I work in Law Enforcement. The scuttlebutt around the community seems to be: The reported first shooting was described as a “Domestic” incident, the campus police then went looking for the boyfriend of the first victim and located him, “the so called person of interest” apparently Cho had been stalking this girl, and witnesses thought it was a boyfriend/girlfriend argument between her and cho. In fact, the boyfriend wasnt Cho.
So when the police asked friends of the first victim “who is her boyfriend”, they obviously didnt name cho, they named the real boyfriend. Thats who the police were interrogating when word of the shootings at Norris came in. Honestly, the police really didnt screw this up. They thought had a boyfriend/girlfriend domestic homicide and had the boyfriend in for questioning at the time, that would fit as to why they didnt lock the rest of the campus down, they thought they had their guy. Apparently the shooter wasnt seen at AJ West, the argument was by the elevators there and was heard by people, followed by the shots. The asian description didnt come out until the witnesses from Norris emerged from the building.
I work in Law Enforcement. The scuttlebutt around the community seems to be: The reported first shooting was described as a “Domestic” incident, the campus police then went looking for the boyfriend of the first victim and located him, “the so called person of interest” apparently Cho had been stalking this girl, and witnesses thought it was a boyfriend/girlfriend argument between her and cho. In fact, the boyfriend wasnt Cho. So when the police asked friends of the first victim “who is her boyfriend”, they obviously didnt name cho, they named the real boyfriend. Thats who the police were interrogating when word of the shootings at Norris came in. Honestly, the police really didnt screw this up. They thought had a boyfriend/girlfriend domestic homicide and had the boyfriend in for questioning at the time, that would fit as to why they didnt lock the rest of the campus down, they thought they had their guy. Apparently the shooter wasnt seen at AJ West, the argument was by the elevators there and was heard by people, followed by the shots. The asian description didnt come out until the witnesses from Norris emerged from the building.Thank you for your explanation of the reasoning behind what went on. I appreciate it.
So just two hours after the initial shooting, before the second shooting they put all this together and were in the process of interviewing the boyfriend? I wonder how long it took them to do a GSR on him?
They must have been absolutely, utterly stunned when the big fireworks went off.
Talk about suck-on-top-of-suck.
Imainge, you’re in your room, surfing the web, and the cops bang on your door.
You get hauled off and interogated for... your girlfriend is dead? But wait... she was cheating on you too?
Oh, and while you were having such a joyus revelation, people you likely knew are getting shot. Only, you discover this is the only reason you get off quickly... becaus your school has just become a bloodbath.
Man, I know alot of people are having it rough, but damn!
genuine question: have the various police forces revised their policies on the correct tactics to adopt in the case of a school shooting? I know that in Montreal since the massacre at the Polytechnique, the police has changed its policy and has adopted “a storm the building and search and destroy approach” to school shootings as opposed to the previous “secure the scene and evaluate or wait and see”.
The new policy worked extremely well last fall when a gunman entered a downtown college at lunch time with multiple weapons. He was pursued and shot down almost immediately and only managed to kill one young girl.
You know, the police eluded to "possibly chasing or detaining the wrong guy" several hours after the event, during a news conference.
According to the time line, they police did not meet up with or find the "boyfriend" until 9:50 a.m., five minutes after the second shooting started.
9:45am
It's now more than two hours after the initial shooting and the lines at the Blacksburg, Va. 911 outpost light up en masse. Panicked students call on their cell phones to tell authorities a man has come to Norris Hall and begun randomly firing weapons at people inside.
His first target is a professor in one of the classrooms. He then turns his weapons on the stunned students.
9:50a.m.
Police stop a man they describe as a 'person of interest' in the dorm shooting. "That individual was an acquaintance of the female victim killed at West Amber Johnston Hall," explains Police Chief Wendell Flinchum. "He was stopped and detained for questioning. As officers were interviewing him, the shootings at Norris Hall were reported. We're still looking to him for information as the investigation continues."
9:55a.m.
A second email is sent out by university brass. This one is far more terse and a lot more chilling.
"Subject: Please stay put," it begins.
"A gunman is loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows."
They screwed up big time. I doubt very much the ex b/f, or the new one said, or indicated that they did it, or were caught in any manner of suspicious activity. No gun was found also. It was very bad to assume they had the situation under control, and that they had the guilty party. The excuse that, "they thought they had their guy" doesn't fly. There was in fact, no competent person in charge of evaluating what they had in front of them.