BLACKSBURG, Va. -- The family of Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho told The Associated Press on Friday that they feel "hopeless, helpless and lost," and "never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence."
"He has made the world weep. We are living a nightmare," said a statement issued by Cho's sister, Sun-Kyung Cho, on the family's behalf.
It was the Chos' first public comment since the 23-year-old student killed 32 people and committed suicide Monday in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.
Raleigh, N.C., lawyer Wade Smith provided the statement to the AP after the Cho family reached out to him. Smith said the family would not answer any questions, and neither would he.
"Our family is so very sorry for my brother's unspeakable actions. It is a terrible tragedy for all of us," said Sun-Kyung Cho, a 2004 Princeton University graduate who works as a contractor for a State Department office that oversees American aid for Iraq.
...Authorities are in frequent contact with Cho's family, but have not placed them in protective custody, said Assistant FBI Director Joe Persichini, who oversees the bureau's local Washington office. Authorities believe they remain in the Washington area, but are staying with friends and relatives.
Persichini said the FBI and Fairfax County Police have assured Cho's parents that they will investigate any hate crimes directed at the family if and when they ever return to their Centreville home.
...Cho's name was given as "Cho Seung-Hui" by police and school officials earlier this week. But the the South Korean immigrant family said their preference was "Seung-Hui Cho." Many Asian immigrant families Americanize their names by reversing them and putting their surnames last.
Cho's family must be devastated.
They not only have to deal with the loss of their loved one; they'll no doubt drag around a heavy burden of guilt with them for the rest of their lives.
They have to question themselves. They have to be feeling at fault for not realizing what Cho was capable of doing.
I wonder if the parents feel responsible for creating a monster.
In the case of suicide, but especially in the case of murder-suicide, the killer leaves a trail of living victims. Cho had to know that he was going to put his family through hell.
I guess he didn't care. How this would affect the people who loved him was irrelevant to him.
Notice that Cho's sister is a Princeton graduate.
Obviously, Cho and his family had been given tremendous educational opportunities and a chance to live the American dream. It makes his alienation and his rantings about the rich and the elite seem that much more demented.
Read the Cho family statement.
It says the family is heartbroken. I believe it.
I think it was particulary appropriate to actually mention the names of each victim rather than just lump them together.
It highlights the fact that the Cho family recognizes that 32 people were killed by Seung-Hui. It acknowledges each loss more personally.
What's great about the family's statement is that it doesn't say anything about their own fears of becoming victims of revenge.
The family expresses their sorrow. They aren't asking for forgiveness. It's a very selfless statement. That's unusual in today's public apologies.
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