Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Tragedy at Virginia Tech
Aired April 17, 2007 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And we are here once again on the campus of Virginia Tech here in Blacksburg, Virginia, this morning. It's Tuesday, it's April 17th.
This is a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING.
I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Roberts.
Of course, the big news of the day that we heard from the president of the college, Charles Steger, is that we do know that the gunman is a student here at Virginia Tech. And that is news that was fully believed by many of the students here on campus, but certainly hearing about it, having it officially confirmed, really drives that point home and really creates even more shock here at the university that it was one of their own who was responsible for this heinous tragedy.
CHETRY: And the ruthlessness of the gunman, of the man who they now believe was a student and actually a resident of one of the residence halls, one of the dormitories here. We got some first-hand accounts from people who survived miraculously in many cases by barricading themselves and barricading the tables and anything they could get their hands on in the classroom up against the door, having to actually fight him and struggle as he got the door opened a couple of times and then fired shots into the classroom. And these students are telling stories of bravery and really a miracle because they survived this.
ROBERTS: Yes. And as we hear stories about the determination of this gunman to take his victims, questions are being asked this morning about that two-hour gap between the first of yesterday's shootings at West AJ hall, 7:15 in the morning, and then the school's attempts to notify students. 9:26 was the time that the very first e- mail went out, Kiran.
CHETRY: That's right.
And Jim Acosta is here at the Virginia Tech campus command center, not too far away from where John and I are right now. And he has more details on that for us.
Hi, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi. Good morning, Kiran. And yes, in about an hour from now, we should hear more about what exactly happened yesterday. There are still more questions than answers in many ways.
We did hear, as you mentioned earlier this morning here on AMERICAN MORNING, that at least we do now know that the gunman was a student and a resident on campus here at Virginia Tech, that this student did not live in West AJ, the dormitory where that first attack occurred, but now we're starting to get some of pieces of the puzzle.
Now we know why this student would have been able to carry out the attack at West AJ and then make his way across campus, across what is perhaps known as the drill field, and then get to Norris Hall, where the second attack occurred. But at least we're starting to find out more than just we knew yesterday, that this was an unidentified Asian male. And here's what university president Charles Steger said earlier this morning on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES STEGER, VIRGINIA TECH PRESIDENT: We do know he was an Asian -- I'm talking about the second mass event -- an Asian male who was a resident in one of our dormitories. He was one of our students.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And here you see right in that sound bite right there is -- there is a hint as to where this investigation is going. You heard the university president say that we do know that the gunman in the second shooting.
The university officials here keep separating these incidents, these attacks as if they're two separate episodes. And so, we're still not hearing definitively from the university that, yes, the gunman at the first location is the gunman at the second location and they are the same person. And it is this -- this Asian student. So, that is -- that's something that we hope to find out more here at this press conference in just about an hour from now -- Kiran.
CHETRY: There seem to be some more clues into the premeditation, the possibility of the steps that this gunman took to try to carry out with the most damage this crime, including some reports possibly of trying to disguise the guns.
ACOSTA: That's right. "The Washington Post" is reporting this morning that that 9 millimeter semiautomatic handgun, the .22 caliber handgun, may have had its serial numbers etched off or scrubbed off those handguns, and that may go to the methodical nature of these attacks.
And also bringing into the situation here is these bomb threats that were reportedly made here on the campus just last Friday and earlier this month. And there is speculation as to whether or not the suspect, who is now dead, may have been testing the security system.
That is something that police have been talking about, have been thinking about as a potential aspect in all of this, that, yes, these bomb threats were perhaps a way to test the security system, a way to test the response system, and then that opens up this discussion about why the big delay. Maybe this gunman realized, you know, you phone in a bomb threat, you know, the whistles and the alarms don't go off. And so, perhaps you could carry out two different attacks with a large amount of time in the middle of them -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Jim Acosta, thanks so much for that update.
ROBERTS: Yes, 17 of the wounded were taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital. We're expecting a news conference from there shortly. Moments ago, Kiran spoke to an emergency room doctor at this place, a level three trauma center who treated many of these victims when they came in yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JOSEPH CACIOPPO, MONTGOMERY REGIONAL HOSPITAL: The injuries were just amazing. This man was brutal.
There wasn't a -- 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, one to the chest and one to the head.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Nine people are still being treated at that hospital. Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is there, where a news conference, as we said, is expected to happen any moment now.
How soon is that going to happen, Elizabeth? Do we know?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. Any minute now there's going to be a hospital executive coming out here giving us an update on the patients.
John, this is a relatively small rural hospital, only 146 beds. Yet, yesterday, they were called to perform a mammoth task, triaging 19 patients.
One was dead on arrival. Three are still inside in critical condition. Six are stable.
Now, this is only a level three trauma center. Two patients had to be transferred to a level one trauma center in Roanoke because they were so critically injured. The CEO of this hospital said yesterday that they do disaster drills, they do training but still, he said, "You can never have an adequate level of preparedness for this level of violence."
Now, extra staff was called in yesterday. They called a code green. And other people, extra staff came in to help out with the wounded. But as the surgeon who we just talked to on AMERICAN MORNING, he talked about the enormity of this situation, and he said after they were able to treat the wounded and do their job, they said afterwards a lot of tears were shed -- John.
