Cho's background incidents
Saira Haider and Kevin Anderson, CT News Staff
Thursday, April 19 2007
A package containing videos and photos from gunman Cho Seung-Hui was mailed to NBC between the shootings at West Ambler-Johnston Hall and Norris Hall on Monday.
NBC President Steve Capus said the package arrived to the studio in New York late on Tuesday and sent to headquarters at about 11 a.m.
The return address said "A Ishmael" instead of Cho's name.
The package contained a 1,800-word message in which Cho said, "When the time came, I did it, I had to."
Thirty-two people were shot to death before Cho, a 23 year-old English major, took his own life on Monday.
At a press conference held yesterday morning around 10:10 a.m., police reported that the gunman had been accused of stalking two females in 2005 and had been taken to a mental health facility the same year.
The female from the first stalking incident filed in November and December of 2005 called in the police concerning Cho's phone calls and e-mails. The student declined to press charges. After these incidents, Cho had no further contact with her. The outcome of that report is outside the scope of the police department, Flinchum said.
At a press conference at 4:30 p.m., Vice President of University Relations, Larry Hincker, announced a small list of the confirmed victims in Norris Hall.
Of those identified include: sophomore Ross Abdallah Alameddine, master's student Matthew Gregory Gwaltney, freshman Emily Jane Hilscher, sophomore Matthew Joseph La Porte, sophomore Henry J. Lee, freshman Lauren Ashley McCain, master's student Minal Hiralal Panchal, Ph.D. student Waleed Mohamed Shaalan and professor Liviu Librescu.
Hincker stated that he has spoken with these families, and that there have been student affairs liaisons assigned provide services for them.
The parents of Cho Seung-Hui were worried that he might be suicidal. Out of concern for Cho, Virginia Tech Police asked him to speak with a counselor. An order was obtained, and Cho was taken to a mental health facility, said Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum.
Cho was evaluated by a mental health agency called Access. He was not evaluated by the Cook Counseling Center on Tech's campus because Access has the power to commit people when they need to be committed, Flinchum said.
Police believe that Cho's decision for counseling was voluntary, but they are not positive.
Many of the records of the counseling sessions are not available, even upon death or to Cho's parents, said Chris Flynn, director of the Cook Counseling Center
Tech police responded to a threat received by university operators. The increased presence of people led to many rumors, and a suspicious person was reported on campus. The building was cleared, and it was reported that the suspicious person was unfounded, Flinchum said.
After police searched Cho's room in Harper Hall on Tuesday, writing samples were found, but they do not express any threatening intentions or criminal activity, Flinchum said. No official report was filed. No medication was found in the room either.
The crime scene is wrapping up, possibly as early as today, said Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Steven Flaherty, who also confirmed that authorities have talked to Cho's roommates. Neither of the two women who were targeted were victims of Monday's shootings.
The investigation is now an examination of evidence obtained from the scene. Police are still identifying victims by collecting information. They are speeding the process along, Flaherty said.
Hincker stated that the Board of Visitors is not meeting to discuss later school closures. Class will continue on Monday and graduation commencements are still scheduled for May 11. Each college will be determining how to treat missed classes and final exams.
The spring football game that was scheduled for this Saturday will be canceled. Steger is either in the process of meeting with the parents of victims or has already met with them, Hincker said.
No other incidents since 2005 involving Cho are known to the police besides the Norris Hall shooting.
There is still no connection between the shooting incident where a male resident advisor was killed in West Ambler-Johnston Hall and the shootings in Norris besides that one of the two firearms were used in both incidents.
Funeral services for Librescu have been held in New York.