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Gunman Identified in Virginia Tech Massacre; President Bush to Speak at Virginia Tech Convocation

Aired April 17, 2007 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning once again, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins, live on the campus of Virginia Tech. It is the morning after the deadliest shooting spree in U.S. history.
Earlier this morning, we learned the identity of the gunman and more about his 32 victims. These are the faces of some of those killed in the gruesome shooting spree. Their stories straight ahead.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We will also hear from the survivors.

And good morning again. I'm Tony Harris, in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We would like to welcome our viewers watching around the world on CNN International.

What they saw and how they managed to escape the killer's wrath. And a former FBI agent looks inside the mind of a mad man that drives someone to kill so many.

But first, let us set the stage with what we know.

The gunman is identified as 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui. He was a South Korean undergrad who was living on campus. Also this morning, police confirmed that ballistics tests link one gun to both murder scenes. Investigators say they're working to confirm that the gunman acted alone -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Also, I believe, Tony, that we have an opportunity now to look at a picture of this suspect, of the shooter that police are guiding us to. We're going to go ahead and put that up for you now, Cho Seung-Hui. We want to go ahead and put that on the screen if we could.

I believe that police are pointing us in this direction. And just to give you more information about him once again, as we look at that picture, apparently an English major, 23 years old, of Korean descent.

There you now see the first picture coming in of what police are calling the shooter in this incident that happened yesterday at Virginia Tech's campus. Cho Seung-Hui, 23 years old, of Korean descent.

Again, this is the first picture coming in to us now. We wanted to make sure to get it on the air to you just as soon as possible.

I also have standing by with me now CNN's Brianna Keilar, also in Blacksburg.

And Brianna, as we look at that picture of what police are calling the shooter in this incident, we talked earlier about how hard it is for these kids on campus to realize that it was one of their own.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly. That's something very difficult for them.

I've heard so many of them say, it only came down to one person here. And they're just so perplexed by that. But we do know at this point a lot more about this shooter than we knew yesterday.

As you said, 23-year-old ho Seung-Hui, South Korean resident alien who had established his residency in Centreville, Virginia. That's a suburb of Washington, D.C., really not far from Dulles airport there.

He was an undergraduate, a senior here at Virginia Tech majoring in English. And he was a resident of Harper Hall. That is a hall not far from West Ambler Johnston, where the first shooting took place at that dorm there.

Police found two weapons at the site of Norris Hall, that second shooting where 30 people, plus the gunman were killed. And ballistics tests have provided one of the first links between these two crime scenes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUPT. STEVE FLAHERTY, VIRGINIA STATE POLICE: What has just been reported to you is that the ballistics test says that one of the weapons used in Norris Hall was also used in the AJW shooting. We have not -- the evidence has not led us to where we can say with all certainty that the same shooter was involved at both instances.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: That was the chief of state police, Steve Flaherty. He said it would, though, be reasonable to assume that the two crime scenes are linked.

He said they're being diligent, trying to connect all of the dots. And they're really moving towards clearing up some confusion yesterday, because there was confusion, Heidi, about whether or not perhaps these weren't related. That was -- that was certainly raised as the evening went on yesterday.

COLLINS: Yes. And now as we wait to hear more information about that, just repeating for everybody the fact that we heard the police chief at Virginia Tech tell us that, yes, they were able to confirm gun was used in both shootings, but not the shooter. They have to develop more evidence for that.

Have you been able to find out anything more about that process or when that might take place? How much longer it could be? KEILAR: No. You know, we don't know any timeline at this point. But there's something else that's interesting. And that was yesterday, one of the confusing things. They were talking about this person of interest in the first...

COLLINS: Right.

KEILAR: ... in the first shooting, where two people were killed at that dorm.

What we know now about -- what we know now about that is that the person of interest was an acquaintance of the female victim in that dorm. But yesterday there was some confusion. Was that one shooter, was it another shooter? It seems to, at this point, have been cleared up.

But also, to tell you, Heidi, though, classes have been canceled here for the rest of the week. Not really surprising, because so many students have been heading home, making their way home. So if they were to hold classes here, perhaps a lot of students would not be in attendance. And also, Norris Hall, of course where the worst shooting happened, is going to be closed for the remainder of the year.