ROBERTS: All right, Elizabeth. Thanks very much. Keep monitoring the situation there. We'll come back to you just as soon as that press conference gets under way.
Joining me now here at the campus is Derek O'Dell, a student. He was on the second floor of Norris Hall yesterday when the shooting took place.
I want to just show you something really quickly. Take a look at this. Here's the bullet hole right here in his sweater. It looked like it was a through and through.
And it went through your arm as it was going through there.
Tell me what happened yesterday. You said that you were on the second floor, but just lay out that scene for me, Derek.
DEREK O'DELL, INJURED VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: Well, we just heard gunshots down the hall. And we didn't really make anything of it because there's a lot of construction on campus. But we thought it was like hammering on the wall or something.
But then it became very apparent that there was a shooter right when he entered our classroom and shot somebody almost instantly as soon as he entered. At that point he started shooting multiple people, a lot of them in the front row. And then lots of us panicked and went under our desks and tried to take cover.
ROBERTS: So how were you shot?
O'DELL: I actually hadn't even realized I was shot until after the killer -- the shooter left our room. So, after he left our room, I looked down and my arm was bleeding pretty profusely.
ROBERTS: You didn't even feel the bullet at the time?
O'DELL: No, it just felt like a tingling sensation in my arm.
ROBERTS: Wow. And so he was just firing wildly around the room? Because you said you were under a desk when you got hit.
O'DELL: Yes. He seemed pretty trained at what he was doing. He was kind of going up to people and then shooting them in the head. Pretty point blank range. I mean, just horrible images that you never want to see again in your mind.
ROBERTS: Did you get a look at him?
O'DELL: Yes, I got a pretty good look at him and I gave the police my description.
ROBERTS: So, we had the president of the college, Charles Steger, say that he was an Asian male, he was a student. Can you describe him for us now? O'DELL: He had on like a black leather jacket that had like ammo sleeves on the inside. He had jeans on and what appeared to be a maroon hat.
ROBERTS: Did you recognize him as one -- I know there are 26,000 students on campus.
O'DELL: I don't think anybody in our room recognized him or even knew him.
ROBERTS: I guess at that point you're not really paying that much attention to the face and "Do I know this person?"
What was going through your mind in terms of what the hell is happening here? This is Blacksburg, Virginia, this is Virginia Tech, this doesn't happen here.
O'DELL: It's just pure shock. I mean, it's something that you see on the news. I mean, not to this scale, but something that you would see on the news. You just never imagine it happening to you. And it happened yesterday.
ROBERTS: We talked with one of your fellow students, Zach Petkewicz, who is a senior who was in Norris that same day who helped barricade a door. And he was telling us about the fear that he had that was going through him because this shooter was so methodical, so cold, so determined to get inside and get people.
What was your impression of this guy?
O'DELL: He was very methodical. I mean, he just seemed trained to kill almost. He had no, like, anger in him at all. He was just very calm and assertive and very determined to kill everybody.
ROBERTS: Right.
What's it like to watch him do what he was doing yesterday?
O'DELL: It's just something I try to put out of my mind. I mean, just to see him come up to people and then shoot them for no apparent reason at all just seems irrational and just something that doesn't make sense at all to me.
ROBERTS: You know, you seem very calm about this whole thing. Has it sunk in yet?
O'DELL: I don't think so. I mean, it still seems just like some type of fantasy that would never happen.
ROBERTS: Do you think that a couple days from now you're going to be sitting down and you'll suddenly say, "Oh, my god, what did I just go through?"
O'DELL: Yes, I think the images will start to replay more and more in my mind and I just won't be able to put them out. ROBERTS: You know, Derek, so many of the students that we have talked to in the last couple of days have said, where was the warning? Why did it take two hours and 10 minutes for them to tell us that something had happened on campus?
What are your thoughts about that?
O'DELL: I think the university as a whole did a pretty good job of responding to what happened. I mean, you can't rally prepare for what they did -- or this kind of situation at all. It's really tough to even determine, like, what his motive was or anything. So, especially the police department and the rescue squad, they all helped probably save numerous lives that otherwise would have been taken.
ROBERTS: Well, we're glad that you made it through it. And your arm is doing all right?
O'DELL: Yes, it's feeling great now. Montgomery Regional Hospital did a great job of treating everybody.
ROBERTS: I can't imagine. Derek, thanks very much. Appreciate it. Be safe, above all.
O'DELL: Thank you.
ROBERTS: We're awaiting that news conference from Montgomery Regional. A live update on the conditions of the other students who survived. And we're going to hear from a Virginia Tech professor inside Norris Hall during the rampage, as Derek was.
And just who was the gunman? What do we know about his weapons? Late information still coming in on this special edition of AMERICAN MORNING, live from the campus of Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Stay with us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: And we are still here today on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
We're hearing so many stories from people who were actually there yesterday when the tragedy unfolded. And we're joined now by Professor Scott Hendricks. He was in his office in Norris Hall when that shooting broke out there. And also, one of his students, Mike O'Brien, who was walking on campus also yesterday when this happened.
Thanks to both of you for being here.
