Today marks the 10th year anniversary after 32 people were fatally shot at the Virginia Tech when a mentally ill student came with a gun. Survivors and the families of those who died during the horrific day come together to give honor to the lives that were lost.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University held a series of activities to mark the anniversary of the shooting on April 16, 2007. Among those who came to join the solemn occasion is Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine. About 10,000 to 20,000 people were present for the event.
Kaine was the governor at the time of the shooting, and he can still remember the heartbreaking day. Because of what happened, he was also able to establish a relationship with the victim's families and the survivors.
"So many of us will never forget where we were on April 16, 2007. Ten years later, we remember the victims, survivors & heroes," Kaine said who attended with his wife, Anne Holton. "We’re going with a lot of different emotions, but we wouldn’t be anywhere else."
Events of the anniversary
Today's event was planned and organized by the current students of Virginia Tech. Mark Owczarski, Virginia Tech spokesman said that it took them 18 months in order to prepare for the 10th anniversary of the horrific day.
The event included a wreath-laying ceremony followed by a speech from Kaine. It started at 9:43 A.M. which is the time when Seung-Hui Cho started shooting people at the Norris Hall.
Members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets stood guard for 32 minutes while the names and biographies of the slain faculty members and students are read in order to give honor to them.
A candlelight vigil follows wherein the candle at the April 16 memorial is extinguished and moved to the Burrus Hall.
The mass shooting of Cho also left 17 injured people. Cho committed suicide after police breached the doors of the building where he killed many students and faculty members. The mentally ill student used two semi-automatic pistols for his planned attack.
Mass shooting in the US
Back in 2007, the Virginia Tech shooting is considered as the deadliest mass shooting in the history of US. But apparently, this event was already surpassed by other mass shooting that occurred like last year's massacre in a nightclub in Orlando, Florida which claimed 49 lives.
Because of the deadly rampage, many schools and universities rethink campus security and the safety of everyone during class hours. It also reignited the debate over gun control which causes rage to many people around the globe.
