Va. Tech Shooter Had Disturbing History

By Jeralyn, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 01:59:43 PM EST
Tags: Virginia Tech Shootings (all tags)

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More details are coming out about Cho Seung-Hui, the 23 year old shooter in the Virginia Tech killings. To call them warning signs might be an understatement.

Cho had shown recent signs of violent, aberrant behavior, according to an investigative source, including setting a fire in a dorm room and allegedly stalking some women. A note believed to have been written by Cho was found in his dorm room that railed against "rich kids," "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans" on campus.

Cho was an English major whose creative writing was so disturbing that he was referred to the school's counseling service, the Associated Press reported.

He had been referred to counseling, but apparently no one followed up to see if he went. Authorities believe he was taking anti-depressant medication at some point.

Did he abruptly stop taking it? Shades of the Columbine killers seem to be emerging here.

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Va. Tech Shooter Had Disturbing History | 58 comments (58 topical)

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mental illness seems to be a common denominator (5.00 / 2) (#2)
by nolo on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 02:59:50 PM EST

in cases of mass killing. My local public radio station did a program this morning on the issue, and one of the participants had been part of an attempt to conduct statistical analyses of mass killing incidents since 1945. He said that killers came from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds, but that at least 50 percent of them had a documented history of mental illness. He also said that most, if not all, had sent all sorts of signals that he or she was going to do something before the actual incident occurred.

: I don't think (none / 0) (#4)
by Jen M on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 03:16:27 PM EST

any SANE person would do this. Some people (ok, me during pms) might FEEL like doing random violence but its just a feeling. Were sane, we don't.

hes from the same (none / 0) (#1)
by Jen M on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 02:15:17 PM EST

town and high school as the kid that shot up the police substation in Centreville VA

Whats in the water there, anyway

Cho Seung-Hui killed 33 yesterday (none / 0) (#3)
by Militarytracy on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 03:04:46 PM EST

George W Bush killed 5 yesterday, both have disturbing histories indicating they could be capable of such things without exibiting remorse.

And that's not counting (none / 0) (#5)
by Jen M on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 03:17:53 PM EST

Iraqui civilians. Or did they have a very good day?


: 124 killed in various bombings today (none / 0) (#34)
by Militarytracy on Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 09:06:25 AM EST

Probably not a good day for them either.

Disgusting (none / 0) (#29)
by jimakaPPJ on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 07:33:07 PM EST

The use of the deaths of those killed at VT as a political comment about Bush and Iraq is just flat wrong.

Why can't you have the decency to let the bodies get cold before you try and use them.

Even in slaughter houses they let the animal bleed out before further cutting on them.


Why is the wrongful death of 33 on American soil (none / 0) (#33)
by Militarytracy on Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 08:12:32 AM EST

any different than the wrongful deaths that take place daily in Iraq? I know that the bodies in Virginia probably weren't even cold when I typed this but the bodies in Iraq weren't even cold yet either.


Tracy - It is called good taste. (none / 0) (#35)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 09:14:04 AM EST

What you are doing is using someone else's tradgey to make a political point.

That someone wasn't involved in Iraq, may have approved of it, may not have approved of it. Makes no difference. You are doing things, using their names, their deaths, and yet they have no chance to approve or disapprove.

Simpler. If you dropped dead now, would you agree that I would have the right to put up a billboard/newspaper ad/Internet Post/ etc., saying:

Militraytracy Approved of the Iraqi War

It is called common sense, and not taking advantage of someone who can not defend themselves. It is also plan old good taste.


Tracy - I don't want to be misunderstood. (none / 0) (#36)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 09:15:23 AM EST

I don't want to be misunderstood.

When I write: "good taste." What I refer to is a lack of it.


Taste is individual and often aquired (none / 0) (#38)
by Militarytracy on Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 09:20:50 AM EST

What is in good taste for you may not be for me. I understand that you find my comment tasteless. There is always tomorrow though. I haven't given up on you yet ;)


Tracy (none / 0) (#43)
by jimakaPPJ on Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 09:44:26 AM EST

Actually taste reflects on a variety of characteristics of the individual.

I note:

The Left in general sees all things political and seeks to control all things through politics. Thus they see no problem with using people such as you have just done. Fairness and consideration of the people, and their families, means nothing because they exist only to be used.

I say again.

Even in slaughterhouses they let the animal bleed out before they use them.

