VT victims’ lawyers investigation reveals holes in Tech’s April 16th story

WSLS News Staff & Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: June 17, 2008

Following the approval of a settlement between most of the families of the victims of the April 16th tragedy, two lawyers and a father of one of the victims revealed some new bombshells about what happened on that day, and leading up to it.

Douglas Fierburg and Peter Grenier, who represent about 20 of the victims’ families, said they conducted their own investigation into what happened during the Virginia Tech tragedy.  Their search found e-mails sent by a Tech official, that seem to discredit the what university was saying before the Norris Hall massacre, and after the murders at West Ambler Johnston Hall.

Fierburg and Grenier say the e-mails were sent by Bernadette Mondy, the Co-Director of Tech’s Environmental Health & Safety services.  That is the department responsible for Virginia Tech’s emergency planning.

The lawyers say Mondy sent the first e-mail at 9:26 a.m on April 16th.  That time is after the two murders at West AJ, and about 20 minutes before the Norris Hall shootings.  Fierburg says Mondy wrote her family to tell them she was OK, and something terrible was happening on campus.  Fierburg read the e-mail as saying, “There’s an active shooter on campus, and it’s making national news.  My office is in lockdown.  This is horrible.  I’ll let you know when it’s over.“

Click here to listen to lawyer’s statement on lockdown e-mail

Click to read the e-mail

That e-mail was sent a minute before a campuswide alert urged people “to be cautious” after what it called a “shooting incident” at West AJ.

Fierburg claims this e-mail shows that certain university security officials went into lockdown after the West AJ murders, while the university’s top officials said they saw no need to suspend classes, seal or lockdown the campus for students’ and staff safety.  Also, Fierburg believes this contradicts Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum’s and President Charles Steger’s claims that no other buildings on campus, other than West AJ, were in lockdown following the murders in the dormitory.

Then at 9:36 a.m., Fierburg quoted a second e-mail he says Mondy sent out to staff in the Environmental Health & Safety services department, again before the Norris Hall tragedy.  Fierburg said this second e-mail read, “Until we get further information on the shooting, we are locking the building.  Please do not go out on campus until you hear from one of the managers.“

Fierburg believes this e-mail highlighted a disconnect between the thoughts of some Tech officials fears about the security threat, and what was being stated publicly to students, other staff, and the community.

Grenier revealed a third shocker from the lawyers’ investigation, during the news conference.  He quoted an e-mail from Mondy to the leaders of several public school systems surrounding Virginia Tech.  Those schools included Pulaski County.  Grenier claims the e-mail went out at 9:44 a.m., and Mondy said it was “The official word” from the university on the shootings at West AJ.  Grenier quoted Mondy as writing, “Unofficial word is that two people have died, and the shooter is still at large.  Tactical teams are staging in Blacksburg.  My building is in lockdown.  Bombs, shootings, I’m moving to a smaller town.“

Click here to listen to lawyer’s claim on 2 versions of West AJ shootings

Click to read e-mail #2

Grenier believes this highlights two different versions of the incident at West AJ being told by Tech officials.  One behind the scenes, and the other to the public.

The lawyers then claim the Tech Policy committee changed the original e-mail that was to be sent out to campus about the murders at West AJ.  The lawyers cited handwritten notes that they got from a Policy Committee member.  The lawyers claim those notes would have originally told the campus that one student was murdered in West AJ, and another was in critical condition. The lawyers believe this more strongly worded version would have given students a clearer picture of the danger on campus that day.

Click here to listen to lawyer’s evidence on Policy Committee

Click to read the original handwritten version that was changed

Fierburg said the families were upset that some university officials knew to protect themselves while allowing students and staff to walk into danger. 

After the lawyers finished speaking, Joe Samaha, the father of Reema Samaha who was killed on April 16th, spoke.  Samaha said Virginia Tech failed to execute it’s emergency response plan that was already in place before April 16th.  He said the families thought the university should have given more-timely warnings of danger and more accurate descriptions of what that danger was.

Click here to listen to Joe Samaha’s statement

Samaha added that he and other family members want to know what went on in the Tech Policy Committee room on April 16th, and that he and the families are still waiting for documents they requested through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Then Samaha talked about the parents of the killer, Seung-Hui Cho.  Samaha says Cho’s parents claim they were never told by anyone at Virginia Tech about their son’s history of problems at the school, and that they would’ve driven down to get him had they known about them.  Samaha also revealed that Tech had asked Cho to move off-campus due to those past problems, but was then allowed to move back on campus.

The families also felt the school ignored the risks posed by Cho, by allowing him to return to the dorms after living off campus, and by not taking action after he was charged with stalking female students, and professors complained about his bizarre behavior.

(David Ress with the Richmond Times-Dispatch contributed to this report)