COLLINS: And certainly not to take anything away from the students, which this has been so incredibly shocking and painful, and you really do get a sense when you walk around. And when we first arrived last night, seeing some of the kids walking around on the streets, they are really are drawn, they really are very quiet, at least everyone that I saw. But also, the teachers and the faculty.

And I remember the president saying, you know, we've got administration meetings and so forth that will go back in session tomorrow, but if faculty members need more time, obviously, he's very understanding of that.

KEILAR: Certainly. And as you talk to students, some of them are quiet. Some of them don't want to talk.

But others that I've spoken with yesterday said they were angry because they really understood the two crime scenes to be linked, and they were angry because, of course, that delay in notification. The notification, the e-mail that came out from the 7:15 shooting didn't come out until 9:26 a.m., less than 20 minutes before that second shooting. And as evidence mounts up here linking -- physical evidence linking these two crime scenes, no doubt that anger will continue to grow.

COLLINS: Yes, there's no question about it. But hopefully, as we heard at least from the student body president here just moments ago, Brianna, that they are more interested even at this point in healing and coming together and hoping that they can do that.

I think as we have seen in the past in covering stories like that -- or like this, I should say, that all of those questions come out later. And they usually come out with the anger that we're talking about now. But hopefully we certainly wish them the most healing that we can right now.

And we will be covering all of that for you. Coming your way, the 2:00 p.m. convocation, and then later on in the evening, the candlelight vigil which will be held at that drill field. They're expecting about 40,000 people or so to attend.

Brianna Keilar, thanks so much for that.

Tony, back now to you.

HARRIS: OK, Heidi.

Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr has just received a statement from the South Korean Embassy in Washington. Want to share the statement with you.

"The Embassy of the Republic of Korea is shocked and dismayed by the violent crime that took place on April 16th at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. We express our deepest sympathies and most sincere condolences to the victims and their families and their friends."

That statement from the South Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Authorities are still notifying the relatives of those killed in yesterday's massacre. A complete list of the victims has not been released, but we do know the names of five people confirmed dead.

Ryan Clark, a 22-year-old senior from Martinez, Georgia, is believed to be among the first killed. Clark's brother says he was a resident adviser in the dormitory where the first shooting took place. Clark was an A student, a triple major -- that's right, a triple major, psychology, biology and English.

Killed in the engineering building, Ross Alameddine, a student from Saugus, Massachusetts; G.V. Loganathan, a professor of civil and environmental engineering; and Liviu Librescu, a professor of engineering, science and mechanics. He is described as an Israeli- born Romanian who was internationally known for his research in aeronautical engineering.

And just this morning we learned Matthew Lepore (ph), a freshman from Dumont, New Jersey, was also killed in the engineering building.

I want to take you to the White House now. Our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux is with us.

And I understand, Suzanne, you have a statement, a new statement from the president.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House has just released this statement. We're just getting bits and pieces of it, Tony. Probably in a couple of minutes I'll be able to give you some more details of that. But essentially, it is honoring those, the victims of this tragic shooting. Now, this was a very difficult decision for the White House, whether or not the president was actually going to go to this convocation today. A lot of discussions involving those on the campus, as well as security.

Usually what happens, the president waits a little while and then pays his respects. Because of all the logistics, the security, you can imagine what will happen in that college town when the president actually comes later today. But it was felt that it would be appropriate because of the magnitude of this tragedy, that the president would be able to offer condolences, support and bring this country together.

Now, the president ordered earlier today to have all flags fly at half-staff, at least until Sunday sunset. We have seen that here at the White House and many other buildings around this city, obviously around the country as well.

Now, we're told he will leave about noon or so. He will make remarks at that convocation in that 2:00 hour. Very brief, five or six minutes. But, again, he will give his support.

I should also let you know there is federal assistance that is being made available. There are ATF agents, there are FBI agents who are working with ballistics, working with the investigation. There are also people who are involved in counseling, working with the university, even the secretary of education, Margaret Spellings, reaching out to Virginia Tech to help those families and help those students -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK. Our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux, for us.

Suzanne, thank you -- Heidi.

COLLINS: A chilling description. CNN's Jeanne Meserve talked with one of the students in the German class attacked by the gunman. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIN SHEEHAN, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: He was, I would say, about a little bit under six feet tall, young looking, Asian, dressed sort of strangely, almost like a Boy Scout, very short-sleeved, light, tan shirt, and some sort of ammo vest, with black over it.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: What kind of weapon did he have?

