Virginia Tech massacre timeline

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Norris Hall, where 30 people died
Norris Hall, where 30 people died
Virginia Tech massacre
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This timeline of events from the Virginia Tech massacre lists times in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4).

The official timeline was compiled by TriData Corp, a division of defense contractor System Planning Corp., for use by the eight-member panel appointed by Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine.[1][2]

Contents

[edit] Background

[edit] 2003

[edit] 2004

January

  • Cho started trading on eBay with ID "blazers5505".[4]

[edit] 2005

Fall

  • Andy Koch, Cho's suitemate, took Cho out to some parties at the start of the fall semester in 2005. At one party, Cho did get "tipsy" enough that he opened up and began talking about his virtual love life. He said he had an imaginary girlfriend named Jelly, and that she was "a supermodel that lived in space." Jelly had a nickname for Cho -- Spanky.[5]
  • Andy Koch along with John Eide snooped in Cho's belongings and "found nothing more threatening than a pocketknife."[6]

Fall poetry class

  • Prof. Nikki Giovanni requested that Cho either change the sinister content of his poems or drop the class. Cho responded, "You can't make me."[7]

Removed from poetry class

  • Lucinda Roy, co-director of the creative writing program removed Cho from Prof. Giovanni's class and tutored him one-on-one. When Cho refused to go to counseling, Roy notified the Division of Student Affairs, the Cook Counseling Center, the Schiffert Health Center, the Virginia Tech police and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.[7]

Fall writing class

  • Prof. Lisa Norris, who had Cho in her class, alerted the associate dean of students, Mary Ann Lewis, who could find "no mention of mental health issues or police reports" on Cho.[7]

Sunday, November 27

  • A female student filed a report with the Virginia Tech campus police indicating that Cho had made "annoying" contact with her on the internet,[5] by phone and in person. The investigating officer referred Cho to the school's disciplinary system, the office of judicial affairs,[8] which is separate from the police department.[9]

Monday, December 12

  • Another female student, a friend of Andy Koch,[5] filed a report with the Virginia Tech campus police complaining of "disturbing" instant messages from Cho. She requested that Cho "have no further contact with her."[10][11][12]

Tuesday, December 13

  • Virginia Tech campus police notified Cho that he was to have no further contact with the female student.
  • In response to receiving the instant message from Cho, Andy Koch, Cho's roommate, notified the resident advisor and phoned Cho's father.[14] Both Koch and Cho's father alerted Virginia Tech campus police that Cho had sent Koch a suicidal instant message.
  • Virginia Tech campus police took Cho off campus to a voluntary counseling evaluation at New River Community Services,[10] where he was examined by Kathy Goodbey. Goodbey determined that he was "mentally ill and in need of hospitalization."[15]
  • Cho's paperwork, declaring Cho "an imminent danger to self or others," was sent to court.
  • Cho was transported to Carilion St. Albans Psychiatric Hospital where psychologist Roy Crouse determined that Cho "presents an imminent danger to himself as a result of mental illness."

Wednesday, December 14

  • Cho's paperwork was sent to special Justice Paul M. Barnett, who certified the finding and ordered follow-up treatment.[17][18]
  • Neither the court, the university nor community services officials followed up on the judge's order, according to dozens of interviews. Cho never got the treatment, according to authorities who have seen his medical files.[15]

[edit] 2006

Fall

  • Cho enrolled in Professor Brent Stevens's English 3984 class, "Special Studies: Contemporary Horror. - 'not for the faint of heart' ." In that class he analyzed The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and explored in papers and a "fear journal" how "horror has become a masochistic pleasure."[19] Cho later sold his textbooks on eBay-affiliated site half.com. The textbooks that were sold included "Men, Women, and Chainsaws" by Carol J. Clover, a book that explores gender in the modern horror film. Others include "The Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre"; and "The Female of the Species: Tales of Mystery and Suspense" by Joyce Carol Oates - a book in which the publisher writes: "In these and other gripping and disturbing tales, women are confronted by the evil around them and surprised by the evil they find within themselves."[20][21]

