The Gunman, 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui, who killed 32 people and himself
Families, friends, colleagues mourn the loss of the victims of the massacre.
Candle light prayer for the victims.By MATT APUZZO, AP National Writer 20 minutes ago
BLACKSBURG, Va. - Between his first and second bursts of gunfire, the Virginia Tech gunman mailed a package to NBC headquarters in New York containing photos of him brandishing guns and video of him delivering an angry, profanity-laced tirade about rich kids and hedonism
"You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today," 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui says in a harsh monotone, in an excerpt shown on "NBC Nightly News." "But you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off."
NBC said the package contained an 1,800-word diatribe and 29 photos, 11 of them showing him aiming handguns at the camera. Much of the rant is incoherent and filled with obscenities. He rails against Christianity and the rich.
"Your Mercedes wasn't enough, you brats," he says, apparently reading from a manifesto. "Your golden necklaces weren't enough you snobs. Your trust funds wasn't enough. Your vodka and cognac wasn't enough. All your debaucheries weren't enough. Those weren't enough to fulfill your hedonistic needs. You had everything.
The package, which arrived at NBC two days after Cho killed 32 people and committed suicide in the deadliest one-man shooting rampage in modern U.S. history, bore a Postal Service stamp showing that it had been mailed at a Virginia post office at 9:01 a.m. Monday, about an hour and 45 minutes after Cho first opened fire.
That would explain one of the biggest mysteries about the massacre: Where the gunman was and what he did during that two-hour window between the first burst of gunfire at a high-rise dorm, and the second attack, at a classroom building.
Some of the pictures show him smiling. Some depict him brandishing two weapons at a time, one in each hand. He wears a khaki-colored military-style vest, fingerless gloves, a black T-shirt, a backpack and a backwards, black baseball cap. Another photo shows him swinging a hammer two-fisted. Another shows an angry-looking Cho holds a gun to his temple.
The package was sent by overnight delivery but did not arrive at NBC until Wednesday morning. It had apparently been delayed because it had the wrong ZIP code, NBC said.
An alert postal employee brought the package to NBC's attention after noticing the Blacksburg return address and a name similar to the words reportedly found scrawled in red ink on Cho's arm after the bloodbath, "Ismail Ax," NBC said.
"I didn't have to do it. I could have left. I could have fled," he says. "But now I am no longer running. If not for me, for my children and my brothers and sisters that you (expletive). I did it for them."
He also makes references to the Columbine High massacre and the teenage killers, according to NBC.
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We pray not only for the victims and their loved ones but also to all of us to learn from the Virginia Massacre. I have compose a prayer for the family and loved one of the victims.
Prayer For The Victims And Families of Virginia Massacre
Rev. Fr. Jessie Somosierra, Jr
Heavenly Father, the Giver of life, You in your Divine Love has shared with us the beauty of creation and have open us the door to participate in the nourishment of our natural life. May we constantly appreciate and value life as the fundamental gift and responsibility. May we work to enhance and defend the formidable basic human right, to live and to have a life.
God of life, today we pray to You, for our beloved loved ones who died in the Virgina Massacre. Though, it is painful to see them go, we lift them up to You because we affirm that You are the one who gave them the opportunity to experience being alive and you are also the one who could take it back.
Father of Jesus Christ, and our Father, you who sent Your only begotten Son, so that we may have a life fully alive and a life ever after. May we follow the footstep of Christ who has merciful heart so that we may learn how to forgive those who have hurt us. May we forgive Cho Seung-Hui, the gunman who have killed our beloved __________ . It is hard to forgive Lord God, but we pray to learn it to start the healing process. Your Son also forgives those who crucified and killed him. May we be like Him, the Divine Mercy. In forgiving Cho, we also become merciful like your Son and at the same time we do justice and mercy to ourselves.
God of the Breath of Life, you sent the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth. Give us light and strength to surpassed this dark moment of our lives. Give us light, wisdom to understand even if it might be beyond the realm of reason of the tragic event that ocured in the University. give us strength to be resilient so that we may not lose hope in You and in our society. May the Soul of our beloved ___________ be in communion with You in the eternal place along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the apostles and the saints. Amen.
Prayer For the Victims of Virginia Massacre. Log on to http://frjess.blogspot.com/2007/04/prayer-for-victims-and-families-of.html.
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