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Police hunt for Virginia Tech killer's motives
(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-04-19 07:05
Police pored over the writings of a student who massacred 32 people at
Virginia Tech university as they searched yesterday for further clues to
why he went on the worst shooting rampage in modern US history.
A chilling portrait of Cho has emerged from accounts of fellow students
and teachers and from writings for his English degree that were dominated
by disillusioned, violent characters.
"I felt he was a very lonely, isolated kind of person the whole time,"
Lucinda Roy, an English professor who taught Cho, told CNN on Tuesday.
"He would always wear sunglasses even inside, and a cap."
As students and teachers grieved, police said they were examining Cho's
"considerable" writings for clues about what may have sparked Monday's
rampage on the rural campus.
Above: Students take part in a candlelight vigil a day after the killings
at Virginia Tech on Tuesday. Inset: A Virginia Tech cadet plays taps
during a vigil on the campus on Tuesday. [Reuters]
The Washington Post and other media quoted police sources as saying Cho
left a note attacking what he called rich, spoiled students. Police said
there was no suicide note.
He was found with the words "Ismael Ax" written in red ink on one of his
arms, the Post reported law enforcement sources as saying. It was unclear
what the words meant.
Probe into response
With many students still angry about the university's failure to shut
down the campus after the first shooting, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine was
working to appoint a team of independent officials to examine the
response.
Neighbors, roommates and teachers described Cho as a withdrawn person who
rarely talked to anyone. Two students who said they were Cho's roommates
said he had harassed several female students and once told them he wanted
to kill himself, which prompted the roommates to report concerns about
him to the police.
The massacre has revived the debate over US gun control laws, which are
the most lenient in the Western world. But it appeared unlikely the
shooting would lead to stricter laws or have much impact on the 2008
presidential race because most leading candidates already favor gun
controls and are unlikely to gain by pushing the issue.
President George W. Bush, in an interview on NBC on Tuesday, refused to
answer questions on the gun control issue.
"Now is not the time," he said. "I'm more interested in helping people
heal right now. And that's why we're here."
The university, which has 25,000 full-time students, held a memorial
service and candle-lit vigil on Tuesday as students struggled with shock
and grief. Piles of stuffed animals, flowers and slips of papers with
scrawled memories and messages to the victims were growing up around the
campus.
"Rest in peace fellow Hokies," said one handwritten note, a reference to
the nickname of the school's athletic teams. "I will never forget you."
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