SHEEHAN: I'd say a handgun. It was not a large rifle at all. It was black and it was plastic. I don't know much about that stuff.

MESERVE: Describe how he came into the classroom.

SHEEHAN: He peeked in twice earlier in the class, which is sort of sketchy. But then he came in eventually later and he just stepped within five feet of the door and just started firing.

He seemed very thorough about it, getting almost everyone down, or -- I pretended to be dead just on the ground, and then he left for about 30 seconds, came back in, did almost exactly the same thing. I guess he heard us still talking.

And then we forced ourselves against the door so he couldn't come in again because the door would not lock so he came and tried to force himself in another three times and then started shooting through the door. It was a solid wooden door with no windows.

MESERVE: How many students were wounded or killed?

SHEEHAN: At least when we left only four of us left and two of them were mildly injured and everyone else was unconscious either dead or wounded seriously.

MESERVE: How many of them were there?

SHEEHAN: It was about 25 person German class and the professor was down, as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And as we listen to those unbelievably chilling accounts of what happened in that class, the German class inside the building, Norris Hall, when the gunman came in, we have more bad news to share with you this morning.

We are getting word of yet another death, another victim in this massacre at Virginia Tech. We are learning from one of our producers here at CNN who has spoken with the father of this victim, that 18- year-old Erin Peterson (ph), a freshman here at Virginia Tech, has died. Her father, Grafton Peterson (ph), has told our producer, "My baby didn't make it."

He apparently had been waiting all night for information on his daughter and he just found out a short time ago. So once again, adding to that list now, 18-year-old Erin Peterson (ph), a freshman here at Virginia Tech -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK, Heidi. We want to get out to John Zarrella. John is standing by at Montgomery Regional Hospital. That is in Blacksburg, where 19 victims were treated.

And John, I don't know if you just heard the news of another fatality, and I'm not sure if that is information -- if that person was being treated at the hospital where you're located. But what can you tell us?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the injuries here, the very, very serious wounds here, were transported to other, more critical care trauma units. There were two or three that were transported from here yesterday. And those that were here, the news here was that there were three critical last night, six stable. But those critical did improve and were doing better today. So that information coming this morning from the CEO of the hospital, Scott Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT Hill, MONTGOMERY REGIONAL HOSPITAL: Twelve of the patients from yesterday's shooting remain at hospitals, including Montgomery Regional Hospital and Lewis-Gale Medical Center. All are in stable condition.

We have nine patients here at Montgomery Regional Hospital. Three of those were critical last night. They have been upgraded to stable as of this morning.

And at Lewis-Gale Medical Center in Salem, they have three patients remaining. All are in stable condition, one is expected to be discharged today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: you know, it may well be that this latest information about this latest tragic death may be one that was transferred from this hospital, but that is strictly just speculating. But here at this hospital, not likely, based on what we were told from Mr. Hill this morning.

Now, there were six surgeries performed here yesterday, four major surgeries, two minor surgeries. None overnight. But on the (AUDIO GAP) opportunity to talk with the emergency room doctor, one of those who treated the victims coming in, and he talked about the absolute brutality of what he saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JOSEPH CACIOPPO, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN: The injuries were just amazing. This man was brutal.

There wasn't -- there wasn't a shooting victim that didn't have less than three bullet wounds in them. Even, again, the less serious injuries, we saw one patient that had a bullet wound to the wrist, one to the elbow and one to the thigh. We had another one with a bullet wound to the abdomen, on to the chest and one to the head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZARRELLA: We spoke with some people this morning, students at Virginia Tech who were coming here to see friends. One was on his way in to see his girlfriend. He said she was doing very, very well. She had been shot in the wrist. He had seen her yesterday, was coming back today.

We spoke with another couple going in to see another friend. And they said that their friend had been shot once in the arm and twice in the leg. But that friend also doing pretty well.

So Tony, just by the sound that we heard from that emergency room surgeon, you can understand the gravity of what they faced here at this hospital yesterday.

HARRIS: And John, thank you for the reminder that the news so far coming out of Montgomery Regional Hospital there is good news to this point.

ZARRELLA: Yes. Yes.

HARRIS: John Zarrella with us this morning.