Professor Hendricks, first, tell us, did you hear the gunshots from where you were yesterday?
SCOTT HENDRICKS, PROFESSOR, VIRGINIA TECH: Oh, very loud and clear. I heard about 40 to 50 gunshots from where I was.
CHETRY: What did you do?
HENDRICKS: Well, I first looked out the window. I saw some students crawling away who had jumped out of -- out of the building. I called 911 and talked to them. They were already aware there was an emergency there.
The police showed up. And then I just hunkered down in my office. I barricaded the door and I watched CNN on my computer to see what they knew.
CHETRY: So, it is so surreal to know that you were in the building, yet you were watching what was unfolding on a network.
HENDRICKS: That's correct. It's -- it still hasn't sunk in that it even is real.
CHETRY: You knew two of the professors at least, perhaps even more. We're not identifying some of them, but the two whose names are out there this morning. What were they like?
HENDRICKS: Well, Professor Librescu has been a colleague for many, many years. He was a wonderful man. It's just hard to say. Professor Loganathan has a daughter the same age of as my daughter.
I'm in shock.
CHETRY: Yes. And I asked both of you, is it going to help to take part in the remembrance today and to be among those on campus who also lived through the tragedy?
MIKE O'BRIEN, ENGINEERING STUDENT: I feel as a student that I really just want to be with my friends and just kind of be in a place where I feel comfortable and can find the most comforting that I can find. It's still a lot to take in, even the day after.
I was only walking across the drill field to class, and I can only imagine what the students must be like that actually experienced that were in the building. It's still a shock and a lot to take in.
CHETRY: Are you going it be able to go back to classes, lead the normal everyday routine of a college student after what you lived through?
O'BRIEN: I think in the next few days to weeks it's going it be hard. I keep on saying that I feel having classes on Wednesday is really too soon to start putting students back into their normal routine.
It's just -- with something that's at the scale of what has happened here at Virginia Tech, it's just -- it's so hard to deal with, especially with it being the second incident that a shooter has been on campus.
CHETRY: Right.
O'BRIEN: And I just feel like it's going to take some time to be able to cope with what has happened and just kind of get back into a normal routine.
CHETRY: And Professor, can you imagine feeling safe in teaching again?
HENDRICKS: I'm not too worried about feeling safe, but I'm having a hard time thinking about teaching. I don't think we can concentrate on our studies right now. No.
CHETRY: You said also when we spoke earlier you're going to be drawing on your faith and your church community to try to get you through this.
HENDRICKS: Yes, very much so. I have a strong church community and they pull together.
CHETRY: Professor Hendricks, thanks so much for joining us.
Mike O'Brien, I know it's a lot to take in. And thanks for sharing some of your thoughts with us this morning.
Right now we are actually going to go to that news conference taking place at Montgomery Regional Hospital. Hopefully we can find out some more details.
Let's listen.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
SCOTT HILL, SPOKESMAN, MONTGOMERY REGIONAL HOSPITAL: And I want to do everything I can to help you all out and answer what I can, but just keep that in mind, please.
Twelve of the patients from yesterday's shooting remain at two 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've 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.
We're obviously delighted that all of the patients in our two hospitals are in stable condition, with several of them being upgraded overnight. And, you know, our hearts go out to the families and the folks at Virginia Tech that are dealing with this tragic situation. All of our affiliated physicians and nurses and other employees remain focused, ensuring that all these patients receive the best possible care.
Again, our thoughts and prayers are with the Virginia Tech family right now.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
HILL: I would say that it hit about 7:30 yesterday morning. QUESTION: Mr. Hill, can you give us a break down (INAUDIBLE)?
HILL: Right. All are students. All the patients here are students.
QUESTION: Can you talk about some of the injuries they're going through?
HILL: No, I will not -- I will not discuss specific patient condition or type of injury.
QUESTION: At Lewis-Gale, what kind of patients did you have there?
HILL: They saw five patients total at Lewis-Gale Medical Center. Two were discharged and three are in stable condition. One is expected to be discharged today.
QUESTION: Are they students?
QUESTION: Sorry. Last night we had a number of 17 from Montgomery Regional, and have five been discharged?
HILL: The five from Lewis-Gale, they never came to Montgomery Regional.
QUESTION: Yesterday we had a number of 17.
HILL: Right. Right. No, there's not been any patients discharged. Those numbers are still the same from yesterday.
So we had -- I can break my statement back out, if I need to.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
HILL: Right, there's 12 at our two HJ (ph) hospitals. We have...
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
HILL: Right. Right, nine and three. There's nine patients still here, and there's three at Lewis-Gale hospital.
COHEN: Elizabeth Cohen with CNN. Do you have any unidentified patients?
HILL: No.
COHEN: They're all identified?
HILL: Yes.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
HILL: The families are by the bedside, which is a good thing.
QUESTION: What about the students that are coming here to check on friends?
HILL: Right. Well, as you know, there were a number of students that came yesterday, and we had a large space that we opened up to them. And we tried to give them as many updates as we could throughout the day.
We're, of course, trying to limit visitors today because the patients need to recover. But we're not turning anyone away from a standpoint of, if they have a name and they have got permission from the family, then they can come visit if they have that permission from the family.
