that South Koreans seemed relieved that American news coverage of Cho primarily focused the blame on his psychological problems rather than his race or ethnicity. The Korea Tourism Organization pulled its "Sparkling Korea" television advertisements, saying it would be inappropriate to air
10824-540: The shootings. Governor Kaine later created an eight-member panel, including former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge , to review all aspects of the incident, from Cho's medical history to Virginia Tech's delay in warning students after the initial shooting. In August 2007, the panel concluded, among more than twenty major findings, that the Virginia Tech Police Department "did not take sufficient action to deal with what might happen if
10947-476: The situation via e-mail at 9:26 a.m. This was about two hours after the first shooting, which was thought at the time to be isolated and domestic in nature. After the full extent of the shooting became evident, the university canceled classes for the rest of the week and held an assembly and candlelight vigil the following evening, on April 17. Norris Hall was closed for the remainder of the semester. The university offered counseling for students and faculty, and
11070-430: The slide is first "racked" to chamber a round. A round can also be manually inserted in the chamber with the slide locked back. Then the safety can be applied. It is generally not a good idea to load a round manually as this can cause excessive wear on the extractor as semi-automatic firearms were designed to have cartridges loaded from the bottom via the magazine. The normal mode of carrying an SA semi-automatic pistol
11193-496: The slide/bolt moves rearwards under recoil , the hammer /striker is cocked by the slide/bolt movement, and a new round from the magazine is pushed into the chamber when the slide/bolt returns forward under spring tension. This sets up the following shot, which is fired as soon as the trigger is pulled again. Most pistols use a short recoil operation to perform this, but some pistols use simple blowback or gas operation mechanisms. Most types of semi-automatic pistols rely on
11316-471: The striker is partially cocked back as the slide closes. This allows for significantly shorter trigger pulls than DAO. The trigger spring can be replaced with a lighter one and paired with a low-strength sear connector resulting in lightened trigger pulls to improve a shooter's accuracy (like models G34 and G35 ). Standard modern semi-automatic pistols are usually double-action (DA), also sometimes known as double-action/single-action (DA/SA). In this design,
11439-454: The survivors. Tech students of South Korean descent initially feared they would be targeted for retribution. While no official claims of harassment were made, anecdotal evidence suggests that some Korean students were affected. The shootings occurred as prospective students were deciding whether to accept offers of admission from colleges and universities. Despite this timing, Virginia Tech exceeded its recruiting goal of 5,000 students for
11562-419: The term "automatic pistol" technically refers to a fully automatic machine pistol , which is capable of continuously firing multiple rounds with a single pull of the trigger, although in popular American usage it is also used as a synonym for any self-loading pistol, the vast majority of which are semi-automatic. In colloquial usage, because machine pistols are very rare on the market, an "automatic pistol",
11685-399: The thumb safety (accessible only to right-handed users) positioned in the off (or ready-to-fire) mode. The primary advantage of the half-cocked position versus the uncocked position in that particular scenario was added sound suppression (of the click of the weapon being cocked). A secondary advantage was the avoidance of accidental discharges if the gun was accidentally dropped. The half-cock
11808-461: The time as not requiring that Cho be reported to Virginia's Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE) and entered into the CCRE database of people prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm. Early reports suggested that the killings resulted from a romantic dispute between Cho and Emily Hilscher, one of his first two victims. Hilscher's friends said she had no prior relationship with Cho and there
11931-422: The toll could have been reduced if the university had made an immediate decision to cancel classes and a stronger, clearer initial alert of the presence of a gunman. The incident caused Virginia state lawmakers to re-examine gaps between federal and state gun purchase laws. Within two weeks, Governor Kaine had issued an executive order designed to close those gaps (see Effects on gun politics below). Prompted by
12054-540: The trigger will not fire the gun when it is in the half-cocked position, and neither will dropping the gun in this state cause an accidental discharge. During World War II , in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater , an unofficial and unapproved carry mode for the SA M1911 by left-handed U.S. soldiers in combat was carrying the gun with the magazine full, a round chambered, the action in half-cocked position, and
12177-547: The type of locked-breech action which is commonly used by the vast majority of modern large caliber semi-automatic pistols. One of Browning's most enduring designs was the Colt M1911 , which was adopted by the U.S. military as its service pistol and is in active use since 1911 within some U.S. special forces and Marine units, albeit in modernized forms (the M45A1 Pistol is a prime example). Browning also co-designed
