The Columbine massacre occurred April 20, 1999. This shooting on a college campus feels spookier and harder to pinpoint. Why two hours between shootings? Why did the shooter kill himself?Two articles:
CNN
Fox News record of past shootings
Lighting a candle for all who've lost those they love.
Today's news: One professor, a WWII vet, heard the shots in the hall, physically held the door to his classroom with his body while the shooter blasted shots through the door (killing the professor). He held the door yelling to students to escape through the windows, which they did and none of his class were shot. This professor was nearly 80 years old. Can you imagine? What a hero. Name: Liviu Lebrescu (Israeli born Romanian, world-reknowned for his aeronautical engineering research.)
I have a special grief for the professors. To me, it's like shooting a library or burning down an art museum. The amount of knowledge they've accumulated to pass on to students taken out in minutes... I can't take it in. Tears all morning here.
9 comments:
It's literally making me nauseated the more I hear about it.
God, help us all.
My sister graduated from Tech and lives on the edge of campus still; as much as I'm praying for the victims, their families, and the entire community, I'm praying that she will come out of this not having been touched directly through the loss of friends.
I couldn't believe it when I heard it. I'd read about the first shootings this morning, and then heard the update on the radio in the car. (We were without power for 6 hours today due to strong winds.) I feel sick. Lighting a candle here, too.
Why did the shooter kill himself?
?
The question Will asked was, "Why didn't he kill himself first?"
I lit a candle right after I saw your post here today. Just an awful, awful thing. What happens to a person to make them want to do that?
It is tragic. What I've heard on my news so far is that after the first shooting, it was being classified as a "domestic" incident and students have reported that the shooter was heard yelling, "Where is she?" So my guess is that this idiot was trying to find a specific woman and that accounts for the two hour difference... maybe he was following her class schedule. I don't know. Crazy. Completely crazy and senseless.
I hadn't heard the story about the professor. I am so thankful that he sensed the danger and saved his students. Such a sad, sad day.
Yes, Julie, thank you for making me think more about the professors.
Did you know that professor was a Holocaust surivor?
CNN:
Liviu Librescu, 76, was a Holocaust survivor, who his son said, will be remembered as a hero. He "blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," Joe Librescu told AP. "Students started opening windows and jumping out." The elder Librescu, a professor at Virginia Tech, was recognized internationally for his research in aeronautical engineering, the head of the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department at Virginia Tech told AP. He was born and received his advanced degrees in Romania.
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