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Police Questioned Him, No Charges Were Pressed

Apr 18, 2007 | Associated Press | The New York Times

Two female students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute complained to authorities about the behavior of Cho Seung-Hui, the killer in the shooting rampage there, when he contacted them in separate incidents in 2005. Police questioned Mr. Cho and he was sent to a mental health facility, but no charges were filed against him.

The Virginia Tech students Vlavanh Ditharong, left, Agnes Kim and Casrin Shin watching a simulcast of the memorial service Tuesday.

The new information, disclosed by police in a news conference today, raises questions about whether warning signs about Mr. Cho's behavior and problems were handled effectively by police and the university.

The police today revealed further details about the 23-year-old student who was the gunman in the shooting rampage that left 33 dead, including himself.

Also in 2005, Lucinda Roy, an English professor, shared her concerns about Mr. Cho with the Virginia Tech police, but no official report was filed. The writings did not express threatening intentions, or allude to criminal activity, the police said today.

In the incidents involving the female students, the police said that in late November 2005, Mr. Cho contacted a fellow female student, by phone and in person, and she notified the campus police. She later declined to press charges, but officers spoke with Mr. Cho, who was referred to the University's disciplinary system.

On December 12, 2005, a second female student complained to the police about an instant message Mr. Cho sent to her by computer. The police then spoke with Mr. Cho and asked him to have no further contact with the student. The police said the message was not threatening, and the student characterized it as "annoying."

The police spoke with acquaintances of Mr. Cho's and became concerned that Mr. Cho might be suicidal. Officers suggested to Mr. Cho that he speak to a counselor and he did so. He went voluntarily to the police department and, based on his meeting with the counselor, a temporary detention order was obtained and Mr. Cho was taken to a mental health facility, Carilion Saint Albans Behavioral Health Center.

Neither of the female students who complained about Mr. Cho were among the shooting victims, and the police said they did not know if they were in the vicinity of the shootings.

There were no further referrals to the police before Mr. Cho was named on Tuesday in connection with the deaths of the students and teachers on the sprawling campus.

Classes at Virginia Tech have been canceled this week, and Norris Hall has been closed for the rest of the semester. Students are mourning their friends and teachers who were killed, and many of them have left campus to stay elsewhere.

"A lot of people went to friends' apartments and stayed with them because they didn't want to be in the dorm," said Karen Kirk, 19, a student from Norfolk, Va., who lives in West Ambler Johnston Hall where the first shootings took place.

The campus was tense this morning when the police cleared a building, Burruss Hall, where the office of the university president is located after a campus operator received a threat against him. But reports of a suspicious person were later determined to be unfounded.

"Reports of this kind are not uncommon in the wake of what has taken place in the past 48 hours on the Virginia Tech campus, which is one reason why there is high police visibility throughout the campus," said Chief W.R. Flinchum, of the Virginia Tech Police.

In all, 33 people died Monday, including four faculty members. The victims' names were not officially released, but most appeared to be in their late teens or early 20s. They included Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor, and Reema Samaha, a freshman and a devoted dancer. Ms. Hilscher wanted to be a veterinarian; Mr. Clark was a member of the marching band.

President Bush, who attended a solemn convocation on the campus on Tuesday, spoke today at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in memory of the 32 dead, recalling the bravery of Mr. Librescu and other acts of courage.

"With the gunman set to enter his class, this brave professor blocked the door with his body while his students fled to safety," Mr. Bush said. "On the Day of Remembrance, this Holocaust survivor gave his own life so that others might live. And this morning we honor his memory, and we take strength from his example."

Mr. Cho has been described as a troubled young man known by few on campus.