UPDATED:  Victims, families meet with Tech officials for more than five hours

Updated:  10:27 p.m.

BLACKSBURG—Some of those injured in last year’s Virginia Tech massacre and their families met for more than five hours today with top university officials.

About two dozen sat down with Tech President Charles W. Steger and members of the Policy Group, the university’s crisis team on April 16, 2007, the day student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 students and faculty members.

“They had lots and lots of questions,“ said Tech spokesman Larry Hincker, a Policy Group member. “We genuinely wanted them to understand what it is we thought we were doing.“

Many victims and family members have said they believe the university did not act soon enough to warn the campus that a gunman was at large after the first two shootings.

A state investigation panel led by Gerald Massengill, former superintendent of the Virginia State Police, made the same criticism last year.

The meeting was private and family members and other Tech officials were not immediately available for comment afterwards.

University officials also briefed families on new warning protocols, communications practices and other safety measures.

Hincker described the meeting as professional and cordial. It was the first formal meeting of the Policy Group and victims and families since the shootings, and there is another session scheduled for tomorrow for families of those who died that day.

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BLACKSBURG—Injured victims of last year’s shootings at Virginia Tech and their families are being briefed today on campus by top officials who coordinated the university’s response to the April 16, 2007, massacre.

The briefing by members of Tech’s Policy Group, which includes President Charles Steger, was to get under way at 11 a.m. on campus. Steger was seen entering the building where the briefing was scheduled to be held.

Tomorrow. policy group members are to brief families of those who lost their lives when Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 students and staff members before turning his gun on himself.

The briefings are part of a state settlement between Tech, victims and family members, who earlier this month also heard from police officials.