By guest host Jane Clayson:
Two shocking hours yesterday morning on the grassy Virginia Tech campus, and America was changed. A massive shooting spree at the university resulted in 32 dead victims, at least 15 wounded, and one dead student gunman.
This was the worst shooting in U.S. history. The scenes recalled by witnesses were unforgettable: police pulling out wounded students; a hail of gun fire captured on a cell phone camera; scared students barricading a door.
The event had echoes of other school shootings. But the human toll in Blacksburg, Virginia yesterday overshadowed them all.
This hour On Point: Virginia Tech and the unfolding tragedy.
Quotes from the Show:
“This wasn’t a spur of the moment [act by the gunman].” A.J. Lagoe
“There were four classrooms and a stairwell where victims were found.” A.J. Lagoe
“It is slowly hitting me, bit by bit.” Suzanne Higgs
“This is a mind that once it decides to do something, it shuts off all kinds of other considerations.” Stanton Samenow
“It would be very difficult to spot these people.” Stanton Samenow
“There is very little you can do to prevent it.” Stanton Samenow
“These people do generally give warning signs.” Katherine Newman
“I think this is someone who set out to kill a lot of people. … This is someone who was full of rage and wanted to go out in a blaze of glory.” Katherine Newman
“No, there would be no sort of negotiating with this kind of person.” Stanton Samenow
Guests:
A.J. Lagoe, anchor and reporter for ABC affiliate in Richmond, reporting from the scene in Blacksburg
Katherine Newman, professor of sociology at Princeton University and author of “Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings”
Suzanne Higgs, sophmore at Virginia Tech
Stanton Samenow, forensic psychologist and author of “Inside the Criminal Mind”