[edit] 2007

Friday, February 2

Friday, February 9

March

  • Cho stayed in a Roanoke motel and hired a dancer, Chastity Frye, for a one hour performance.[26]

Monday, March 12

Tuesday, March 13

Thursday, March 22

  • Cho showed up at the PSS Range, an indoor pistol range in Roanoke, and spent an hour practicing, buying four ammunition magazines for the Glock 19. Range employees, investigators later said, remembered a young Asian man videotaping himself inside a van in the parking lot.[27]

Thursday, March 22

  • Using the handle "Blazers5505" on eBay, Cho purchased two 10-round magazines for the Walther P22 from "bullelk14"[30] of Elk Ridge Shooting Supplies in Idaho.[31][32]

Friday, March 23

  • Cho purchased three additional 10-round magazines from "oneclickshooting", another eBay seller.[33][34]

Late March, (exact date uncertain)

  • Cho rented a room in another local hotel and was visited by a dancer from an escort service.[35]

Saturday, March 31 (April 7, April 8 and April 13)

  • Cho purchased additional ammunition magazines, ammunition and a hunting knife from Wal-Mart.[27][36]

-- unknown date

  • Cho purchased additional ammunition magazines from Dick’s Sporting Goods and chains from a Home Depot.[36]

Sunday, April 8,

Friday, April 13

  • Bomb threats to Torgersen, Durham, and Whittemore Halls were called in anonymously. An additional bomb threat, this time to engineering school buildings, was found at the shooting scene at Norris Hall.[37] Virginia Tech police chief Wendell Flinchum has stated that the bomb threats are not linked to the April 16, 2007, massacre;[38] however, a written bomb threat similar to the ones that were phoned in was found in Suite 2121 of Harper Hall,[39] Cho's dormitory room.[40]

Saturday, April 14

  • Witnesses saw a "suspicious looking man with a hooded sweatshirt" near the entrance to Norris Hall, and some of the doors chained shut around the same time.[41]

Sunday, April 15

  • Cho phoned his family in Fairfax County.[28]

[edit] Event

Aerial photo showing location of Norris and West Ambler Johnston Halls.
Aerial photo showing location of Norris and West Ambler Johnston Halls.