QUESTION: Can you tell us anything about the police presence here? I saw several state troopers, additional police officer this morning.
HILL: I'll tell you, it's just -- for us, it's a way to make sure we limit access to the facility. We just want to make sure that we're providing a secure environment for our patients to make sure that they're recovering and we're doing everything we can to meet their needs.
COHEN: Elizabeth Cohen with CNN. Have you had to do any surgeries overnight?
HILL: No.
COHEN: (INAUDIBLE) you said at least four surgeries. Do you have a more exact number?
HILL: There were four major surgeries and I believe two minor surgeries yesterday. And we did not do any surgery overnight last night.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
HILL: I believe that we do, yes. I believe we had -- we had 17 total here, if I'm not mistaken.
QUESTION: Seventeen from two hospitals, or...
HILL: No, we had 17, and they had five at Lewis-Gale, so it was 22 total within our network of hospitals. And I believe there were four patients that were at New River Valley Hospital in Radford, Virginia, and then another two or three patients that went to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, which is the level one trauma center in this area.
QUESTION: What happened to the four patients that went to River Valley?
HILL: Our last report from that facility was one was transferred to Roanoke Memorial and three were stable. So, we've not been able to get an update from them this morning, but we'll be talking with them and trying to make sure that we can get you all as much accurate information as possible.
QUESTION: Do these students have any idea what they've been through? Are they aware that they've lost some of their friends, the magnitude of this?
HILL: You know, it's difficult. I really can't comment on what these patients are going through this morning.
QUESTION: Did you say that there were going to be more surgeries today?
HILL: We don't expect that, no. We do not expect that we'll be operating on anyone today. Of course, patient condition can change. But all our patients are stable right now, and we're very glad for that.
COHEN: When do you think you might be discharging any of them?
HILL: I can't comment on that. I don't know. When they're well.
QUESTION: At Lewis-Gale, are they all students also?
HILL: The breakdown of that was in yesterday's press release. I think I'd have to refer back to that. I don't have that information in front of me right now.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
HILL: No, I don't. You'd have to rely on the folks at Virginia Tech to give you that information.
We did see the two patients very early in the morning. And then, you know, like I said, for us it was constant activity throughout the day once those first two patients arrived. So, our timeline is a little bit different from a standpoint of the activity in the facility. But we did see patients after the first and after the second shooting.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) yesterday? Was that from the early morning incident, the first shooting?
HILL: I have not been able to verify that yet.
QUESTION: So you had patients right after the first shooting?
HILL: We did.
QUESTION: How many?
HILL: We received two patients very early in the morning. That was in yesterday's press release also.
QUESTION: Is the hospital in need of anything? Are you short of blood, anything?
HILL: No. We're not short of anything. And we're doing very well, making sure all these patients are cared for this morning.
QUESTION: What about your staff? Have then been overwhelmed?
HILL: I would not say that at all. Our staff has responded admirably. And I can't say enough.
I'm very proud to be the CEO of this hospital. I'm very proud to have an opportunity to represent these people, because they do -- they're the real heroes. They do the work, and I'm very proud of the staff of this hospital and our physicians. So...
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
HILL: We'll try -- we'll try to get you all information as we can. You know, we want to make sure that we go inside this morning the patients and families have what they need. So we'll go from there.
That's it. Thank you all. Thank you all.
CHETRY: We just -- we just heard from Scott Hill. He's the spokesperson for Montgomery Regional. And in the midst of all the sadness that we've been talking about, a glimmer, a bright spot, if you will, today because we've learned that 12 of the patients that were there and at another hospital -- nine there and three at another hospital -- have all been upgraded, critical to now stable condition. Many of them underwent surgeries.
He was insistent that he was not going to discuss the nature of the injuries at this point. Obviously, family members, you know, that's their personal prerogative to discuss that. But what he did say is that there has been an upgrade. Critically injured patients undergoing surgery in many cases, and all stabilized at this point. So, certainly some good news in that aspect today.
ROBERTS: But as you found out in your reporting -- in your interview with the trauma surgeon who treated some of these people, they all came in, none of them with fewer than three gunshots.
CHETRY: Yes. He was -- he was remarking on the fact that this was somebody who was ruthless and was methodical and was trying to get the maximum damage possible. And unfortunately, in many cases he did.
ROBERTS: And we're hearing that from all the students that we talked to this morning, as well.
We're learning more about the weapons that the gunman used. AMERICAN MORNING'S Greg Hunter has been checking into all of this.
We've got some new information. I mean, some of this is single source, others are just from reports.
What do we know about the weapons?
GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we do have some single- source information about the weapons, a .22 caliber and a Glock. Now, a Glock is a paramilitary weapon. There is no external safety. The safety is actually in the trigger.
ROBERTS: Right.
HUNTER: OK? So when you put...
ROBERTS: It's called a drop safety, right?
HUNTER: That's right. When you put your finger on the trigger, the safety's off. That's made to shoot a lot of rounds, fast. And the gun really operates quickly.
And that may be how he could have gotten off so many shots and did so much damage with that. Also, ATF is on the scene here, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. They are the firearms experts. They're working with local police to try to look at the ballistics and try to match everything together.
