MollyKendrick

ResearchPaper
PreAPEnglish
18May2015
VirginiaTechShooting
Schoolshootingsarebecomingquitecommonintoday'ssociety.BarackObama
evenmentionedthatthereisoneschoolshootingeveryweek,inoneofhis
interviews(Carroll).Healsomadethecommentthatwearetheonlydevelopedcountry
onearthwherethistragedyhappens(Carroll).Whyaresomanyschoolsbeing
targeted?
Therearemanyreasonsschoolshootingsoccur,thereisnotjustonefactor.
Factorsincludeschoolsfailingtoseewarningsigns,bullying,revenge,seriousmental
illnesses,drugs,violentrolemodels,andpossibleaccesstoguns(Ochberg).Whatis
beingdoneabouttheincreaseinschoolshootings?Manyorganizationshavestarted
gunviolenceawarenessprogramsandprotests.Also,schoolshaveincreasedthe
numberofpracticelockdownstheyhave.Eventhoughsomeparentsareagainstthese
lockdowns,thinkingofthetraumatheyinflictonyoungstudents.Parentsbelievemore
shouldbedonetopreventschoolshootings,notpracticethem(Siddiqui).Overtheyears
motivesforschoolshootingshavechangedthewellknownKentStateshooting
happenedin1970whenstudentsprotestedagainsttheVietnamWar.Fourstudents
wereshotbyNationalGuardswhentheprotestgotoutofcontrol(KentState).Now
schoolshootingsareinvolvingstudentsshootingtheirownpeersoutofrevengeand
hate,notprotection.AnotherwellknownshootingwasColumbinein1999,twostudents

shotandkilled14otherstudentsandoneteacher(Columbine).Thetwoshootershad
plannedonkillingover500people,theirmotivesarenotknown(Columbine).Another,
morerecent,schoolshootingwastheVirginiaTechShooting.Thiswasthedeadliest
shootingrampageinU.S.history(NPR).A23yearoldstudentwentfromclassroomto
classroomshootinghispeers(CNN).TheVirginiaTechshootingwasadevastating
tragedy,thatiswhyitisimportanttounderstandwhyithappened,anditsresults.
OnApril16,2007aseniorenglishmajor,
SeungHuiCho
,shotandkilled33
peopleincludinghimself(CNN).Hisrampagestartedaround7:15amwhenthepolice
receivedacallaboutashootingintheWestAmblerJohnstonHall(CNN).Police
believedthattheshootingwasanisolatedattack,andsuspectedthefemalevictim's
boyfriendduetoanargument(NPR).At8:25,anhouraftertheshooting,VirginiaTech
officialsheldameetingtodiscussthesituationandhowtonotifystudentsand
faculty(NPR).AfterthefirstshootingChowenttothepostofficeat9amandmaileda
packagetoNBCNewsinNewYork(CNN).Almosttwohoursaftertheshooting,Virginia
Techsentanemailtostudentandfacultystatingthatashootingtookplaceearlierthat
morning(CNN).At9:45therewerereportsofasecondshootinginNorrisHall(NPR).
Chohadchainedandlockedthemaindoorsintothebuildingandwentfromclassroom
toclassroomshootingstudentsandfaculty(History).ThereisnoevidencethatChowas
targetinganyoneinparticular(History).At9:50amanemailwassenttoeveryoneon
campusaskingthemtostaywheretheywere,becausetherewasagunmanonthe
loose(CNN).Afterthesecondshootingoncampusallclasseswerecanceled(CNN).
Anotheremailwassenttostudentsstatingthatthepolicehadasuspectin

custody(CNN).VirginiaTechPresidentCharlesStegernotifiedstudentsthatcounseling
centersweresetup,andthatclasseswouldbecancelledforApril17aswell(CNN).
ChowasborninSouthKoreaandlatercametotheUSwhenhewas8yearsold.
ChosfamilyranadrycleaningbusinessinVirginia.WhenChowasachildheliked
basketballandmath,hewasalsoknowntobeveryshy.Hewaspickedonbyother
childrenatayoungage.Chowasbulliedinschoolbyotherkidsandhewasalsobullied
bywealthymembersofhischurch.HisnicknameforhimselfincollegewasQuestion
Mark.heuseditforhiswriting,andevenhisfacebookprofile(Bio).
Chohadmanywarningsignsthatthecampusoverlooked,likestalkingwomen
oncampus,hisdarkwriting,andhissuicidalstatementtohisroommate.Hiscollege
professorsdescribedhimasatroubledloner.Chowasaccusedtwiceofstalking
womenin2005.Bothtimesthepolicehadtogetinvolved.Hestoodoutincollege
becausehewassoquietandlonely.Chowasalsoknownforwritinggruesomepoems,
stories,andplays.Chohadbeenremovedfromaclassfordisturbingotherstudents.
ProfessorandpoetNikkiGiovannisaidTherewassomethingmeanaboutthisboy.
GiovannihadmanyotherissueswithCho.Heworesunglassesandahattoclassevery
day,thatshehadtoaskhimtoremove.ShealsocaughtChotakingpicturesoffemale
studentslegsandknees.NikkidescribedChoasabully,andshewasn'ttheonlyone
concernedwithChosbehavior.Anotherfacultymemberencouragedhimtoget
counseling.Chowascourtorderedtoattendatleastonecounselingsessionatthe
CookCounselingCenteroncampus.EvidencefoundinChosdormroomindicateshe
hadbeenplanningtheattackforquitesometime(Bio).Chohadbeenseenbymental