Monday, April 16

  • 5:00 a.m.: While in Suite 2121 of Harper Hall,[39] Joseph E. "Joe" Aust,[3] one of Cho's five roommates, noticed that Cho was awake and at his computer.[27]
  • Around 5:30 a.m.: Karan Grewal, one of Cho's other roommates, noticed Cho, clad in boxer shorts and a T-shirt, brushing his teeth and applying acne cream after Grewal finished an "all-nighter" of study in Suite 2121. Grewal did not see Cho after this point.[42]
  • Between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m.: Aust saw Cho return from the bathroom, get dressed, and leave.[43]
  • Before 7:00 a.m.: Cho was seen waiting outside an entrance to West Ambler Johnston Hall.[44]
  • Before 7:15 a.m.: Emily Hilscher was dropped off at her dormitory by her boyfriend, Karl D. Thornhill, with whom she had spent the night.[45]
  • 7:15 a.m.: A 9-1-1 emergency call to Virginia Tech campus police reported a shooting at West Ambler Johnston Hall, leaving Ryan Christopher Clark, the resident advisor, dead and Emily Hilscher fatally wounded in Room 4040,[4] which housed Hilscher.[46][47][48]
  • Between 7:15 am and 9:01 am: Cho returned to his dormitory room to reload and left a "disturbing note."[49]
  • 7:30 a.m.: Investigators from VT PD and Blacksburg PD arrived.
  • Between 7:30 am and 8:00 am: Heather Haugh, Emily Hilscher's friend and roommate, arrived to meet her to go to chemistry class together. When she asked about Hilscher, Haugh was questioned by detectives and gave them the information that Hilscher would usually spend weekends with her boyfriend, Karl Thornhill, at his off-campus townhouse. She explained that on Monday mornings Thornhill would drop off Hilscher and go back to Radford University where he was a student, and that Thornhill was an avid gun user. This led the police to seek him out as a "person of interest."[27][50][45]
  • 8:00 a.m.: Classes at Virginia Tech began.
  • Around 8:00 a.m.: West Ambler Johnston was locked down; a third floor resident assistant notified students of the lockdown. Aimee Kanode, a freshman, stated that police lifted the lockdown shortly before the Norris Hall attacks.[51]
  • 8:25 a.m.: Virginia Tech leadership team met to develop a plan on how to notify students of the homicide. Meanwhile, police stopped Karl Thornhill, in a vehicle off-campus and detained him for questioning.
  • 9:00 a.m.: Virginia Tech leadership team was briefed on the latest events in the ongoing dormitory homicide investigation.
  • 9:01 am: Cho mailed a U.S. Postal Service express parcel from Blacksburg P.O. to NBC headquarters in New York, containing pictures of him holding weapons, an 1,800-word diatribe and a video clip alluding to the coming massacre.[52]
  • 9:05 am: Jocelyne Couture-Nowak's Intermediate French Class in Norris 211 began.[53]
  • Around 9:05 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.: Cho was seen in Norris Hall, an Engineering building. Using the chains he had purchased at Home Depot, Cho chained the building's entry doors shut from the inside in order to stop anyone from escaping.[36][54]
  • 9:26 a.m.: E-mails were sent to campus staff, faculty, and students informing them of a "shooting incident" at the West AJ dormitory.[55]
    Elementary French class students take cover in Holden Hall Room 212
    Elementary French class students take cover in Holden Hall Room 212
  • Around 9:30 am: A female student walked into Norris 211 and alerted the occupants that a shooting occurred at West Ambler Johnston.[53]
  • 9:42 a.m.: Students in the engineering building, Norris Hall, made a 9-1-1 emergency call to alert police that more shots had been fired.[28][56][57]
  • 9:45 a.m.: Police arrived three minutes later and found that Cho had chained all three entrances shut.[28]
  • Between 9:30 and 9:50 am: Using the .22 caliber Walther P22 and 9 millimeter Glock 19 handgun with 17 magazines of ammunition, Cho shot 60 people, killing 30 of them.[36] Cho's rampage lasted for approximately nine minutes.[5] A student in Room 205 noticed the time remaining in class shortly before the start of the shootings.[6]
  • Around 9:40 a.m.: Students in Norris 205, while attending Haiyan Cheng's[7] issues in scientific computing class, heard Cho's gunshots. The students, including Zach Petkewicz, barricaded the door and prevented Cho's entry.[8]
  • 9:50 a.m.: After arriving at Norris Hall, police took 5 minutes to assemble the proper team, clear the area and then break through the doors.[58] They used a shotgun to break through the chained entry doors. Investigators believe that the shotgun blast alerted the gunman to the arrival of the police.[36] The police heard gunshots as they enter the building. They followed the sounds to the second floor.
  • 9:50 a.m.: A second e-mail announcing: "A gunman is loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows" was sent to all Virginia Tech email addresses. Loudspeakers broadcast a similar message.[56]
  • 9:51 a.m.: As the police reached the second floor, the gunshots stopped. Cho's shooting spree in Norris Hall lasted 9 minutes.[59] Police officers discovered that after his second round of shooting the occupants of room 211 Norris, the gunman fatally shot himself in the temple.[9][60]
  • 10:17 a.m: A third e-mail was sent to notify about the cancellation of classes and advise people to stay where they are.[61]
  • 10:52 a.m.: A fourth e-mail was sent to warn of "a multiple shooting with multiple victims in Norris Hall," saying the shooter has been arrested and that police are hunting for a possible second shooter. The entrances to the campus buildings were locked.[62]
  • 12:00 p.m.: At a press conference, authorities said there may have been more than 21 people killed and twenty-eight injured.[63]
  • 12:42 p.m.: University President Charles Steger announced that police were releasing people from buildings and that counseling centers were being set up.
  • 1:06 p.m.: The death toll had risen to 22.
  • 1:43 p.m.: News stations confirmed that there were two separate shootings in a 2 hour period.
  • 4:30 p.m.: A university statement confirmed that there had been at least 31 deaths at Norris Hall, including the shooter.(mp3)
  • 5:31 p.m.: News stations reported that Cho shot himself in the face.
  • 7:30 p.m.: A news conference confirmed the number of weapons used, and a possible identification of the suspect that would not be released at that time.
  • 8:22 p.m.: News stations confirmed that Cho wore a bullet-proof vest.
  • 9:06 p.m.: Police knocked on the door of Suite 2121, alerting Grewal and informing him that Cho killed the people in Norris and West Ambler Johnston halls.[10]

