by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 16, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

orror struck the sleepy campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., at 7:10 AM when a yet-to-be identified gunman—reportedly an Asian male in his mid-twenties—killed two students inside West Ambler Johnston coed dormitory. No one knows yet whether the killer was a student or any other details. Two hours later the same gunman managed to travel across campus killing 30 other students and faculty on the second floor of engineering building Norris Hall, before turning the gun on himself in the worst shooting incident in U.S. history. Instead of locking down and evacuating the campus after the first incident, campus security e-mailed students at 9:26 AM, warning them to keep an open eye. “A shooting incident occurred at West Amber Johnston early this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating,” warning students to be cautious and notify police about suspicious behavior.

      At a hastily called press conference, Virginia Tech's president Charles Steger and police chief Wendell Flinchum tried to answer questions. “We had no reason to suspect any other incident was going to occur,” said Steger, admitting they saw the first incident as an unresolved domestic dispute. With the killer on the loose, it's unfathomable that campus security would allow students and faculty to resume business as usual. Admitting that he saw no need for further action, Steger exposed VT to massive liability from a clearly negligent response. “Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions,” Steger told the media. “The university is shocked and indeed horrified,” giving some clues into the panicked state of both administration and law enforcement following the first incident. When the gunman struck a second time, chaos broke out.

      Speculation as to the motives of the gunman won't undo the damage from the university's delayed response, permitting the major incident over two hours later. Minutes after the first incident, the campus should have been swarming with police and swat teams to track down the killer. Allowing over two hours to lapse before the massacre at Norris Hall defies comprehension. VT police chief Flinchum confirmed the presence of a lone gunman, using, unofficially, two semiautomatic handguns. Eyewitnesses reported between 50-100 rounds were fired, leaving 33 dead, including the gunman, and 28 known injuries, some serious, treated at local hospitals. “What happened today, this was ridiculous,” student Jason Piatt told CNN. “While they send out that e-mail, 20 more people got killed,” questioning the police response, leaving, actually, 30 possibly avoidable deaths.

      Monday's massacre took place nearly eight years after the Columbine High School murders April 20, 1999, leaving 12 students and one teacher dead. Speculation then centered on the teenagers' use of antidepressants, possibly causing them to go ballistic. While few details about the VT killings have emerged, it's clear the shooter was well-armed with extra clips to account for the high bullet count, some speculating about 100, 9 mm rounds discharged. Without releasing many details, local police and the FBI ruled out a terrorist attack. When the dust settles, it's more likely that extreme jealousy, possibly paranoia or some twisted vendetta might have pushed an otherwise rational human being over the edge. Rampages aren't confined to the schoolyard or post office, leaving warning signs for those that want to take a hard look to prevent future violent episodes.

      Sending out an e-mail at 9:26 AM warning students about the first incident didn't take adequate precaution to protect other bystanders on campus. Police and university officials knew the killer remained at large. “We can only make decisions based on the information you had at the time. You don't have an hour to reflect on it,” said Steger, admitting his office knew the killer was not in custody. Allowing a killer to roam the campus without immediately notifying security to evacuate occupied buildings makes no sense. Steger and his security officials had over two hours to notify students and faculty to evacuate the campus until the killer was neutralized. Reports of execution style killings at Norris Hall over two hours after the 7:10 AM dorm shootings clearly indicate that university officials could have done more. No one should have been on campus after the first incident.

      VT students, faculty and administration will be in shock for some time following the worst killing spree in U.S. history. No one expects university officials to be psychic or stop ballistic behavior before it occurs. But once violence takes place, officials have an obligation to protect bystanders from further acts of aggression. Waiting over two hours between incidents without evacuating students and campus personnel added to the extent of the tragedy. It's not rocket science to have an emergency plan in place when a known killer remains on the loose. While hindsight's always 20/20, it's reasonable to ask whether the university did enough to protect students and faculty before the massacre at Norris Hall. “We are in the process of identifying victims and we are in the process of notifying next of kin,” said Steger, acting after-the-fact like the university now has some plan in place.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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