A Moment of Silence

April 16th, 2007
Virginia Tech

At about 7:15 a.m. this morning a 911 call came to the University Police Department concerning an event in West Ambler Johnston Hall. There were multiple shooting victims. While in the process of investigating, about two hours later the university received reports of a shooting in Norris Hall.

The police immediately responded. Victims have been transported to various hospitals in the immediate area in the region to receive emergency treatment. - Virginia Tech

The shootings spread panic and confusion at the college, which is popularly known as Virginia Tech. Witnesses reporting students jumping out the windows of a classroom building to escape the gunfire. Authorities said the gunman was dead after he shot more than 50 people at two locations on campus. Thirty-one, including the gunman, were confirmed dead, NBC News reported. - MSNBC

I feel for all the students and the families at VT...that has got to be such a difficult thing to go through. And the Speaker of the House even said it was the worst campus shooting in the history of the United States. Wow...my heart and thoughts go out to everyone affected. :(

Even though I can't truly relate, because I don't know anyone who goes to that school...I can't help but think of my Dad during this time. How scary is it, when you know that your loved one is in danger but you can't do a thing about it. When you know there are people out there who will kill for no reason or that cause mass destruction. What can you do?

All you can do is just keep those people in your thoughts...and love them with all your heart.

Comments

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Ben Apr 16, 2007

It is a major thing that will haunt the college forever. I wouldn’t be at all surpised if the applications to the college fall.
I just hope that the people suffering from wounds will make a full recovery.
What really got me was when I heard that the shooter lined some of them up in a line and shot them one after the other in like an execution style. :(

Melissa Apr 16, 2007

I heard about that on the news a bit ago, the lining up part…scary. Seriously…I just can’t imagine. :(

Angela Apr 16, 2007

Thats just scary :(. I feel so bad for them.

Melissa Apr 16, 2007

Yeah me too. :(

Joey Primiani Apr 16, 2007

I know, I can barely watch the news any longer. The media is too quick to point fingers without full knowledge of what actually went on. I send my full condolences to everyone that was tragically involved.

Mar Apr 16, 2007

The more media I watch about different things the more I am aware of how sucky it is.

It really is a tragic event. very very scary.

Jessica Apr 16, 2007

That totally sucks. I can understand why someone will think that is answer. Hopefully ppl that thought of trying to do this won’t.

I dunno what I would do if I was one of those ppl or a relative of those harmed.

Bubs Apr 16, 2007

I’m keeping the victims in my prayers, but I hate thinking about the tragedy. It rips my heart out that such evil people exist in this world :’(

Daniel Nenadovic Apr 17, 2007

I pray. And mourn.

I’ve given up trying to understand why somebody would do this, but there are two things that I still try to understand.

1. the first shooting killed two people, yet no students knew about it until just before the second shooting, and they were only notified through e-mail. wtf? the admin at this school fails. horribly. “oh, it’s just a shooting, no need to tell anybody about it or take extra precautions!”

2. the shooter lined them up against the wall in big groups, and then shot them one by one. why did nobody do anything? lining people up against a wall and shooting them one by one takes time. nobody deserves to die, but how come none of them did anything? it’s not like he isolated targets in the second shooting. he rounded up an entire classroom. why stand against a wall and die when you can at least give something a shot and not die completely in vain? and it’s not like they couldn’t have overpowered him easily. one man with a gun

Daniel Nenadovic Apr 17, 2007

the last bit of my comment disappeared =(

Melissa Apr 17, 2007

@Joey: I couldn’t watch more after a while either. It’s just too heartbreaking. :(

@Mar: Agree, very tragic and sad. :(

@Jessica: I hope not either, it just really isn’t the way…I don’t know what I would do if it were someone I knew too.

@Bubs: Same here. :( It’s one of those times when you just question a lot of things.

@Dan: Aw, sorry about your comment hunnie. :( But yeah, it’s weird how they didn’t tell the students right away. There had to be some kind of reason for that even if it’s a dumb one…I’d still like to know. And maybe people were just too scared to move at all…I know I would be…

Ashley Apr 17, 2007

Things like this should not happen at schools. I just cannot get over how much the world changes as the years go by. There seems to be many inconsistencies and unknowns with this whole thing. Eventually, the whole, true story will come out (and be turned into a made for TV movie :P ). It’s just so sad and frustrating that such bad people are out there, and you never know when or where they will strike next.

Chien Yee Apr 17, 2007

It’s just plain scary. I just heard about it today as I came from school and my mom was watching this horrifying news.

Heidi Apr 17, 2007

I saw it on the news too, it is so hard to understand what happens in the mind of people, I feel for the people that have this incident close to their lifes.

Melissa Apr 17, 2007

@Ashley: Agree, schools should be a safe place for kids…although I’m stating the obvious, it is truth. :( Yeah, it’s just so frustrating, grrr…what can you do in situations like these. :(

@Chien: Quite scary…just crazy. :( I learned it from my boyfriend who called me and then the details on the TV of a sandwich shop I walked into later. :(

@Heidi: Yeah, it really is difficult to figure out what runs through their minds that would lead them to do something like this.