[edit] Aftermath

Tuesday, April 17

  • 9:15 a.m.: Virginia Tech Police Department released name of shooter as Cho Seung-Hui and confirmed the death toll of 33.[64]
  • 9:30 a.m.: Virginia Tech announced that classes would be canceled "for the remainder of the week to allow students the time they need to grieve and seek assistance as needed."[64]
  • 2:00 p.m.: A convocation ceremony was held at the university community at Cassell Coliseum. President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine were among the many people in attendance.
Virginia Tech students mourn their fallen friends at a candlelight vigil.
Virginia Tech students mourn their fallen friends at a candlelight vigil.
  • 8:00 p.m.: A candlelight vigil was held on the University Drillfield.[65]

Wednesday, April 18

  • 8:25 a.m.: A SWAT team entered Burruss Hall, a campus building next to Norris Hall. No explanation was immediately available. Virginia Tech's public affairs office stated that police were responding to "suspicious activity".[66]
  • 4:37 p.m.: Local police authorities announced that television network NBC received correspondence from Cho, some of which included images of him holding weapons, writings, audio recordings and videos; this information was immediately submitted to the FBI. Since the package was timestamped between the first incident at West Ambler Johnson and the second shooting at Norris Hall, it is possible some of the material was drafted by Cho during the 2 hour interval.[67]

Thursday, April 19

  • 9:49 a.m.: Virginia Tech announced that all students killed on Monday will be granted posthumous degrees in the field in which they were studying. These degrees would be given to the families at the regular commencement exercises that they would have participated in with their friends.[68]

Friday, April 20

  • All Day: VA Governor Kaine declared a statewide day of mourning. Alumni encouraged display of the Virginia Tech school colors: orange and maroon.[69]
  • Cho's family issues statement of apology.[70]

Monday, April 23

  • William Massello, an assistant state medical examiner, said autopsies of Cho's 33 victims revealed that he fired "more than 100" bullets into them. "Some were hit once; some were hit several times, more than once. We had two, three, four, maybe even as high as six." The initial autopsy of the Virginia Tech gunman found no gross brain function abnormalities that could explain the rampage that left 33 people dead.[71]

June 12, 2007

  • Cho's family allows the release of Cho's records to the Virginia Tech Incident Review Panel.

August 30, 2007

  • The Virginia Tech Incident Review Panel completes its report, which is now publicly available.