John, thank you. Let's send you back now to Blacksburg and the campus of Virginia Tech and Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: Tony, these flags really tell the story. Today, a day to grieve on the Virginia Tech Campus. President Bush among the mourners. Details on that coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: I want to show you this picture of the gunman, according to police up there in Blacksburg, Virginia. Take a look at the picture of the gunman in the massacre at Virginia Tech, identified as Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old English major from South Korea.

Ballistics show that the weapon that was used in the shooting of two people at a dormitory at around 7:15 a.m. yesterday was also one of two weapons used in the shootings of 31 people at Norris Hall. That's the engineering building.

Cho was a local resident of the United States, and police tell us he took his own life as police closed in on him. And while ballistics show that one gun was used in both shootings, authorities could not yet say definitively that Cho was responsible for both incidents.

And this from Harry Hincker, the associate vice president for university relations. He describes Cho as a loner, and that authorities on campus are having a difficult time finding any information about him.

A short time ago, we received this message from the South Korean Embassy in Washington. "The Embassy of the Republic of Korea is shocked and dismayed by the violent crime that took place on April 16th at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. We express our deepest sympathies and most sincere condolences to the victims and their families and friends."

And the Korean Student Association on the campus of Virginia Tech says that they did not know the gunman.

The latest information that we have there. And there, again, you have the picture of the man the police say was responsible for the shooting rampage, that mass shooting yesterday, that mass killing on the campus of Virginia Tech.

Heidi, back to you in Blacksburg.

COLLINS: Tony, in order to put more of a face on the events that happened here yesterday, we want to introduce to you a mother and daughter, both caught up in the horror here at Virginia Tech.

Kathryn Beard is a professor in the masters program, Department of Education at Virginia Tech, and her daughter, Madison Van Duyne, is a student at Virginia Tech.

I offer my condolences. I'm hoping very much that your friends and the people that you associate with here at the school are OK. I know you've spoken with many of them.

MADISON VAN DUYNE, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: I have spoken with most of my friends, and fortunately they are all doing very well. I think that Virginia Tech is just such a close-knit community that we are all really grieving with all of the classmates that were lost and faculty members that have been lost as well.

COLLINS: You know, it's something that we do continue to hear with everyone that I've spoken with, very much about that closeness and how you will persevere through all of this. But I have to take you back to yesterday, because you were on our program with us, Madison, and I remember very well you telling us that you were sitting on the floor of a classroom underneath a desk.

Tell us what your experience was yesterday.

VAN DUYNE: It was just such a tragedy and so horrific. Basically, when I was talking to you all, we had just went into a lockdown. The lights were off. Most of the students were underneath desks, we were away from the windows, and we were all -- it was chaos inside.

Everyone was trying to call their families, call their friends, send out e-mails, get on the Internet and listen to Webcasts just to see what was going on right outside our classroom.

COLLINS: What were you thinking inside? We continue to show this video just to let people know of sort of the chaos that was going on and the immediacy of it.

When you saw those things, what did you think was happening? There had had been so much talk about these bomb threats. Everyone seemed to sort of maybe subconsciously linked it to that.

Did you do the same?

VAN DUYNE: I think so. I think deep down all of us probably thought it was a student at Virginia Tech that was the shooter or involved with the shooting. We were all hoping it wasn't. But I think deep down everyone was linking the two maybe together.

I'm not sure if they are. But basically we were all just so -- just so upset. It is indescribable what we are going through.

COLLINS: How long did you stay under the desk?

VAN DUYNE: We all stayed in the dark under the desk and in a pile together for about four hours. So, from 9:30 to 1:00 in the afternoon.

COLLINS: Four hours. It must have been the absolute longest four hours of your life.

VAN DUYNE: It was very long. And fortunately, we were in a media class. So we took it upon ourselves to try to call as many people as we could and see what was going on outside and write up an article for the Blacksburg Planet, which is a local Web site that our communications department had put together for Virginia Tech. And just to let some other students and faculty members know what we were kind of hearing from our end and what was going on.

COLLINS: Yes. And it's really something that we've been hearing a lot about, the communications system here through Virginia Tech and the students and the faculty, this e-mail system.

Kathy, I want to ask you, you sort of have a dual role here. Obviously, you are a mother of a Virginia Tech student, someone who is very, very close to the situation in that regard. Also, professor in the Department of Education.

Tell me when this feels like to know that a student has walked in and done this to your campus, your students.

