Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan

Partahi Lumbantoruan of Indonesia, a 34-year-old graduate student, had been studying civil engineering at Virginia Tech for three years. His goal was to become a teacher in the U.S.

Lumbantoruan's family sold off property and cars to pay his tuition, said his father, Tohom Lumbantoruan, a 66-year-old retired army officer. "We tried everything to completely finance his studies in the United States," he said. "We only wanted him to succeed in his studies, but ... he met a tragic fate."

His stepmother, Sugiyarti, says he had called almost daily to talk to the family; in their last conversation, he had asked for the latest news on Indonesian politics. She wept as she asked why people can bring guns to campus.