Cho Seung-Hui (whose name is often ordered in Americanized fashion as 'Seung-Hui Cho') was the 23-year-old student responsible for the Virginia Tech shooting massacre in April of 2007. Cho killed 32 students and professors, and wounded 25 others, before taking his own life.
Fast Facts:
- Cho was a senior at VA Tech
- Major: English
- Citizen of South Korea and legal resident of the U.S.
- Came to the U.S. with his parents at age eight
Background
Cho had been diagnosed in childhood as suffering from clinical depression and an anxiety disorder, and both school authorities and fellow students at Virginia Tech had noted odd behavior from him that included writings containing violent imagery. His profile coincides closely with that of the quiet loner who turns suddenly and inexplicably to violence.
Preparation
Cho had apparently fallen out with a girlfriend, 19-year-old Emily Hilscher, who was one of the first two victims shot in the massacre. It appears that he'd been planning a turn toward violence, as he had prepared writings and videotapes that he sent to NBC News between the massacre's two separate shooting incidents.