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Bill Turque. "State Taps Firm That Handled Probe of Columbine Shootings", 2007-04-25. 
  2. ^ Official Site of the Governor of Virginia
  3. ^ Christina Roberts. "Killer's troubles began long ago", April 20, 2007. 
  4. ^ ALLEN G. BREED. "Whys of rampage elude investigators", April 27, 2007. 
  5. ^ a b c d Allen G. Breed and Chris Kahn. "Same suite, different planet : Ex-suitemate reflects on Cho's actions", April 23, 2007. 
  6. ^ Evan Thomas. "Special Report: Tragedy at Virginia Tech, page 9", April 30, 2007. 
  7. ^ a b c Evan Thomas. "Making of a Massacre", April 30, 2007. 
  8. ^ "Virginia gunman was accused of stalking: police", April 18, 2007. Retrieved on [[May 1, 2007]]. 
  9. ^ John Cloud. "Were Cho's Danger Signs Missed?", April 18, 2007. 
  10. ^ a b Bill Dedman. "Cho’s words, actions fit school shooting pattern", April 18, 2007. 
  11. ^ "Virginia gunman was accused of stalking: police", April 18, 2007. 
  12. ^ Shooter sent "package" to NBC between murders. WALB.com (2007-04-20). Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
  13. ^ "Interview transcript with shooter's former roommates", April 18, 2007. 
  14. ^ Michael E. Ruane. "'Looking Back . . . We Should Have Done Something'", April 22, 2007. 
  15. ^ a b Brigid Schulte and Chris L. Jenkins. "Cho Didn't Get Court-Ordered Treatment", May 7, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-05-10. 
  16. ^ "Gunman had presented an 'imminent danger' in 2005", Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2007-04-19. 
  17. ^ FOIA detention order (2007-04-20).
  18. ^ Va. Tech Killer Ruled Mentally Ill by Court; Let Go After Hospital Visit. ABC News (2007-04-18). Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
  19. ^ Mary Grabar. "The making of a mass murderer--In english class", 2007-04-24. 
  20. ^ ADAM GELLER and CHRIS KAHN Kristen Gelineau and Allen G. Breed. "Internet Key in Probe of Va. Tech Gunman", April 22, 2007. 
  21. ^ ADAM GELLER and CHRIS KAHN. "Va. Tech Probe Focuses on Computer Use", April 21, 2007;. 
  22. ^ a b "Shooter had guns more than 1 month before Va. shootings". Retrieved on 2007-04-18. 
  23. ^ a b "Kaine Gives Panel Latitude to Probe Campus Killings". Retrieved on 2007-04-20. 
  24. ^ Scott Bauer. [1] "Green Bay-based Web site sold gun to Virginia Tech shooter."] April 19, 2007. Last accessed April 19, 2007.
  25. ^ Evan Thomas. "Making of a Massacre", April 30, 2007. 
  26. ^ "Report: Cho Hired an Escort Before Rampage", April 24, 2007. 
  27. ^ a b c d e f N. R. KLEINFIELD. "Before Deadly Rage, a Life Consumed by a Troubling Silence", April 22, 2007. 
  28. ^ a b c d Jerry Markon and Sari Horwitz. "Va. Tech Killer's Motives Pursued: Some Actions During Rampage Still a Mystery", April 26, 2007. 1
  29. ^ Elaine Shannon. "Where Cho Bought His Deadly Weapon." TIME magazine. Published April 18, 2007. Last accessed April 19, 2007.
  30. ^ "Va. Tech killer bought magazines on eBay, gun online: First firearm purchase took place as early as February", 2007-04-22. 
  31. ^ ADAM GELLER and CHRIS KAHN. "Tech Gunman Bought Ammo Clips on EBay", 2007-04-21. 
  32. ^ CHRISTOPHER FRANCESCANI and JAY SHAYLOR date=2007-04-21. "Ammo from eBay: Officials Probe VT Killer's Account". 
  33. ^ Geller, A. & Kahn, C. (22 April 2007). Internet key in probe in Va. Tech gunman. The Washington Post. Retrieved on April 22, 2007.