12300-421: The wealthy, while also referring to Columbine High School massacre perpetrators Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as " martyrs ". Cho said, among other things: "You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. ... You just loved to crucify me. You loved inducing cancer in my head, terror in my heart and ripping my soul all this time". Media organizations, including Newsweek , MSNBC , Reuters , and
12423-451: The windows and, just as police reached the second floor, shot himself in the temple with the Glock 19 and died instantly. When police arrived at room 211, they saw Cho lying on the ground with his guns beside him, and some students, who were either injured or playing dead, heard the officer's first words: "Gunman down!". During the investigation, State Police Superintendent William Flaherty told
12546-399: Was autistic , the Massengill Report said the relationship between selective mutism and autism was "unclear". Cho's family sought therapy for him, and he received help periodically throughout middle school and high school . Early reports indicated Cho was bullied for speech difficulties in middle school, but the Virginia Tech Review Panel was unable to confirm this, or other reports that he
12669-632: Was a South Korean citizen with U.S. permanent resident status who was majoring in English . The Virginia Tech Review Panel's August 2007 report ( Massengill Report ) devoted more than twenty pages to Cho's troubled history. At three years of age, he was described as shy, frail, and wary of physical contact. In eighth grade, Cho was diagnosed with severe depression and selective mutism , an anxiety disorder that inhibited him from speaking in certain situations and/or to specific people. While early media reports carried claims by South Korean relatives that Cho
12792-562: Was accommodated at nearby Lane Stadium . Within a day after the shootings, Virginia Tech, whose supporters call themselves "Hokies" – a nickname coined in a school cheer dating to 1896 – formed the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund (HSMF) to help remember and honor the victims. The fund was used to cover expenses including, but not limited to: assistance to victims and their families, grief counseling, memorials, communications expenses, and comfort expenses. Early in June 2007,
12915-431: Was accountable "would be wrong". The Review Panel validated public criticisms that Virginia Tech police erred in "prematurely concluding that their initial lead in the double homicide was a good one" and in delaying a campus-wide notification for almost two hours. The report analyzed the feasibility of a campus lockdown and essentially agreed with police testimony that such an action was not feasible. The report concluded that
13038-405: Was accused of stalking two female students. After an investigation, a Virginia special justice declared Cho mentally ill and ordered him to attend treatment. Because he was not institutionalized, he was allowed to purchase guns. The shooting prompted the state of Virginia to close legal loopholes that had allowed individuals adjudicated as mentally unsound to purchase handguns without detection by
13161-400: Was actually doing good. His destructive fantasy was now becoming an obsession." Police arrived within three minutes after receiving the emergency call from Norris Hall, but officers took about five minutes to enter the barricaded building. When they could not break the chains, an officer shot out a deadbolt lock leading into a laboratory; they then moved to a nearby stairwell. As police reached
13284-505: Was admitted to Virginia Tech, school officials did not report his speech and anxiety-related problems or special education status because of federal privacy laws that prohibit such disclosure unless a student requests special accommodation. The Massengill Report detailed numerous incidents of aberrant behavior, beginning during Cho's junior year, that illustrated his deteriorating mental condition. Several of Cho's former professors reported that his writing as well as his classroom behavior
13407-723: Was adopted by the (normally unarmed) British police in 1911 and by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines before the First World War, revolvers were generally preferred by most British military . In the Soviet Union, the TT pistol replaced the Nagant M1895 revolver during the war. In the United States, the M1911A1 was adopted as the standard military sidearm. Both Colt and Smith & Wesson produced revolvers chambered for
13530-481: Was already wounded, distracted the aggressor from a nearby student after he had returned to the room. Shaalan was shot a second time and died. Also in the same room, another wounded student named Guillermo Colman was shielded from more serious injury by having the body of student Partahi Lumbantoruan placed on top of him, but Colman's various accounts make it unclear whether he pulled Lumbantoruan's body over himself or Lumbantoruan initially landed on Colman after being shot
13653-869: Was chambered for the 7.65×25mm Mauser, but could also shoot the weaker Borchardt ammunition. The Schwarzlose design was most advanced and far ahead of its time, but not widely adopted with less than 1000 pieces being manufactured. Small lots were sold to members of the Russian Social-Democratic Party who were plotting insurrection but were confiscated at the Russian border and issued to the Imperial Russian Frontier Guards. In Belgium , in 1896, American gun designer John Browning developed self-loading semi-automatic pistols. His models were first manufactured in Europe by
