Va. Tech: Gunman Student From S. Korea

In the wake of tragic actions as this in the US, one can't help but hear the allegations from over the borders that this type of act only happens in the US, that it is the country that is at fault, our laws, our ways, our culture. Now, knowing that the person responsible spent half of his life outside the US, let us begin the debate whether it was the US culture that drove an immigrant to this action, or are we really just blaming a country for the faults of our species?

The gunman suspected of carrying out the Virginia Tech massacre that left 33 people dead was identified Tuesday as a senior English major from South Korea. But police and university officials offered no clue to his motive.

"He was a loner, and we're having difficulty finding information about him," school spokesman Larry Hincker said, a day after the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.

The rampage consisted of two attacks, more than two hours apart—first at a dormitory, where two people were killed, then inside a classroom building, where 31 people, including the gunman, died after being locked inside, Virginia State Police said. The gunman committed suicide.

Police identified the gunman in the classroom attack as 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui (pronounced Choh Suhng-whee). Cho held a green card—meaning he was a legal, permanent U.S. resident—and had been in the United States since 1992, federal officials said. Officials said he graduated from a public high school in Chantilly, Va., in 2003.