The horror at Virginia Tech can not be put into words.
The number of people murdered fluctuates between 30 and 33, depending on what you read; the media is still in confusion mode as they try to report before they have all the facts. The recent figures state 33:
CNN: Shootings at two Virginia Tech sites leave 33 dead
AP: The bloodbath ended with the gunman committing suicide, bringing the death toll to 33
However, another CNN story says: “The gunman killed 30 people in Norris Hall classrooms before taking his own life. Fifteen other people were wounded.”
One of the most reported on aspects is the issue of blame. Is the Virginia Tech University police Chief Wendell Flinchum to blame for not shutting down the school after a shooting on the campus two hours earlier?
“The day’s first shooting, at the dormitory, left two people dead. That shooting occurred about 7:15 a.m… Flinchum said police were still investigating whether the dorm and Norris Hall shooting incidents were related. At a news conference Monday afternoon, Flinchum did not rule out a separate shooter for the dormitory incident.At the time of the later shootings at Norris Hall, police were investigating a “person of interest” in the dormitory shootings, Flinchum said. But the man — a non-student who knew one of the victims — had not been arrested, and it is unclear if he has any link to the other gunman, he said.”
I think the focus on blame is an attempt to feel safe again: if you know who to blame, then you can “take care” of that problem, being free to imagine that it can’t happen the same way again. It is best not to rush to judgement on blaming the VT police. This situation is chaotic and no one has enough answers to make pronunciations. At this time, it’s even unknown who the killer was — or, at least, the VT police say that they won’t release their preliminary identification. For rumors, you can check out the DrudgeReport.
The media is not confused, you are.
2 People were killed in a dorm room at 7:15.
2 1/2 hours later 30 people were killed. The gunman took his own life.
Total dead = 33.
Did you go to college?
Coming from a white trash piece of shit from New Jersey like yourself, Griffin, that’s a rather poignant question. Did your parents have any children that lived?
The media and a lot of other people always look at this with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight just as they did with 9/11. Everyone points blame at the officials involved as if to say why couldn’t you predict this would happen? After two people dead, why didn’t you lock down a 24,000 person campus? A population of 24,000 is effectively a large town and they don’t traditionally lock down a town every time a murder occurs.
You simply can’t predict when someone with no criminal past is going to pick up several weapons and go insane. I wish I could offer some words of solace that this could be prevented and wouldn’t happen again, but we all deep down know that this would simply be wishful thinking.
First my prayers to the many victims of this tragic incident.
I agree with Josh that the media is notoriously confused in their effort to be the first and the best to report. They lose sight of what is ethical reporting. As I sit watching CNN some of the reporters are trying to find someone to blame. As a longtime police officer and resident of a town with a population the size of VT how should we lock down a city? When should we? May the law enforcement community of Virginia not be condemned in hindsight for their tremendous efforts.
For the record: Yes. I went to college. Actually, I went to a university. A college is a designation on some institutions of higher learning that do not grant BAs. Some colleges do, some colleges don’t. I went to a community college once. The community college is called a college, even though they do not grant BAs (just associates degrees). I went to a university. My university grants BAs. You can’t be called a university unless you grant BAs.
Also, for the record: At the time I published that post, the media reported that the killer (who had yet to be identified) killed 30 people, and then himself.
30 + 1 = 31.
At that time, the University police (so-called a university, because they grant BAs) did not establish an official link between the shootings 2 1/2 hours earlier and the 30 killings later. It was the media at that time that assumed the connection.
So, at the time the media was in a confusion stage (and, for the record, I was not in a confusion stage), the University police said:
30 + 1 = 31.
and the media said:
30 + 2 (in the dorm) + 1 = 33.
Griffin, did YOU go to college? Or did you go to a university?