13776-551: Was disturbing, and he was encouraged to seek counseling. He was also investigated by the university for stalking and harassing two female students. In 2005, Cho had been declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice and ordered to seek outpatient treatment . Cho's underlying psychological diagnosis at the time of the shootings remains a matter of speculation. The Massengill Report cited misinterpretations of federal privacy laws when it faulted Virginia Tech officials for failing to share information that would have shed light on
13899-527: Was held outside the U.S. embassy in Seoul . South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun expressed condolences, saying that he hoped that the U.S. would recover quickly from the incident. Although Cho came to the U.S. as a third-grader and was a permanent resident , many South Koreans felt guilt and mourned because they considered him a South Korean by "blood" . One South Korean commentator opined that fears of xenophobic reprisals from Americans against them were from
14022-540: Was in West Ambler Johnston Hall , a residence hall where Seung-Hui Cho killed two students. The second incident was in Norris Hall , an academic building on the opposite side of the campus where the other thirty-one deaths occurred, including that of Cho himself, and all the nonlethal injuries occurred. Cho used two semi-automatic pistols during the attacks: a .22-caliber Walther P22 and
14145-419: Was lying on the ground next to the door and fatally shot both in the temple. He then turned to two other students who were taking cover and critically injured them before leaving and re-entering room 206 the third time. At 9:50 am, 10 minutes after the second shooting began, a SWAT team started to enter the building. They were not able to shoot their way through the chain locked entrances, but managed entry via
14268-413: Was originally termed an "intermediate memorial" was modeled after the makeshift memorial. The original pieces of Hokie Stone placed by Hokies United were offered to the families of the victims. The engraved markers are embedded in a semicircle of crushed gravel with a brick walkway for viewing. There is ground lighting for nighttime illumination and two benches, one on either side of the memorial, in honor of
14391-494: Was ostracized and mercilessly bullied for class-, height-, and race-related reasons in high school, causing some anti-bullying advocates to feel that the Review Panel was engaging in an authority-absolving whitewash. Supposedly, high school officials had worked with Cho's parents and mental health counselors to support him throughout his sophomore and junior years. Cho eventually chose to discontinue therapy. When he applied and
14514-477: Was postmarked at 9:01 a.m. Around 9:40 a.m., Cho entered Norris Hall, which housed the Engineering Science and Mechanics program among others. In a backpack, he carried heavy duty chains and locks, a hammer, a knife, two handguns with nineteen 10- and 15-round magazines, and nearly 400 rounds of ammunition. With the locks and chains, he chained the three main entrance doors shut and placed
14637-503: Was quoted in the Daily Mirror referring to Cho as a person who deserved to die with the victims. On April 20, Cho's family issued a statement of grief and apology, written by his sister, Sun-Kyung Cho, a 2004 graduate of Princeton University who was employed as a contractor for a State Department office. In it, she stated: Spree killer Note: Varies by jurisdiction Note: Varies by jurisdiction A spree killer
14760-406: Was revised by Colt in the 1970s and subsequently other manufacturers – the hammer will fall from half-cock if the trigger is pulled on most newer 1911 type guns. A self-loading pistol reloads the chamber with a new round automatically each time the weapon is fired, without additional action being required by the user. For a semi-automatic pistol, this is typically accomplished by recoil operation. In
14883-435: Was teaching Introductory German. Cho shot Bishop and some students near the door, then walked down the aisle shooting more victims. Bishop and four students were killed; six other students were shot and wounded. Cho then moved on to Norris 211 and 204, where he was initially prevented from entering due to barricades erected by instructors and students. Hearing the commotion from below, Kevin Granata guided twenty students from
15006-597: Was the FN Browning Hi-Power mentioned above; another popular model was the locked-breech Walther P38 because of its many safety features. Over the course of the postwar 20th century, additional popular semi-automatic pistols were introduced, including the Smith & Wesson Model 59 , Beretta 92 , CZ 75 , Glock , SIG Sauer P226 , Walther P88 , Heckler & Koch USP , Kel-Tec P-11 , and Kel-Tec P-32 , among many other models. The almost universal trend since
15129-573: Was the first nation to adopt a double-action pistol, the Walther P38 , which could be carried loaded (with a cartridge chambered) and ready to fire without the risk of an accidental discharge if dropped. The P38 also used Luger's 9 mm Parabellum cartridge. Revolvers were still issued by various major powers, but their use was decreasing. Though the British firm Webley & Scott had developed several adequate self-loading pistols, one of which
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