On April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia became the site of the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. The gunman, 23-year-old Seung-Hui Cho, was a senior at the university majoring in English. He carried out the attack in two separate phases over the course of two hours, using two handguns and multiple magazines of ammunition.
The first shooting occurred just after 7:00 a.m. in a campus dormitory, where Cho shot and killed two students. After returning to his room, he mailed a package to a national news outlet containing a video manifesto, photographs of himself posing with weapons, and rambling statements expressing anger and resentment. He then made his way across campus to Norris Hall, where he chained the building’s doors shut and began a systematic massacre.
In Norris Hall, Cho moved from classroom to classroom, shooting students and faculty at close range. Some victims were shot multiple times, and survivors later described him as expressionless and silent. In the span of roughly eleven minutes, he killed 30 more people and wounded 17 others before taking his own life as police closed in.
In total, 32 people were killed. The victims included undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professors, many of whom had tried to shield their students during the attack. Investigators later discovered that Cho had a long history of mental health struggles, including prior court-ordered treatment after he was deemed a danger to himself. Despite this, he was able to purchase firearms legally due to systemic gaps in background check reporting between mental health and criminal databases.
Cho had previously drawn concern from faculty and students for his violent writings, bizarre behavior, and social isolation. Several professors had attempted to intervene, and some students reported being frightened by his presence in class. Still, no formal action had been taken to remove him from the university or restrict his access to weapons.
The Virginia Tech massacre led to significant changes in campus emergency protocols nationwide and renewed calls for more stringent gun control measures, particularly around mental health and background checks. For many, the tragedy marked a turning point in how school shootings were understood. They were no longer seen solely as isolated acts of violence but as symptoms of deeper institutional and societal failures.
Articles:
Virginia Tech Shootings Fast Facts
Killer’s Note: ‘You Caused Me to Do This’
‘Remembering and honoring’ lives lost 18 years after Virginia Tech shooting
Additional Links:
Leave a Comment