VT shooter had ties to Northern Virginia

Cho was in the country legally and listed Centreville as his legal United States residence. He was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in one of the classrooms.

Law enforcement officials said ballistic tests link one of the guns Cho used in his massacre at Norris Hall to the fatal shooting of a man and woman earlier Monday morning in the West Ambler Johnston Hall dormitory. They did not, however, confirm Cho is responsible for the first killings. The two attacks, which occurred about two hours apart, constitute the bloodiest day on an American campus in history.

"The evidence has not led us to where we can say with all certainty that the shooter was involved in both instances," said Col. Steve Flaherty, superintendent of the Virginia State Police. "It is certainly reasonable for us to assume that Cho was involved in both shootings, but we do not have the evidence to take us there yet."

Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said his officers detained a "person of interest" in the West Ambler Johnston shootings Monday morning who was an "acquaintance" of one of the victims and has since been released. Flinchum said police were questioning the person when they received reports that the second shooting had occurred in Norris Hall.

"We are continuing to look to him for information as the investigation continues," Flinchum said.

Investigators recovered two handguns - a 9 millimeter and a .22 caliber - from Norris Hall, but have no reason to believe a second gunman was involved in the rampage, police said. They are looking for anyone who may have aided Cho's planning or preparation.

"We do not have any evidence to suggest there was an accomplice but we are working to see if there was anyone who helped Cho at any time," Flaherty said.

Virginia Tech has been criticized for not locking down campus after the West Ambler Johnston shootings and for not acting sooner during the two-hour gap between attacks, when Cho crossed campus and entered Norris Hall. Virginia Secretary of Public Safety John Marshall defended Virginia Tech President Charles Steger and his staff's decision to keep the campus open after the first shooting.

The university "made the right decision based on the information they had at the time," Marshall said. "Our priority and our focus needs to remain on the ongoing criminal investigation and dealing with the needs of the victims and their families and the students at Virginia Tech."

Authorities have not released the names of the victims because not all have been identified and some next of kin need to be notified.

Steger said classes will be canceled for the rest of the week. Norris Hall, he said, will be closed for the rest of the semester.

President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush are scheduled to attend a 2 p.m. memorial service on the university campus.

"This will be the first time that the university community will come together since the tragedy occurred to show our collective sorrow," Steger said.

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com