BLACKSBURG, VA—Following the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history, the mood of the Virginia Tech campus was solemn. Students and family members gathered quietly, as hundreds of reporters from all over covered the campus in this small town. Despite the tragedy, the ultimate message from students, faculty, staff, and their families was one of hope and unity.
Tragedy struck Virginia Tech on Monday when a gunman—later identified as 23-year-old South Korean student Cho Seung-Hui—shot and killed 32 people before taking his own life. According to local media reports, 26 other students were hospitalized with injuries.
The shootings began in a dormitory, West Ambler Johnston Hall, on Virginia Tech's 2,600-acre main campus, and ended two hours later in Norris Hall, an engineering building.
Shooting Victim's Family in Shock
Randa Samaha, a sophomore at Virginia Tech, spoke to The Epoch Times about her family's anguish as they tried to locate her younger sister, Reema, who was in a French class in Norris Hall at the time of the shooting.
Randa said that when the shooting started, she received a cell phone text message from Reema. She then tried to contact Reema, but could not find her, and thought that her sister might have left school. But after not receiving any news about Reema, the family began to worry. Later that morning, her family learned from the hospital that Reema was dead.
Randa said the tragedy had happened so suddenly that she and her family had not had time to think about the impact it would have on their family.
Randa did not attach any significance to the ethnicity of the shooter, saying it was "an individual action and did not represent any race".
University Community Strong After Shooting
Michael DuVall, an interpreter for a hearing impaired student, was scheduled to be in class with his student when the shootings took place, but the student cancelled at the last minute due to a death in the family. "I'm very happy my student wasn't there," said DuVall, "but I feel horrible for the other students."
DuVall also expressed support for the school. "I think the university was taken a great deal of criticism for how the situation was handled, but I think it did a fantastic job."
Calling the tragedy "a horrible incident that could have happened anywhere," Patty Zadrozny, who has two children attending Virginia Tech, a freshman and a senior, also feels that the school is not to blame. "If I had another child coming to school, I would send them here too," said Zadrozny.
Virginia Tech alumnus Drew Lichtenberger identifies with the motto of the university, Ut Prosim —That I May Serve. "That means not only service to the community, service to the world," said Lichtenberger, "but it also means service to each other."
Lichtenberger took the week off of work to help support the Tech community. Referring to the fact that many are beginning to point fingers about the incident, Lichtenberger said, "[That's] just not the spirit that's going to help us. We need to revive the spirit of service, which is love; it's compassion, it's forgiveness."
Beginning to Grieve for the Shooting Victims
Virginia Tech and it's surrounding community took the first steps in grieving on Tuesday, just a mere 24 hours after the second round of shootings took place. A convocation ceremony on the university campus was attended by thousands of students, faculty, and community members and the international media.
Virginia State Governor Tim Kaine and President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush also attended in a show of solidarity. Governor Kaine and his wife were in Japan when the news of the shooting reached them, and traveled all night to join the convocation ceremony.
"Even in the midst of the darkest day in the history of this campus, what you showed to the world yesterday was an amazing thing," said Governor Kaine.
President Bush Addresses Shooting Survivors, Campus Community
President Bush also offered words of sympathy and encouragement. "It is a day of sadness for our entire nation," said the President. "At such times as this, we look for sources of strength to sustain us," he continued. "Resources of strength are in this community, this college community. You have a compassionate and resilient community here at Virginia Tech."
President George Bush has ordered flags to fly half-mast at all government building between April 17 and 22 in mourning for the victims.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, since 1966 there have been 89 shooting deaths at various U.S. universities and college campuses. The murders at Virginia Tech campus are by far the worst in U.S. history.
It was nine years ago this week that 13 people were killed at Columbine High School in Colorado—what was one of the worst campus shootings before Monday's tragedy.
Virginia Tech was established in 1872 and is situated in the small town of Blacksburg, Virginia, 36 miles southwest of Roanoke. The total student population, on and off campus, is 28,469, with 26,370 students living in on-campus housing.
Genevieve Long in New York contributed to this article.