KATHRYN BEARD, VIRGINIA TECH PROFESSOR: It's a very sad day for us all. And I can't imagine what level of stress that student was under to reach that need to go out and do what he did.

As a faculty member, I was driving to campus when my husband called -- and I didn't have the news station on -- to tell me we had gone into lockdown. And I know that our lockdown procedures are very tight and very good. And I knew it was foolish for me to come to campus. The police would not have let me on.

So the best thing I could do was to go home and monitor what was going on there. I turned CNN on, actually, right away as soon as I came into my home, and then I went to my computer to pull up information from the university. And by that time, the e-mail system had already gone into effect and I was getting constant updates from the university as to what was happening.

COLLINS: You didn't hear Madison on CNN. Were you in contact with her? How did you first make sure that she was OK?

BEARD: Her part on CNN happened much later. So this was still in that 9:30, 10:00 range of time.

I tried for about two hours actually to reach her before her cell phone actually picked up. So, of course you have that anxiety, why is my child not answering the phone? But the minute I heard her voice, I knew that she was fine. I know what our procedures are here, and I have complete confidence that she would be all right.

COLLINS: Can you tell me anything about that? As we look back at the events that happened and also, of course, what happened on that first day of school, I mean, it really has been an incredible year for these students when another person was killed, a police officer, a security guard here on Virginia Tech's campus.

There has to be quite a bit of training for instructors, for professors. Is that true?

BEARD: That's a real advantage for being within the school of education. Because of things happening in middle schools and high schools around the country, Columbine, for example, we are very on top of educating our students on how to respond to lockdowns and emergencies.

Airplane.

COLLINS: Yes. Actually, stand by one minute.

Just want to let you know, obviously we are expecting the president to come here at 2:00 for the convocation. This is part of the security as they have the fighter jets overhead to check the situation.

So, Kathy and Madison, we certainly appreciate your time here today and offer you our condolences, of course, and wish you the best in the healing process to come. Thanks so much, ladies.

VAN DUYNE: Thank you.

COLLINS: Tony, back down to you.

HARRIS: OK, Heidi.

Police have now identified the shooter at Virginia Tech. But here's the question: what could push a person to commit mass murder?

Joining me now from Houston, Texas, is former FBI special agent in charge, Don Clark.

Don, great to see you, my friend. Thanks for your time this morning.

DON CLARK, FMR. FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: Tony, it's good to see you, but it's a tough day for us all.

HARRIS: Isn't it? It really is. It just feels very sad, very heavy.

I have to ask you, we now have an identification on the shooter from the police there, the authorities in Virginia. What do you want to know next?

CLARK: Well, Tony, we already started to hear some things that we repeatedly hear after these types of activities. One is, is that he was a loner.

HARRIS: Yes.

CLARK: You know, that's been a key for almost everyone of these activities. It may be a group of two or three, but by and large they were a loner.

I think you're probably going to find that he was a very smart person and a nice person. But he didn't socialize with very much.

He may have had some habits, computer-generated technology, games, that type of thing, but basically stayed to himself. That's usually the profile that you're going to find, Tony.

HARRIS: A loner. Why is it that we hear that description of -- what is it about -- every loner does not decide they're going to -- to grab a couple of pistols and go into a college campus and just, you know, lose their mind. What is it about this characterization of so many of the people who commit these crimes that they're loners?

DON CLARK, FMR. FBI SPECIAL AGENT: You're absolutely right --

HARRIS: Okay, I think I'm going to hang on for just a second. I think it's just a slight technical problem. We may be able to get Don Clark right back. Is that going to happen, guys? What do you think? No, not yet. We'll keep the -- while we do this, let me just offer up the information once again that we know. Let's see that picture again, if we could. Of the person that authorities in West Virginia say committed this horrible crime.

The gunman in that massacre at Virginia tech. Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old English major from South Korea. He was a legal resident of the United States. Took his own life. Police are telling us in one of the classrooms, one of the four classrooms where victims were found. Cho was described as a loner. And authorities are having a difficult time finding any additional information about him.

We will take a quick break and come back and we will continue our conversation with Don Clark. But still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, it is one of the weapons police say they recovered in the Virginia Tech shooting. A nine-millimeter pistol. How easy to get? How easy to use? Find out, coming up next in the NEWSROOM. And time line of a tragedy. A look at how the Virginia Tech massacre unfolded. Coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Okay. Don Clark is back with us. Our Former FBI Special Agent in Charge. Don is joining us from Houston. Don, before we lost you there to a bit of a technical snafu, we were asking why it is that in so many of these cases, the perpetrator is described as a loner.