healthprofessionalsin2005.TherecordsshowChohadtwotelephoneconversations
andoneinpersonvisit.Chodeniedhavinganyhomicidalorsuicidalthoughts,during
hiscounseling.InDecemberof2005Chowasadmittedovernighttothehospital,after
hetoldhisroommatehewasgoingtocommitsuicide.Thenextdayhewasreleased
whenhetoldtriagecounselorSherryConradhehasneverhadsuicidalthoughts,he
wasonlyjokingwithhisroommate.ChotoldSherryconrad
hehasnoreasontoharm
himselfandwouldneverdoit.TherecordsshowafterChosfirstphoneconversation
thetriagecounselormarkedTroubled:Furthercontactwithin2weeks.DuringChos
secondphoneconversationwiththecenterheadmittedthathissymptomsof
depressionandanxietyhadcontinued(Friedman).
ChohadmailedapackagetoNBCNewsinNewYorkinbetweenthetwo
shootings(Bio).ItarrivedafewdayslatebecauseChoputthewrongaddressonitwhen
hemaileditout(KillersManifesto).WhenNBCNewsreceivedthepackagethey
immediatelynotifiedthepolice,atwhichtimetheFBIinvestigateditandits
contents(KillersManifesto).Thepackagecontainedover27videoclips,photographs,
andarambling1,800worddocument(KillersManifesto).InthevideosChorambled
aboutrichbratsandbeingbullied(Bio).Healsomentionedreligionandother
enemies(KillersManifesto).Thismaybeaconnectiontobeingbulliedasachildby
wealthymembersofhischurch.Choblamedtheschoolfortheshooting,sayingthehad
manychancestostopthis.Heevenclaimeditcouldhavebeenavoidedentirely.
He
said,Thedecisionwasyours.Nowyouhavebloodonyourhandsthatwillneverwash
off."Hespokeoftheshootinginthepasttense,butthedatethatthevideosweremade

couldnotbedetermined(KillersManifesto).
ChoalsoreferstotheColumbineschool
shootersinhisvideoclip,callingthemvictorious(Bio).Choevendescribeshimselfasan
avengerfortheweak,anddefenselessinhisrants(Bio).InthephotographsChosentto
NBCNews,hewasholdingguns,andpointingthematthecamera.Therewereeven
picturesofChopointingthegunathisownheadotherpicturesshowChoholdinga
knifetohisthroat(KillersManifesto).
AftertheshootingatVirginiaTechmanyschoolsexaminedtheircrisis
managementplansanddecidedhowtohandlestudentthatmaybecomedangerous.A
VirginiaTechshootingsurvivor,KristinaAnderson,metwithmorethan700campus
officersduringanannualconferenceheldbytheNationalAssociationofSchool
Officers(Kelman).Andersontravelstotalkaboutcampussecurityandgunviolence.
Schoolresourceofficersarenowresponsiblefordefendingagainstgunmen.Law
enforcementsusedtorespondtoashootingsimilartobankrobberiesandhostage
situations.Sincethenlawenforcementshavelearnedthatschoolshootingsonlytake
minutestounfold.Schoolresourceofficerscanrespondfastenoughtosavelives,since
theyarealreadyoncampus.Newsafetyprecautionshavebeenenforcedtolimitthe
chanceofashootingsuchaslimitingentrancesintothecampus(Kelman).
ItisimportanttounderstandwhytheVirginiaTechshootingoccurredandwhat
theresultswerefromthemassacre.
Therampagelastedonly10minutesleaving33
deadincludingCho.Choinjured17people,killed27studentsand5facultymembers,
andkilledhimself(History).ThereisnoevidencethatChowastargetinganyofthe
victimsinhisrampage.VirginiaTechwasfinedbytheU.S.DepartmentofEducationin

2011forfailingtoissueacampuswidewarningafterChokilledthefirsttwo
students(History).
Chowasmentallyillandneededmoreprofessionalcarethanwhathesought.
Therewerealsomanytroublingsignsthecampusshouldhavedealtwith,likeCho
stalkingwomen,andthesuicidalcommenthemadetohisroommate.Schoolshootings
arebecominganincreasedproblem,thatneedsasolution.TheVirginiaTechshooting
isthedeadliestschoolshootingthathasoccurred.

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