The Virginia Tech Massacre in April, 2007 was the worst campus shooting in American history. More information continues to be unveiled still, even after more than 2 years. The state official report now has been revised to show that some members of the response team warned their own families some 90 minutes before students in Amber Johnson dorm were warned.
West Amber Johnson Residence Hall was the site of the first shootings, where Emily Hilscher lost her life. Emily’s family was not notified of the shootings for over 3 hours, even though their daughter was critically wounded and had been taken to 2 hospitals. Ryan “Stack’ Clark, the popular Tech band member with the double academic major was also killed at this time, at West Amber Johnson. The coroner in Mr. Clark’s hometown in Columbia County, Ga., delivered the news of his death to his mother. The victims are pictured at this New York Times Victims Site.
According to the New York Times:
At least two members of the university’s Policy Group, which was assembled to manage the crisis, let their own families know of the first two shootings, in the residence hall, more than 90 minutes before the group warned the rest of the campus. The new report also says that the university president’s office was locked down about 30 minutes before a formal warning was issued to the rest of the campus.
The original report, issued in 2007, concluded that university officials could have saved lives by notifying students and faculty members earlier about the killings on campus.
But the new report said the local police took more than half an hour longer than was initially believed to begin looking for a suspect, a fact first reported by The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
All but 2 families have agreed to not sue the school. The new report will be released on Friday by Governor Tim Kaine who has resisted requests from the families of the victims to reopen the investigation. The New York Times got a copy of the report from a victiim’s family.
Calls by victims’ families to reopen the investigation grew stronger in July, after some of Mr. Cho’s missing mental-health records were discovered in the home of the former director of the university’s counseling clinic. The discovery raised new questions about the rigor of the state’s investigation into the shootings.
But an official from the governor’s office said the new report did not alter the state’s initial findings.
Governor Kaine also added:
In a news release on Friday, Governor Kaine said many of the recommendations in the original report were enacted during the 2008 session of the General Assembly, including the clarification of information-sharing procedures and involuntary commitment criteria, mandatory creation of emergency plans for colleges and universities, restrictions on firearm access for those adjudicated mentally ill, and the investment of $41 million in the state’s mental-health operations
The Washington Post carries a more scathing report including descriptions of the time line discrepancies. Some parents still feel there are discrepancies and that the state is handing out its usual spin on the subject.
The state document can be downloaded at the above New York Times site or at the Washington Post site.
That fateful day of April 16 in 2007 was a sad day for the nation and an especially sad day for Virginia. For the friends and families of those at Va Tech, it is simply unimaginable. Virginia needs to come clean and vow to never let something like this happen again. I hope that my state has been completely honest.
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This disgusts me.
Which part disgusts you? The mass murder disgusts me.
As long as Tech and Virginia have been as honest and forthright as possible, I am ok with their responses. No one expects anyone to respond perfectly at a time when something this horrific is going on. How do you prepare for Columbine? VA Tech? 9-11? Fort Hood?
We can learn from each other them. However when different circumstances are plopped down in the middle of a new environment and a new scene arises, it is hard to say exactly what to do. Sometimes we just have to rely on common sense and gut reaction.
I mean it disgusts me that the admin. seems to have covered their tracks and their own behinds. If everyone has been honest, that’s one thing. But if there is a cover-up, some heads need to roll.
I hope there is no cover up. I think that people there might still be shell shocked. There is also the fear of being dragged into a lawsuit. There are still those 2 families out there who weren’t part of the settlement.