CLARK: Yes. Well, you know, Tony, as I was saying --

HARRIS: Did we lose you again? Are you there, Don?

CLARK: I'm here.

HARRIS: You can pick up your answer.

CLARK: Is that, they are described as loners. Now, being described as a loner to me, and I've worked with a lot of profilers and psychologists, they've given me a great education, that says that that doesn't mean that these people are not doing anything. They're just being a couch potato. Their interests is focused on something totally different. It may be activities, it may be books of some sort, video games.

And invariably, they have found that at the end of the day when these types of things take place that you find that people have been involved in such activities. And these video games, Tony, have really got to take on as to how people can create these types of activities and be so calm about doing it because they've practiced it so much on the games.

HARRIS: Don't you want to know what the shooter did in the more than two hours from the first shooting to the second shooting?

CLARK: Of course, Tony. I will tell you, too, that the authorities are going to look very, very carefully at that part. In addition to working extensively to find out this person's background and as much as they can is what happened during the space of that two hours. That's going to be the deal they're going to have to tackle here to really try to put a tie, an end to this matter.

HARRIS: Overall, do you believe the authorities there, Virginia Tech Police, have handled themselves well in this investigate? I know there were calls early on for the FBI to move in and take over the investigation. Is that something you think should have happened?

CLARK: No. I don't think it's necessarily for the FBI to move in and take over the investigation. It's clearly a good idea to bring all of this expertise together. And try to make something work. So that you can solve the problem. It just appears to me from a distance that the police department there has done an outstanding job. And I understand what they're doing through, Tony, having been in the shoes of an FBI executive, they have limbed resources there.

This is a pretty large campus, about 9,000 kids on campus. They have a lot to deal with there. So I understand exactly what they're going through. I think the fact that they brought in all of these entities and expertise really tells you that, look, guys, we need to solve this problem and we need help. I don't think they ought to be beaten up about that.

HARRIS: One more time as we try to zero in on our understanding of a person who does something like this. Is there or is there not a common type, common characteristics that you have found in your work in this area through the years for a person that does something like this?

CLARK: Well, my experience has been, is that you do find all of these people have a common illness. You know, it's a mental sickness, they are somewhere that causes a person no matter what they do, what they're make-up is, to be able to gravitate to something like this and do it in such calm and peaceful manner, that's almost a story repeated after every one of these activities, Tony.

HARRIS: Don Clark, Former Special Agent in Charge for the FBI with us this morning. Don, appreciate it. Thank you.

CLARK: Thank you, Tony.

HARRIS: New details coming in here to CNN. About the gunman, Virginia Tech's police chief says the shooter has been identified as 23-year-old Korean national Cho Seung-Hui of Centreville, Virginia. Cho was in the U.S. as a resident alien. He was an English major in his senior year at Virginia Tech. Cho living in Harper Hall dormitory.

We are getting in more names of the victims of yesterday's shooting a short time ago. We learned 18-year-old Erin Peterson of Centreville, Virginia was among those killed. Her father told CNN he had been waiting for information all night on his daughter and said "my baby didn't make it."

Also killed, Ryan Clark, a 22-year-old senior from Martinez, Georgia. Clark's brother says he was a resident adviser in the dormitory where the first shooting took place. Clark was a triple major, an A student in psychology, biology and English. Killed in the engineering building, Ross Alameddine, a student from Massachusetts.

G.V. Loganathan, a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Liviu Librescu, a Professor of Engineering, Science and Mechanics. He is described as an Israeli born Romanian who was internationally known for his research in aeronautical engineering. And just this morning, we learned that Matthew Lepore, a freshman from Dumont (ph), New Jersey, was also killed in the engineering building.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Time line of a tragedy, how a massacre unfolded on the Virginia Tech campus. CNN's Mary Snow takes us through the day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHARLES STEGER, PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA TECH: At about 7:15 this morning, a 911 call came to the University Police Department. Concerning an event in West Ambler Johnston Hall. There were multiple shooting victims.

VOICE OF MATT WALDRON: They said there were gunshots that came from the inside. And then two minutes later people came pouring out the door with their hands up and they were screaming and stuff like that. I guess two kids had jumped out of the windows.