There are a lot of rumors, a lot of unsubstantiated stuff. And those are the firearm experts, and in the next few hours, the next few days, they're going to answer a lot of questions and unravel this. I'm confident.
ROBERTS: Back when I worked back in Miami, this is going all the way back to 1989, I think the Miami police force was the first police force to use those Glock 9 millimeters that became a very popular weapon. They've very popular at gun shows, as well.
Do we know more about how this student got a hold of these weapons or how he could in the state of Virginia get a hold of them?
HUNTER: Well, the state of Virginia has some pretty easy gun laws. That's according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
Now, just a little bit about the Brady Campaign. That is, Jim Brady and Sarah Brady founded this. Jim Brady was, of course, the White House press secretary shot in the head by John Hinckley. And they say this is the second easiest state to get a gun, a handgun or a rifle. In this case, a handgun.
There is no waiting, there's no license required. But if you get a license, you can buy more than one gun. That's the caveat there. Also, there's no checks at gun shows, and somebody from out of state could buy a rifle that has no -- that's neither here nor there.
ROBERTS: So we do know that this fellow had two weapons. We don't know if he had a license. We don't know if he bought those guns on the same day. I read one report, and it was just one report, that he may have bought at least one of the guns on Friday the 13th.
HUNTER: Well, and I also heard that they filed the numbers off. Now, did a family member buy that gun for him? It's illegal for me to buy a gun for you and you take it. It's illegal.
So, did somebody buy that gun? That's all speculation, and that will get unraveled by the ATF coming up here in the next few days.
ROBERTS: Right. How quickly is the information coming in with this? Does it just seem like a little drip here, a little drip there?
HUNTER: I imagine by the end of today we're going to know a lot more.
ROBERTS: All right.
HUNTER: We're going to know a lot more.
ROBERTS: Terrific. Thank very much.
HUNTER: OK.
ROBERTS: Appreciate it.
Well, what we do know of this shooter, at least, is that he was a student. He lived at one of the dorms. Apparently, he did not live at the dormitory where the first shooting took place.
But who was the gunman behind this rampage? The latest on that part of the investigation ahead.
And one of the most pressing questions, the two-hour gap between the two attacks. Why weren't students given more warning? Why did it take two hours and 10 minutes for the word of the first shooting to go out?
That's coming up on this special edition of AMERICAN MORNING, live from Virginia Tech.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: And welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. We are live here on the campus of Virginia Tech this morning following the latest developments. And there is a lot of new news today as more details come to light about that tragedy yesterday. Thirty-two students and teachers killed in what is really shaping up to be, as we're finding out more details, a ruthless, premeditated attack on a scale that we've never seen before in our nation's history.
ROBERTS: Yes, this is the worst mass shooting in America's history. It was the Luby shooting, with 24 dead was the previous record, now this one has eclipsed that and it's twice as bad as Columbine, which really had sort of defined school shootings, even though the one way back at the University of Texas at Austin was actually worse than Columbine.
But modern day, this now redefines the mass shooting in America. It is just a terrible tragedy. We're learning more about the shooter himself, the president of the college told us a couple hours ago that he is an Asian student, resides at one of the dormitories. Though it doesn't look like he was a resident at the dormitory in which the first shooting took place.
We also have single-source information that the two weapons that were used were a .22 Walther semi-automatic pistol and a 9 millimeter Glock pistol which originally started out its life in America really as something that law enforcement, paramilitary organizations used and now has become a very popular weapon for personal protection, for sport shooting, very, very popular weapon in this country.
CHETRY: That's right. The other unbelievable part about it, as there are questions as to whether or not gun laws would have made a difference, as to whether or not a waiting period would have made a difference. That there is a real single-minded determination on the part of the suspect that inflicted as much damage as possible.
When we spoke with the E.R. doctor who treated some of these people, everyone came in there with multiple gunshot wounds.
ROBERTS: Yes. He said at least three per person, three per victim. That's unbelievable.
CHETRY: At least three per person. Witnesses who were inside Norris Hall also recall hearing minutes upon minutes of shooting followed by silence when they believe he was reloading and then several more minutes, feeling as though it would never end.
And there are no classes today, but there are a lot of students and teachers and we have talked to some that are milling about the campus to share a little bit about their stories, to find comfort in one another and also to attend a memorial service that is going to be taking place at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time this afternoon. A memorial service that we learned shortly that the president will be attending.
ROBERTS: Yes, the White House confirmed about an hour ago that the president is going to be attending. As we understand it, he'll leave the White House probably about 11:30, leave from Andrews Air Force Base at noon. He is going to speak at what's being called a convocation. Convocation is just a gathering, a gathering of people. They're not saying it is a memorial service. They're calling it either a public or just a convocation.
He'll speak at that. He should be probably back at the White House about 5:00 this afternoon.
CHETRY: In fact, to get more details on the president's trip and how he is traveling here, confirming that he and the first lady will travel here, our Suzanne Malveaux has been following more on the president's schedule and when he is deciding to arrive. She's live from the White House today.
Hi, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kiran. There has been a lot of discussion between the White House. The president actually talking to the governor of Virginia as well as the president of Virginia Tech about these logistics, about these arrangements, even about whether or not it would be appropriate at this time for the president to come down after this is so fresh.
