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In the aftermath, high winds 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, and
Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem.
Perpetrator
The shooter was 23-year-old Cho Seung-hui (hangul: ??? ) living in Virginia. An
undergraduate at Virginia Tech, Cho lived in Harper Hall, a dormitory west of
West Ambler Johnston Hall. A spokesman for Virginia Tech has described him as a
"loner." Several former professors of Cho have stated that his writing was
disturbing and he was encouraged to seek counseling. He had also been
investigated by the university for stalking and harassing female students. In
2005, Cho had been declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice and
ordered to seek outpatient treatment.
Cho's motives for the killings remain unclear. Early reports suggested that the
killing was the result of a domestic dispute between Cho and previously alleged
girlfriend Emily Hilscher; she was later revealed to have had no prior
relationship with Cho. The rumor stemmed from the police deciding that
Hilscher's boyfriend was a person of interest, but he was not named by police at
the time.
During the investigation, police found a suicide note in Cho's dorm room,
including rants about "rich kids," "debauchery," and "deceitful charlatans" on
campus. On April 18, 2007, NBC News received a package from Cho timestamped
between the first two murders and the rest of the massacre two hours later. It
contained an 1,800 word manifesto, pictures, and 23 digital videos. In the
videos Cho compared himself to Jesus Christ and expressed his hatred of the
wealthy.
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