SNOW: At 10:00 A.M., the campus newspaper's web site says "a gunman is on the loose." The university is in lockdown. Ten twenty, classes are canceled. Ten thirty-two, the worst news possible, people are dead. It's unclear how many.

STEGER: There are multiple fatalities. The number of fatalities has not been confirmed. Victims have been transported to various hospitals in the immediate area in the region to receive emergency treatment.

SNOW: Ten thirty-six, police report the shooter is dead. But is there another one?

VOICE OF ALEX SEMONITE, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: I started walking toward my dorm which is near Burruss, too. Along the way when I was on the other side of the drill field, I heard shots fired and saw everyone running across the drill field. I immediately started running towards my dorm. So that I could get into a safe environment.

SNOW: Twelve-eighteen, reports are grim. There are at least 20 dead.

SCOTT HILL, MONTGOMERY REGIONAL HOSPITAL: At Montgomery Regional Hospital, there are 17 patients being treated for various injuries.

SNOW: Twelve twenty-three, the shooting is officially over but the death toll keeps climbing.

CHIEF WENDAL FLINCHUM, V.T. UNIVERSITY POLICE: At this time we believe there's only one gunman, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Where is that gunman?

FLINCHUM: He is deceased.

SNOW: Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: Some facts about Virginia Tech's main campus now, just to give you a better idea of the landscape. It includes more than 100 buildings on 26 acres. There are more than 25,000 full-time students. Yesterday's shootings happened at West Ambler Johnston Hall. That's a huge co-ed dorm. You see it on the map there and Norris Hall, an engineering building on the opposite side of the drill field. The distance between those two shooting scenes, about a mile and a half. It's about a 15-minute walk.

HARRIS: And coming up in just a couple of minutes here in the NEWSROOM, Jackie Schechner, we will check in with her. She is keeping an eye on the internet, the chat rooms, the discussions going on, online about this horrible event that took place on the campus of Virginia Tech yesterday. That's coming up in the NEWSROOM and dealing with tragedy. How Virginia Tech students are coping, hours after the rampage. That's still to come in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Quickly want to get this news to you as we join us from the Virginia Tech campus here. One day after a horrible, horrible nightmare took place here. We are now getting some information coming to us from Texas. About a school there that is apparently been evacuated.

I'm just going to read to you from what the Associated Press is now reporting. Authorities evacuated the buildings on the St. Edwards University campus in Austin this morning. I believe this is a Catholic university. A school official is saying there was a threatening note that was found in a rest room. Once again, a school has been evacuated.

St. Edwards University, because apparently of a threatening note that was founded in a rest room there. St. Edwards spokeswoman is saying that the Austin Police are on campus searching the buildings. She didn't have more information about what the contents of the note were. We are hearing from some other reports it is possibly a bomb threat. We will continue to get more information about that and bring it to you as soon as we can.

Meanwhile, though, student and staff are asked to gather around the soccer field. That's away from the buildings. And everyone else was asked to stay off of campus until about noon. So once again, there's about 5,200 kids here and graduate students as well at this Catholic university downtown Austin. Again, the name of that university, St. Edwards University.

CNN has now just confirmed, I'm being told, that this has happened at St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas. School has been evacuated because of a threatening note that was found in the rest room there. That is the story coming out of Texas. We'll continue to follow it for you.

In the meantime, we want to take you to Bob Franken now, our CNN correspondent standing by in Centreville, Virginia. He's been talking with one of the neighbors of the shooting suspect. Bob, what can you tell us?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is apparently where he grew up or at least spent his formative years. The family has lived here, a family that pretty much kept to themselves, although they were very friendly. As a matter of fact, a postal worker, the man who has delivered packages to them for years said they were uncommonly friendly. He at one point, really his voice cracked, saying no parent deserves this.

The police, we're told, state police came here in large numbers last night, about ten police cars came. Obviously searching the residence. There's nobody here right now. Who lives there? The family and the neighbors have different accounts of how large the family was, had lived here for several years but they're not here today. Probably trying to, if nothing else, escape the big media horde. There are people from here and obviously from Korean television here who are trying to get whatever the story they can.

It's coming out in a sketchy fashion. But it almost sounds like the sad cliche we hear, everybody says it was just a friendly family, we know very little about them.

Heidi?