Hannah Apr 17, 2007

This is so truly horrible….It’s hard to imagine what kind of sick people who do this to these innocent people. It makes me wonder how someone gets to that point, where their irrational hate turns to murder…it’s so terrible. The world we live in scares me. :(

Arien Apr 17, 2007

I completely missed your last few updates. My dad is in town and he demands I look laborously busy at all times…

That’s pretty wack with your Bento box order. I’d be pissed! I know how delighted I was when I got my box so I can’t imagine how depressing it is to be waiting forever for yours to arrive!

Suggestions on site layout? Honestly, I couldn’t help you because I love your layouts enough as it is! I mean, obviously I like the “overly stuffed” look but your layouts are a lot like Jem’s, always compact and elegant all at once.

That shooting took me by surprise. It was in part of my discussion at my weekly ladies group today as well. Really makes an impact when it’s so random and at such a time as these days when our country is already at war with another country all together. Why do we have to fight each other? My heart went out to those people and their families…

Caitlin Apr 17, 2007

All of this is insanely horrible. It is so scary that things like this still happen. My college is having a prayer service tomorrow for all the students and it’s all my professors have been speaking about. I think it hit home in a lot of places, making people realize that things like this do happen and we really need to cherish everything, everybody, and every minute we have.

Daniel Nenadovic Apr 17, 2007

yeah, i know. everybody tells me they’d just freeze up in that situation.

i’m weird. i’m like the bosses in wow. when i get scared, i go into enraged mode and start one-shotting peeps. people tend not to scare me =)

and, of course, the shooter was some psycho loner kid again. i can already predict that this means that video games will yet again take the blame for what angry people do.

a more recent and ominous discovery is that there is no certain link to the shooting that took place two hours earlier and the shooting by the crazy loner english major psycho. this means that there may still be another psycho killer out there… scary thoughts.

prayer ftw

Kryz Apr 18, 2007

I agree.. its really horrible.. my friend have a friend who go school there.. he just got lucky because he decided to skip class.. and later found out some of his classmates are dead… just really horrible and shocking feeling.. =/

Melissa Apr 18, 2007

@Hannah: I agree, I really do wonder how people get like that too. I mean, everyone has thought bad/weird things before but…to extremes? Mind boggling. =/

@Arien: It’s okie, my dear! :) And yeah you know if I don’t get that damn box within the next few days I am demanding a refund or some kind of credit because it’s just ridiculous! And aww, thanks for the compliment! Wowz a comparison with Jem? *loves!* But woo, I have a while to go before I can even remotely match her coding skills, hehe. And yeah, the randomness is probably the most impacting thing about the shooting…

@Caitlin: Yeah. :( Mine had a candle lighting ceremony last night. I didn’t go to it but I did light a candle by myself in rememberence. We definitely should cherish everything more…

@Dan: I hope people don’t blame video games, that’s such a cop out way to deal with things, grr! Yes things like that affect people, but its the individual person who makes the choice to do something stupid like that is what is really to blame.

@Kryz: Oh wow, that is so lucky of your friend’s friend…holy crap! And so sad that some of his own friends were killed…wow…condolences. :(

Daniel Nenadovic Apr 18, 2007

well, apparently definitive evidence has now been found that links the first and second shooting. expected, but relieving nonetheless.

and a glimmer of inspiration came out as more details were revealed today:

an old professor, who had survived through the Holocaust along with his wife, barricaded the door into his classroom so that the maniac couldn’t get in. he was shot and died as a result, but nonetheless held the door and saved his class. it’s sad that he died, but he did it defending his class. some inspiration.

Lexi Apr 18, 2007

I feel so horrible for all the families and friends affected by this. It’s a scary world we live in now.

Lisa Apr 18, 2007

This is so awful… I can’t even begin to imagine how it was for those involved. I just don’t understand how anyone can do a thing like this…

Melissa Apr 18, 2007

@Dan: That is inspiring…and very sad too. :(

@Lexi: Agree…very scary. :(

@Lisa: I can’t imagine either, I can only empathize a tiny bit…it definitely is hard to think about.

Cristina Apr 19, 2007

Dude have you seen the videos of the killer? That kid had some SERIOUS issues. I feel so sad for the families, especially the killer’s family. God, what a horrible ordeal. :(

Melissa Apr 19, 2007

I haven’t seen the video yet! It came on the news last night while I was watching Lost…I’ll have to go find it online somewhere… :(

Ivy Apr 19, 2007

his manifesto was creepy. >.

Daniel Nenadovic Apr 19, 2007

I’m not watching any videos of psycho boy.

The fact that he made videos and pictures and such and sent them to NBC means that he did this entire thing, sank this low, to get attention.

Every news station currently continuously plays this tape and shows these photos. It seems like this is what he wanted out of the entire massacre. To be noticed.

I won’t pay attention to him. And why pay attention to the psycho freak when instead you can pay attention to the victims? What have you heard about them, and their lives, their families, their deaths?

Some, but not much. Instead it’s all about the criminal. I don’t get that. So I’m just not watching the news for now.