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Local Families, Students Affected by Tech Massacre

From staff reports

It’s a tragedy that no parent who has sent their child away to college wants to learn about. But Monday’s horrific massacre of 33 on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University including the gunman sent shockwaves through Scott County families as local residents attempted to track down students with ties to the county.

Some local family members spent a good portion of Monday desperately trying to contact their loved ones while some others decided to travel to Blacksburg to see, touch and hug their children in person.

The staff of the Scott County Virginia Star was among those locally trying to find a Tech student. Ryan McCarty, who works part-time for the newspaper during his breaks and is the son of newspaper owners Rex and Lisa McCarty, is a senior history major at Virginia Tech. When the first shots rang out at West Ambler Johnston Hall, McCarty was at his off-campus apartment.

Throughout the day, telephone calls were received at the Star office wanting to verify that McCarty was fine and well.

“Lisa and I are deeply moved by the outpouring of concern for our son and for other Scott County families who have children attending Virginia Tech,” said Rex McCarty. “When we heard the news our hearts were broken and overcome with fear. We began immediately calling Ryan to make sure he was alright. Later we became part of the network of parents and other families seeking to find out if their children were safe.

“We are thankful to learn of their safety. As Ryan is set to graduate in a few short weeks we are sadly aware that for many young men and women, all their hopes and dreams and the hopes of their families have been abruptly ended.

“We join with millions of others from around the world in prayer. We pray for the comfort of the victims’ families and the students at Virginia Tech who are forever affected by this horrific tragedy.”

Other parents and family members echoed the sentiments felt by the McCartys. Perhaps none have been more affected than Sarah Sanders, a sister to Tech student Justin Sanders.

Sarah explained that her brother was a good friend of the resident assistant killed in West AJ, Ryan Clark. Justin was scheduled for a class in Norris Hall where 30 students, faculty and staff were shot and killed but didn’t make to class Monday morning.

“He’s been really shook up but is doing ok,” Sarah said. “Yesterday Justin didn't go to class, because he overslept and missed the bus. He was supposed to have a class in Norris at the time of the shooting. But thankfully he missed the bus.”

Later in the morning around 10:30 a.m., Sarah said their mother, Donna Sanders, was able to get in touch with him just after the second shooting.  His mother wanted to know if he knew what had happened and he replied no.

“Mom said he didn't realize the magnitude until he turned on the television,” Sarah added. “Justin was a good friend of Ryan Clark, the RA who was shot and killed in the first shooting in AJ.  Justin is a member of Circle K, in which Ryan (Clark) was also a member.  He and Ryan (Clark) also worked together doing the summer orientations.”

Weber City Elementary School fourth grade teacher Jenny Jayne, the mother of Virginia Tech senior Jordan Jayne, was like many parents scrambling to locate her daughter. Jenny explained she finally talked to her daughter nearly four agonizing hours after the shooting occurred in Norris Hall while Jordan was in a gym lockdown.

“Jordan went to work out that morning at the gym, and left her phone in the car,” said her mother. “The facility went into lockdown while she was there, and she had no way of contacting us. We weren't able to get a hold of her until after 1 p.m.”

Brent Roberts, another teacher in the Scott County Public School System, discovered his son, Chase, preparing to go to class without any knowledge of what had happened on the Tech campus.

“Jenny Houseright (mother of Tech student Jonas) called me and informed me of the shooting and I was in shock,” Roberts noted. “I immediately got on the phone and tried to call Chase but I didn’t get an answer. I tried for several minutes, which felt like hours before he finally answered. He was in the shower getting ready to go to class. He knew absolutely nothing about the shooting.”

Roberts added he was grateful for the community support he received from his friends, neighbors and colleagues, who called to make sure his son was fine.

“At 8 in the morning, kids don’t have checking their email on their minds,” Roberts said. “It's a scary feeling when you don’t get an answer when you call in a situation like this.”

Houseright like other mothers wanted the change to reassure her son that the episode was over.

“I'd rather be up there than down here,” she stated. “Jonas (a mining engineer major) called me before I knew anything about it. I then was able to contact Brent and other family members.”

Houseright stated that Jonas went to his 8 a.m. class and heard about the first shooting during that class. He then returned home.

“His class was beside of the first building in which the shooting took place,” she added. “That building later went into holding.”

Margaret Meade, grandmother of freshman student Brittany Jo Meade said her granddaughter immediately called her parents who notified her grandparents to let them know she was safe.

“Her cell phone line was busy, but her dorm room number was working,” Meade explained. 

Brittany Jo’s father went to Blacksburg to be with her following the traumatic experience.

“Her father is up there now with her,” Meade said. “She said the screaming frightened her. This is a sad situation, one you never expect to happen. You've got to be ready to answer to the Lord at any time.”

The family also had another connection to the tragic events. Joe Meade’s nephew that lives in Salem and attends Virginia Tech was in Norris Hall during the shooting rampage but was not harmed.

Freshman student Andrew Calhoun was on the VT campus when the horror began, explained his brother, Steven. Their mother emailed Andrew to make sure he was alright.

“Mom talked to him right after it happened,” Steven said. “Andrew was on the campus when it happened and had just left the building (West AJ Hall) but he is fine.”

Several local churches held prayer vigils Monday night to honor and remember those involved in the tragedy.

Classes at Virginia Tech have been canceled for the remainder of the week. Norris Hall will also be closed for the rest of the semester. Staff is currently working to arrange alternative locations for classrooms and faculty offices.

Counseling and other resources are available for Tech students, faculty and staff. Students are urged to get counseling at McComas Hall and counselors will be available for extended hours. Counselors will also be available in West Ambler Johnston for residents.

In response to the tragedy, Mountain Empire Community College MECC will hold a campus-wide meeting on Wednesday, April 18 at 3 p.m. in the Fugate Auditorium to discuss its emergency procedures with faculty, staff and students.

Yesterday morning the Virginia Tech Police Department confirmed the identification of the gunman responsible for the multiple fatalities at Norris Hall on the Virginia Tech campus on April 16.

The individual has been identified as Cho Seung-Hui, 23. Cho was enrolled as an undergraduate student in his senior year as an English major at Virginia Tech. Cho, a South Korean native, was in the U.S. as a resident alien with a residence established in Centerville. Cho was living on campus in Harper Residence Hall.

A 9-milimeter handgun and 22-caliber handgun were recovered from Norris Hall. Ballistic tests on the evidence seized from the Norris Hall and the West Ambler Johnston Residence Hall scenes were conducted at the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) lab in Maryland. Lab results confirmed that one of the two weapons seized in Norris Hall was used in both shootings.

“At this time, the evidence does not conclusively identify Cho Seung-Hui as the gunman at both locations,” said Col. W. Steven Flaherty, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police. “With this newfound ballistics evidence, we are now able to proceed to the next level of this complex investigation.”

State, local and federal investigators spent the night collecting, processing, and analyzing evidence from within Norris Hall. The deceased were recovered from at least four classrooms on the second floor and a stairwell of Norris Hall. The gunman, who took his own life, was discovered by police in a classroom among the victims.          

All of the deceased have been transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Roanoke for examination and identification.

The names of the 32 deceased students and faculty will be released once all victims are positively identified and next-of-kin notified.

The Virginia Tech Police Department, Blacksburg Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police, FBI, ATF, and multiple other state and local agencies are all involved in the ongoing investigations at both Norris Hall and West Ambler Johnston Hall.

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