COLLINS: At least you've been able to gather a little bit of information for us, about him. We appreciate that. Also, just want to remind everyone what we can expect to happen next here from the campus of Virginia Tech. We have been telling you about the 2:00 P.M. convocation that will be taking place. We do know that President Bush and the first lady will be coming to the convocation. They'll be offering up their words, their thoughts for the family, and friends and faculty members here at the campus.

We also know that an incredible amount of people, alumni has been invited. All of the students, the faculty, the community members, everyone who has anything that they would like to share or that they would like to just really spend time with one another at this convocation coming up at 2:00 p.m. We are hearing the facility it will be taking place in only holds about 10,000 people which may become an issue, Tony, because what I'm hearing is that absolutely everyone will be attending that. And a little bit later in the evening. I'm hearing the same thing about the candlelight vigil, where they're expecting 40,000. We'll have to wait and see what happens with that.

You may have hear the fighter jets go overhead as part of the security for the president coming in. And people were worried about that at first, about sort of disrupting the scene here, where they've already gone through so much.

But the president of the university, Charles Steger said, no, the president is welcome, and we would love his words of comfort today.

HARRIS: Yes, I heard that as well, Heidi. OK, we'll check back with you in just a moment, Heidi.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, a routine school day interrupted by horror. The Virginia Tech students and professors who lost their lives, their stories coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Want to take you to Washington D.C. now.

CNN Internet correspondent Jacki Schechner is in our Washington bureau, and she's been checking the Web for postings related to this incident.

Jacki, great to talk to you. What are you finding?

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, it's really interesting. The Internet has been giving us a really good idea of what it was like to be a student on the Virginia Tech campus yesterday, and what it's like to still be a student there now.

Let me show you this I-Report that we just got in a little while ago. This was taken yesterday. Let's see if I can get that video to play for you. This was taken through the key hole of a dorm room. This is Casey Clark, Lee Hall, at 12:15 yesterday. He says the police were running down the hall, yelling get in your rooms, lock your doors. It's very short video. He said this was the scariest part of the day. We'll have to play it over again. It's a very short video. He says this was the scariest part of the day. He's an engineering major. He knows someone who was a victim of this attack. He has left campus and is now at home with his parents.

Now these kids are all kids that live their lives online in these social networking sites. And unfortunately as we hear more and more names of the victims, we are getting a little bit of glimpse at who they were. This is Erin Peterson, an 18-year-old from Centreville, Virginia. We're also seeing images online of Matt La Porte, a sophomore from Dumont, Mew Jersey. He says in his profile he majored in poli-sci and leadership, and he says he aspires to be commissioned in the Air Force and work in intel. These are all kids who are now being memorialized online thought their Facebook social network profiles.

Ryan "Stack" Clark, a resident adviser who was shot in the residence hall. He's a senior triple major. His friends are remembering him online by posting photographs they have of him, saying that he was witty. He was kind. He was the kind of guy who knew everyone. There's also Ross Alameddine, who is being remembered in this Facebook group. But he's posted these photos of himself online in his own Facebook profile. He also had a presence on Myspace.

Kids are now using their networking sites today to rally together online. They're uniting in the thousands. It was yesterday they were using the sites to tell each other they were all right. Now they're continuing to share their emotions, and we're seeing a lot of people replacing images with this image instead, the black ribbon and the Virginia Tech logo.

HARRIS: And, Jacki, in the process are getting closer and closer to the lives of these victims. Jacki Schechner in our Washington bureau. Jacki, thank you.

Let's send you back to the campus of Virginia Tech and Heidi.

COLLINS: And, Tony, we saw here the first time today a picture of the suspect in all of this, and what police are calling the shooter in this massacre at Virginia Tech University. We want to put that on the screen for you once again now. This is Cho Seung-Hui, 23-year-old student here. He is from Korea. He's an English major. We have not found anyone -- of course, it's difficult to get around and talk with everyone. So many people are just really grieving today. That is certainly understood, but have not been able to find anyone on campus that knows him or is familiar with him.

So, again, some of the first pictures coming in of Cho Seung-Hui, the 23-year-old english major apparently police are saying was the shooter in all of this yesterday.

Back now to you, Tony.

HARRIS: OK, for Heidi Collins, I'm Tony Harris, just time to say goodbye. Our coverage of the massacre at Virginia tech continues at the top of the hour with Don Lemon and Betty Nguyen, right after a break.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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