But considering just the magnitude of this tragedy here, it is really part of the president's job to really try to bring the country together. That is what the president is going to trying to -- doing this afternoon. He is going to be leaving the White House about 11:30 or so.
He will be taking off from Andrews Air Force Base. He, indeed, will be speaking at this convocation. We're told to try to give some words of support, encouragement, to let those students know, to let those families know that the country is with them during this tragic time.
The president is going to come back here about 5:00 to the White House. We've been told that the briefing -- the on-camera briefing has been canceled today. Clearly the White House and the president want to weigh in on this. It was just yesterday that the president expressed his condolences, today he is going to do so in person -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Certainly changed the routine in Washington. They were supposed to be holding some hearings today, Alberto Gonzales, attorney general set to testify. That is also on hold, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Well, you are absolutely right. It was felt by what we are told, both the Republicans and Democratic members of Congress who said they didn't think it was appropriate that a lot of attention was going to be paid to these students and their families and, overall, just the sense of mourning and concern for many people in this country about how something this tragic, on this magnitude, this scale could happen.
So they're saying that they are going to postpone that, move that forward to Thursday. There are a lot of members of Congress who will actually be expressing their own feelings and, perhaps traveling in the area, as well -- Kiran.
CHETRY: It really does put things into perspective, that's for sure. Suzanne Malveaux, we'll check in with you a little later as well. Thanks.
ROBERTS: And one of the reason it took so long to find out whether or not President Bush was going to attend this convocation this afternoon was because there was deliberation at the White House as to whether or not the university would be overwhelmed by adding the presence of the president on top of everything else that they're dealing with. But as the president of the university told us earlier today, he would be happy to have President Bush here.
CHETRY: Yes. He welcomed him with open arms, although you're right, the security detail and all of the logistics is going to be something that is daunting for this college and town today.
ROBERTS: Absolutely. Besides all of that, what is this tragedy going to mean for the national debate about guns? Will that debate spill over into the campaigns for president? Out senior political correspondent Candy Crowley has that side of the story for us. She is live in Washington.
Good morning, Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. One of the things that is interesting about this is that I think you will see an increase in the conversation. We have already seen Senator Ted Kennedy on the floor yesterday saying that he thinks this means, obviously, that there are not sufficient gun control laws to stop something like this.
We've seen Dianne Feinstein, who was really the mover and the shaker behind the assault weapons ban, call for renewal of that ban. It has expired a couple of years ago. So, we will see an increase in conversation, John. But the real question is whether we'll see an increase in action and that, if past is prologue, the answer is probably not.
ROBERTS: Yes. Haven't people on the Republican side in the last 24 hours, Candy, said that they believe that America's gun laws are where they're supposed to be?
CROWLEY: On the federal level, this is the case. The fact of the matter is that we haven't seen any federal handgun control or gun control at all since 1996. That was the last sort of major piece of legislation.
Since then of course we have had Columbine, we have had the Amish shootings, we have now had this tragedy. And Congress hasn't really moved on any of these largely because there is opposition to this in the sense that a lot of these senators, a lot of these congressmen are from rural area where the gun lobby is still very strong. It hasn't been politically feasible to pass some of these laws. A lot of the action against -- for or against gun control has really been at the state level.
ROBERTS: Right. And as we heard earlier from Greg Hunter, the State of Virginia, according to the Brady campaign, the second-easiest state in America to get a handgun.
Candy Crowley in Washington, thanks very much.
CROWLEY: Sure.
ROBERTS: Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, earlier we spoke with one student who is being hailed as a hero this morning for his efforts in holding off the gunman and really saving almost a dozen of his classmates who were in that same classroom. And here is a bit of his amazing and emotional account.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZACH PETKEWICZ, HELD OFF SHOOTER: Well, we had a long, rectangular-shaped table that me and another one of my classmates had on either side of the door. So we weren't directly in front of the door and we were standing off to the side. So, the cinderblocks were protecting us as much as we could. And, you know, we were just trying to hold that -- hold that table against that door. And thankfully, we weren't in front of it when he did shoot through it.
CHETRY: Yes, absolutely. Was there any way for anyone to call 911 or any -- as all of this was unfolding?
PETKEWICZ: Yes. One of my -- a couple of my classmates were on the phone with 911 the whole time while all this was going on, and, you know, just hearing bullets going off. Don't know what exactly was going on. We're just trying to keep him from coming in our classroom.
CHETRY: And in the meantime, were police saying, we're coming, we're on our way?
PETKEWICZ: I mean, we -- I could hear police shouting all around the building. I mean, they were there really fast. It was just a matter of getting up and getting to us and getting this guy out of -- out of the picture.
CHETRY: Did you know anybody that was not so lucky yesterday?
PETKEWICZ: I didn't have any close relationships with anybody that was -- anybody else on that floor. I mean, just the people in my class, and nobody in my class got injured.
CHETRY: And as many have been saying, your quick thinking may have saved so many lives. What do you say when people are calling you a hero today?
It's tough.
PETKEWICZ: I'm just glad I could be here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And Zach certainly teared up and really, you couldn't help but tear up yourself listening to his story and knowing just how close he came to death and how, if it weren't for his quick thinking and his actions, we might have lost even more people in that classroom.