You attempt at humor is noted. All I can do is just shake my head in sadness at such actions.


: What study are you citing (none / 0) (#45)
by Militarytracy on Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 11:59:16 AM EST

as to how the left in general sees all things?

: hold on! (none / 0) (#59)
by Deconstructionist on Thu Apr 19, 2007 at 08:30:06 AM EST

I fully agree with you about the lack of character demonstrated by one who seeks to exploit a tragic event in the way he did.
Stop there! HE did it and he was wrong, but then you leap to the false generalization that such abhorrent behavior exemplifies "the Left." It does not. Most people on "the Left" share your revulsion at such sick tactics and some people on "the Right" engage in them.
You sink to his level when you use his individual behavior to smear a much larger group for political purposes.

Reasonable distinctions (none / 0) (#40)
by Gabriel Malor on Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 09:24:36 AM EST

I don't think it's about "good taste." But I do think it is about the capacity to make reasonable distinctions. People who say there is no difference between Virginia Tech and Iraq are willfully ignoring the fact that, well, they are very different situations. Yeah, there are violently killed innocents at both places. And that's about where the similarity ends.

That willfully ignorance is rooted in nothing more than a shameful desire to score political points. Hmm, members of the "reality-based" community don't want to actually examine the facts of a situation. Shock me. It's so much easier to say "VaTech = Iraq" and "Cho Seung = George Bush" than it is to make the reasonable distinctions necessary for dealing with the separate situations.

Virginia Tech, Iraq, people like Cho Seung, and George Bush all require different responses. If you pretend that we can solve these issues the same way, we will never solve them at all.


I'm a soldiers wife (none / 0) (#46)
by Militarytracy on Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 12:00:23 PM EST

I live Iraq and deaths from it everyday and there isn't much difference for me.


Done. (5.00 / 1) (#49)
by Gabriel Malor on Wed Apr 18, 2007 at 12:20:13 PM EST

You obviously have some other issues here, so let's just drop it. You think they're the same. I think they're totally different. We'll just agree to disagree.


: What is sad to me is how (none / 0) (#56)
by Militarytracy on Thu Apr 19, 2007 at 07:30:43 AM EST

easily my countrymen dismiss what my family and other soldier's families are going through right now and purposefully stay disconnected from it because they can, they have no skin in the game. Too many sit on the sidelines and continuously analyze it all as if you are doing someone a favor. I don't have "issues". If you are an American they are your "issues" too.

Schizophrenia? (none / 0) (#6)
by clio on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 03:21:02 PM EST

Probably undifferentiated with increasing hallucinations and worsening disorganization.

Probably no one at school knew him well enough to really notice his deterioration (these people often withdraw as the voices take over), and he might have made excuses to avoid his parents.

Incomparably tragic.

To qualify him as mentally ill (none / 0) (#7)
by Al on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 03:25:51 PM EST

doesn't help. It just means that we can consider to whole thing a terrible accident, like a fire; a dangerous misconception.

I question the mental health of anyone who kills someone else, or has someone killed. I question the mental health of Osama bin Laden, of Mohammad Atta, and of George Bush himself.

We have to try to understand the mechanisms of violence, not just accept them.

It does too help. (5.00 / 2) (#8)
by nolo on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 03:33:39 PM EST

One of the things mentioned by the researcher I referred to in my earlier post is that many of these troubled folks who act out violently are likely to have had some prior contact with mental health care providers. They are much less likely to have had prior contact with law enforcement or a history of criminal conduct. Knowing this helps us understand who is really at the "front line" for purposes of trying to avert these tragedies.

Besides, how does exploring the mental illness angle keep us from "understanding the mechanisms of violence?" I don't understand your point.


I blame God (5.00 / 1) (#10)
by Big Tent Democrat on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 04:23:49 PM EST

Not serious, wingnuts.

But this search for blame, so predictable and oh so stupid, is a waste of time.

In a manner of speaking it was an accident. An accident of coincidence, bad mind, and everythng else involved.

Don' seek larger lessons. You'll be wasting your time.


: In the sense that God (none / 0) (#11)
by Peaches on Tue Apr 17, 2007 at 04:55:41 PM EST

is the Great mystery, or the unexplained, then I think it is not only appropriate to blame God, but I think it might actually help.
This doesn't mean that we won't learn anything by researching th