  34. ^ "Internet Key in Probe of Va. Tech Gunman", 2007-04-22. 
  35. ^ Jerry Markon and Sari Horwitz (26 April 2007) Va. Tech Killer's Motives Pursued The Washington Post
  36. ^ a b c d e IAN URBINA and MANNY FERNANDEZ. "University Explains the Return of Troubled Student", 2007-0420. 
  37. ^ Shooting victims at Tech massacre named, The Roanoke Times, April 17, 2007
  38. ^ Police: Virginia Tech shooter an English major, 23, CNN.com, April 17, 2007.
  39. ^ a b 'That Was the Desk I Chose to Die Under' - washingtonpost.com
  40. ^ [2] The Va.Tech Gunman: Well Prepared, 23, CNN.com, April 17, 2007.
  41. ^ Jerry Markon. "Va. Tech Shooter May Have Rehearsed Attack", August 10, 2007. 
  42. ^ Special Report: Tragedy at Virginia Tech - Newsweek National News - MSNBC.com
  43. ^ Tragedy in Blacksburg
  44. ^ Reed Williams and Shawna Morrison. "Police: No motive found", April 26, 2007. 
  45. ^ a b "Police Puzzled why Co-ed was first to die". 
  46. ^ At least one dead in campus shooting, WDBJ7 Roanoke. April 16, 2007
  47. ^ Front page, Collegiate Times, April 16, 2007
  48. ^ Larry Hincker. "Shooting at Virginia Tech", Virginia Tech bulletin, April 16, 2007.
  49. ^ Virginia Tech Police Still Search for Motive After Identifying Shooter, April 17, 2007
  50. ^ Hotair.com thread
  51. ^ Timeline: How deadly shooting unfolded - Massacre at Virginia Tech - MSNBC.com
  52. ^ Ruane, Michael E.; Chris L. Jenkins. "Gunman Sent Video During Lull In Slaughter", Washington Post, 2007-04-19, p. A01. Retrieved on 2008-04-15. 
  53. ^ a b Survivor recalls moments leading up to Va. Tech shootings - USATODAY.com
  54. ^ A lovers' tiff in the dormitory... then the university killer began his rampage | the Daily Mail
  55. ^ Pierre, Robert; Horwitz, Sari and Spinner, Jackie. "33 Dead in Virginia Tech Shootings, At Least 24 Injured", Washington Post, April 16, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-16. 
  56. ^ a b Timeline of Virginia Tech Shooting Spree WDBJ7
  57. ^ DAVID SCHOETZ. "170 Shots, No Motive", April 25, 2007. 
  58. ^ KRISTEN GELINEAU. "5-Minute Delay Crucial in Tech Shooting", April 26, 2007. 
  59. ^ KRISTEN GELINEAU. "Police: Va. Tech Bloodbath Lasted 9 Min.", April 25, 2007. 
  60. ^ http://content.clearchannel.com/cc-common/news/sections/special/virginiatech.html
  61. ^ "Students: School's warning came too slow", Newsday.com, April 17, 2007.
  62. ^ "US university shooting: Timeline of events." Geelong Advertiser, retrieved on 16 April 2007.
  63. ^ Virginia Tech Authorities Confirm 20 Fatalities, WDBJ, April 16, 2007
  64. ^ a b Front page. Virginia Tech official website. Retrieved on 2007-04-16.
  65. ^ AP. (17 April 2007) Va. Tech Community Mourns at Candlelight Vigil Washington Post. Accessed 17 April 2007.
  66. ^ Source: Armed police surround Virginia Tech building. CNN. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
  67. ^ Gunman in massacre contacted NBC News. MSNBC. Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
  68. ^ Cho's high school classmate recalls taunts: 'Go back to China'. Charleston Daily Mail. Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
  69. ^ (20 April 2007) A Statewide Day of Mourning for Virginia Tech Washington Post. Accessed 20 April 2007.
  70. ^ "Cho family statement", CNN.com, Time Warner, 2007-04-20. Retrieved on 2008-04-15. 
  71. ^ Philip Rucker and Jackie Spinner. "No Abnormalities Found in Cho's Brain", 2007-04-23.