Meantime, speaking of being a life-saver, an E.R. doctor who was there on the scene at Montgomery Regional when many, many of these injured students came, we're going to find out more about how he managed to help save some lives.
And, also our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta knows. He knows what it is like it be in the middle of something this tragic when all hell breaks loose and you're doing everything you can it save anyone you can. He joins us just ahead.
Also, we're going to hear some very personal accounts from Virginia Tech students who survived that tragedy. Where they were, how they found out and how close to home this tragedy has hit for many of them. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: There will be countless stories told over the coming days and weeks of people who were here that will always remember for the rest of their lives where they were when they learned the news of the devastating tragedy here, 32 classmates and teachers killed by a gunman.
We are live here again on the Virginia Tech campus and joining me right now, Nik Macko. He was one of the -- in one of the classrooms at Norris Hall during that shooting. And also with us is sophomore Mark Demetriou. As well as junior Jason Klein.
And, Nick, let me start with you. You're a senior. You're going to be graduating in three weeks. How is the campus going to pick up and move forward after this tragedy?
NIKOLAS MACKO, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: I'm not sure. I think that we probably are going to have a lot of determination that we're going to continue. I mean, it's so hard from just everyone you know knows somebody who has been hurt or has been killed, it seems like.
Just at that point, it's going to be very, very difficult, but at the same time, you just have to continue.
CHETRY: You were there, paint a picture for us of what you heard and what you were thinking when you heard the gunshots.
MACKO: Just in class, it starts at 9:05 and about 9:40, 9:41 I heard outside the room just a number of shots and didn't even register what it was with us in the classroom, and there was a pause and then more shots and that's the point when my classmates and I figured out that, yes, this is gunshots and one of my classmates sitting right by the door, she looked out in the hall, saw the shooter and closed the door immediately.
CHETRY: Did you guys barricade the door?
MACKO: Three other classmates who were sitting in the front of the class moved the table that's in the front of the room up against the door and they laid down on the floor and held it against the door.
CHETRY: It is unimaginable to have to deal with that on this campus. You, Jason, were walking, actually making your way to class and you encountered police. What happened?
JASON KLEIN, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: Yes, I was walking up, I almost -- was approaching Hancock Hall, which is right behind Norris. And I got word from a fellow student as he was walking back to the parking lot, I was coming to the parking lot to campus, saying that you might not want to go up there.
There is supposedly a gunman on campus. And right when he said that, the police got on their megaphone and said, please, seek shelter, stay away from the windows, there is a gunman on campus.
CHETRY: So what time was this?
KLEIN: This was about 10:00.
CHETRY: OK. About 10:00. A lot has been made, Mark, about the e-mail and the delay, I guess, as they're calling it, between when a shooting took place and when people were notified. Do you think even if you would have gotten that e-mail earlier that it would have made a difference?
MARK DEMETRIOU, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: I think it was hard to prepare for this in any way. I am sure the university was as cautious as they could be and if they thought the students were in any real threat they would have canceled classes immediately and not let anybody on campus at all. But I think they just felt the situation was under control and the police got there quickly. So they handled it the best they could.
CHETRY: And you knew one of the victims through a friend. What was she like?
DEMETRIOU: From how I knew her, I only met her a few times, but she was just a really kind person, always really friendly to me and everyone else. And it was just really hard to hear that she passed away and that somebody could just take a life like that, an innocent life and then 30 other lives after that, of all just great kids here at Virginia Tech. It was a horrible, horrible day.
CHETRY: And I think that's what all of us and everyone watching at home who have been praying for all of you, just can't grasp today, the senselessness, the randomness and the big question of why. Good luck to all of you and thanks for sharing your stories with us today.
We're going to take a quick break, but we want to let you know we're awaiting a news conference from the university. We're hopefully going to get an update at the top of the hour. So, please keep it here. We have much more from the campus of Virginia Tech when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Here you're looking at a picture that's called the Inn at Virginia Tech, also Alumni Hall. This has become media central here covering the Virginia Tech shootings yesterday. Hundreds and hundreds of satellite trucks from across the nation, people watching our coverage from around the world. Flags lowered at half staff here on the campus of Virginia Tech. And we learned just a couple of minutes ago that the flags on Capitol Hill will be lowered to half staff, as well, in honor of the victims of yesterday's shootings the worst mass gun shooting in this nation's history.
What happens in a hospital emergency room when the unthinkable happens? They found out yesterday at the local Montgomery hospital here in Blacksburg. Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, Kiran spoke with one of the doctors -- one of the emergency room doctors at Montgomery who treated some of the first victims to arrive. You're going it be stunned by what you're about to hear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JOSEPH CACIOPPO, MONTGOMERY REGIONAL HOSPITAL: The injuries were just amazing. This man was brutal. There wasn't a -- 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, one to the chest and one to the head.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And not long ago we were joined here on AMERICAN MORNING by Derek O'Dell (ph), a young man who was on the second floor of Norris Hall yesterday, who was shot through the upper arm. It was a through-and-through wound. He made it out here this morning to talk to us. It's just incredible. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now live from Atlanta.
