Virginia Tech releases notes taken by school leaders on April 16th

Updated Thursday 4:33 a.m.

Newly released notes taken by Virginia Tech officials during the April 16, 2007, campus killings show how school leaders scrambled, sometimes amid confusing circumstances, to handle the emerging reality of a massacre.

The 59 pages of handwritten notes provide the first public glimpse of the private decision-making process that occurred as Tech’s top executives, known as the policy group, gathered in a war-room environment inside Burruss Hall to stay on top of the escalating tragedy.

The notes—released yesterday in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by the Richmond Times-Dispatch—show how in one moment the executives were systematically and calmly pondering the details of the slayings of two students at West Ambler Johnston Hall, but two hours later were receiving minuteby-minute and bewildering reportsthat many more were dead in Norris Hall.

What emerges most clearly from the notes is that police advised the policy group that it should not lock down the campus following the dormitory shootings, even though investigators had not arrested a shooter and weren’t even sure if the attacker remained on campus, or if there was more than one assailant.

Some, including families of victims, have criticized the school for not locking down the campus. Tech officials have consistently said that, given the information they had at the time, they acted correctly.

The notes contradict an allegation made by one Tech parent, who recently told The Times-Dispatch that Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum confided to him that he wanted to close the campus but that the recommendation was opposed by President Charles W. Steger. Tech has said Flinchum did not make that recommendation.

The clinical and sometimes disturbing notes show the abrupt change as officials went from reacting to a double-homicide to a horrific massacre that stunned the country.

“Lock down is not necessary at this time,“ reads one note scribbled by Lisa Wilkes, assistant vice president for administration, at 9:25 a.m., two hours after two students were found dead at West Ambler Johnston but 15 minutes before the shooting began at Norris.

“Shooter dead,“ Wilkes wrote in response to an early briefing on the Norris shootings. “at least 20 fatalities.“

The gunman, English major Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people before fatally shooting himself. He first killed two students in the West Ambler Johnston dormitory about 7:20 a.m. Then, at approximately 9:40 a.m., he opened fire in classrooms inside Norris, killing 25 students and five teachers before turning the gun on himself.

Many of the notes were written in the time between the two attacks.

“Lot of blood,“ wrote Ralph Byers, director of government relations for Tech, after the West Ambler Johnston shootings. “Evidence to suggest gunshot.“

Later, after the Norris shootings, he attributes a chilling comment to Blacksburg Police Chief Kim Crannis, who arrived to help campus police: “It’s as bad as you can imagine.“

The notes were also made available to families of the victims and survivors, some of whom received the documents yesterday.

“We haven’t really asked for the notes and have no interest in seeing them,“ said Bryan Cloyd, a Tech professor and father of slain student Austin Cloyd. “I just don’t know what it gets you. Chasing somebody to blame doesn’t change anything, really.“

Other parents immediately contacted said they had not received the notes.

During the crisis, policy group members came and went from the room in Burruss Hall, but generally numbered half a dozen people or fewer. The group included Steger, whose chief of staff, Kim O’Rourke, took notes throughout the calamitous day.

The notes reflect discussion on not locking down the campus, but do not elaborate on whether there was debate on that point. The state’s review panel report on the Tech shootings, as well as 20,000 pages of documents assembled for victims’ families, also do not give any indication of how the issue of closing the campus was handled and the extent of any discussion or debate.

“West AJ early this morning. . . . male student dead. . . . female wounded, critical in hosp[ital]. gunman on loose,“ Byers noted after the dormitory shootings. But, he wrote, “police don’t believe lock down is necessary or advisable.“

Even in the first hours after the massacre, Tech officials realized their actions would be subject to scrutiny. Tech spokesman Larry Hincker, a policy group member, wrote: “People will question . . . what we should have done differently.“

Flinchum was at the West Ambler Johnston crime scene, though he relayed reports to the group, telling it that investigators did not know whether the killer was on foot or in a car. Police also had not found a gun, though they were working on a lead—a false one, as it turned out—that the female victim’s boyfriend might have been the shooter.

“Police don’t believe lockdown is necessary,“ wrote O’Rourke. “For now, limited access to AJ.“

The notes give a glimpse into the many questions that arose when reports of the Norris Hall massacre were related to the group. Initially, according to the notes, policy group members were unsure if the shootings were connected, or if there was more than one attacker on campus.

“Multiple gunshots in Norris,“ Byers wrote at 10:25 a.m. after a briefing from Flinchum. “At least 20 victim, fatalities—don’t know [number]. . . . class rooms, stairwells. . . . shooter self-inflicted wound to head—shooter is down. looking for more shooters.“

The notes from the hours following the Norris shootings show executives throwing themselves into a whirlwind to coordinate the removal of survivors to hospitals, identifying the dead and notifying their families, dealing with the incoming horde of reporters and laboring to work out the logistics of President Bush’s visit the next day.

Soon, the group’s focus turned to counseling the victims’ families and accommodating their arrival at the Inn at Virginia Tech. A note written by Zenobia Hikes, vice president for student affairs, underlined the grim task: “more ministers needed at the Inn.“

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updated 6:01 p.m.

By WSLS News Staff
Rex Bowman & Carlos Santos - Richmond Times-Dispatch

Virginia Tech has released notes taken by school leaders during the April 16, 2007 tragedy to WSLS’s Richmond newsroom, the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The notes show school leaders scrambled, sometimes in confusion, to handle the emerging reality of a massacre.

The handwritten notes, frequently jotted in great haste, provide the first public glimpse of the private decision-making process that occurred as Tech’s top executives gathered in a war room-like environment inside Burruss Hall to stay on top of the unfolding tragedy.

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3:38 p.m.

By CARLOS SANTOS AND REX BOWMAN TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERS

BLACKSBURG—Notes taken by Virginia Tech officials during the April 16, 2007, campus killings—released today to the Richmond Times-Dispatch—show school leaders scrambled, sometimes in confusion, to handle the emerging reality of a massacre.

The handwritten notes, frequently jotted in great haste, provide the first public glimpse of the private decision-making process that occurred as Tech’s top executives gathered in a war room-like environment inside Burruss Hall to stay on top of the unfolding tragedy.

The notes, released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, show how one moment the executives were calmly pondering the details of the slaying of two students at West Ambler Johnston Hall, but two hours later they were receiving minute-by-minute and bewildering reports that dozens were dead in nearby Norris Hall.

“Lock down is not necessary at this time,“ reads one note scribbled by Lisa Wilkes, assistant vice president for administration, at 9:25 a.m., two hours after two students were found dead at West Ambler Johnston. But minutes later, on the same page, she wrote: “Shooter dead . . . at least 20 fatalities.“

“Lock down,“ tersely noted Zenobia Hikes, vice president for student affairs.

The gunman, English major Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people before shooting himself dead. First he killed two students in West Ambler Johnston around 7:20 a.m. Then, about 9:40 a.m., he opened fire in classrooms inside Norris, killing 25 students and 5 teachers before turning the gun on himself.

“Lot of blood,“ wrote Ralph Byers, director of government relations for Tech. “Evidence to suggest gunshot.“

The notes from the following hours show executives throwing themselves into a whirlwind to coordinate the removal of wounded survivors to local hospitals, identifying the dead and notifying their families, dealing with the incoming horde of reporters and laboring to work out the logistics of President Bush’s visit the next day.