And, Sanjay, doctors are concerned with not just the physical wounds, as we saw with Derek O'Dell with that would to his upper arm, but the lingering emotional scars, scars that for people like Derek, haven't yet shown up because this hasn't sunk in yet.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And it's hard to tell exactly how long it would take for some of this to sink in. I was sort of struck by one of those interviews I guess Kiran was doing earlier and she asked the young man and if he thought he was a hero and he got sort of choked up.
I think that is a classic sort of example of survivor's guilt. People say, well, I survived when so many others died. And I think that that is going to -- you're going to see more and more of that though.
Those physical wounds, though, John, obviously the most immediate thing that people have been talking about, so many patients being taken all at one time to a single hospital there. It was listed as six stable, three critical yesterday. Scott Hill, who is a spokesperson for the hospital released a statement just not that long ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT HILL, MONTGOMERY REGIONAL HOSPITAL: Twelve of the patients from yesterday's shooting remain at (INAUDIBLE) two 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)
GUPTA: So if there is any good news, John, it's that. There are no operations scheduled today. All of the patients that were in critical condition yesterday now upgraded to stable condition. That's some new news and good news at that.
It was a chaotic scene there, as we're hearing, John, in so many ways having a mass casualty situation like that, actually setting up a command central at the scene and trying to determine quickly which patients are going to go where, how severe the injuries were, and if the hospitals would be able to deal with it. That is what they were dealing with yesterday.
Now, basically trying to stabilize these patients to make sure they can actually get out of the hospital.
ROBERTS: Yes, well, it sounds, Sanjay, like they had a pretty good plan in place. Sanjay, thanks very much. I know that you're heading here, we'll see you here a little bit later on today and we'll check back in with you again tomorrow morning.
CNN "NEWSROOM" is just minutes away, Heidi Collins here in Blacksburg, Virginia, with a look at what is ahead.
Good morning to you, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, John. Boy, it is amazing. When this story first broke on our air during our program yesterday, and how it has changed now, and to be here and to see everything around us is absolutely incredible.
We want to go ahead and continue follow, of course, these developments at Virginia Tech. The university's president telling CNN the shooter was a Virginia Tech student. We may learn more about this man at a news briefing, you'll see it live at the top of the hour right here in the "NEWSROOM" coming up at 9:00.
Also, we'll talk with one student who was inside Norris Hall during the gunman's rampage. She is furious about the police response. We also first spoke with her yesterday when the story was breaking when she was inside the classroom under a desk. We'll talk more with her.
The university community also coming together to grieve today. President Bush and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine set to attend the convocation. Tony Harris joins me from Atlanta, we're here from the Virginia Tech campus. "NEWSROOM" at the top of the hour right here on CNN -- John.
ROBERTS: I remember watching your program yesterday when the news broke that it was 20 people dead and just a gasp went through the room where we were watching it. It is just one of those moments where you'll always remember where you were when you heard that.
COLLINS: There is no question because for so long it was one person wounded and one person dead and the very next thing we heard was 22 and gone up from there.
ROBERTS: Thanks for the update, looking forward to it. AMERICAN MORNING back in just a moment. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: As I was saying to Heidi just a second ago, this is one of those moments like the Moon shot, like the death of President Kennedy where you remember where you were when things like that happen. And I remember the concern that I had immediately for people who my family knows and I know who go to this campus. You know, could they have been possibly caught up in the shooting?
We are learning so much more today about the circumstances inside that hall and just how terrible it was for those students to go through something like this.
CHETRY: And also, just the ruthlessness of the shooter. When you hear the stories from the witnesses and some would-be victims about literally fighting for their lives. I mean, pushing tables up against doors to make barricades and to have this gunman actually pushing back, even opening the door up to six inches and shooting into the classrooms.
So, the scope of this tragedy, we're going to hear more of the stories throughout the days and in the coming weeks.
ROBERTS: That was the most stunning story that I heard today. Zach Petkewicz when he told you that they had put a desk up against that door, trying to keep this guy out. And when he couldn't get through the door with his body weight, he started, like you see in the movies, shooting through the door, trying to take the students out on the other side so that he could get inside that room.
CHETRY: And he was crying telling the story and you couldn't help but tear up listening to him. Some of these kids just didn't have a chance. And they were all good kids just trying to go to school, get an education and do well.
ROBERTS: And some of them today who are talking about this in a very sort of matter of fact kind of way, knowing that one of these days or one of these hours suddenly, bam, it's going to hit them and they're going to say, oh my God, what happened to me?
CHETRY: And that is why the campus wants to hold at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time today, a memorial. They want to be able to have people come together, remember and find fellowship here and some comfort. The president actually making his way to that and we are going to cover that here on CNN in a special report 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. today of that ceremony, as well as the president's visit.
ROBERT: Right. All right. We will see you then. We will be back at 1:00 this afternoon Eastern time. Right now, let's turn it over to our colleague Heidi Collins, who is here with us in Blacksburg, and Tony Harris in Atlanta.
Good morning to you, Heidi.
COLLINS: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins, live from the campus of Virginia Tech. It is the morning after a day of infamy. The deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history shatters the piece of a college campus. We are waiting a university news conference that is due to get under way at any moment, it has already been a morning of very fast developments.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
