Va. Tech Killer Picked On, Classmates Say

Cho Seung-Hui Was Mocked For His Poor English And Aloof Behavior In High School

(CBS/AP) 
The package helped explain one mystery: where the gunman was and what he did during that two-hour window between the first burst of gunfire, at a high-rise dorm, and the second attack, at a classroom building.

"You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today," a snarling Cho says on video. "But you decided to spill my blood. You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option. The decision was yours. Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off."

On NBC's "Today" show Thursday, host Meredith Vieira said the decision to air the information "was not taken lightly." Some victims' relatives canceled their plans to speak with NBC because they were upset over the airing of the images, she said.

"I saw his picture on TV, and when I did I just got chills," said Kristy Venning, a junior from Franklin County, Va. "There's really no words. It shows he put so much thought into this, and I think it's sick."

Some of the pictures in the video package show him smiling; others show him frowning and snarling. Some depict him brandishing two weapons at a time, one in each hand. He wears a khaki-colored military-style vest, fingerless gloves, a black T-shirt, a backpack and a backward, black baseball cap. Another photo shows him swinging a hammer two-fisted. Another shows an angry-looking Cho holding a gun to his temple.

There has been some speculation, especially among online forums, that Cho may have been inspired by the South Korean movie "Oldboy." One of the killer's mailed photos shows him brandishing a hammer — the signature weapon of the protagonist — and in a pose similar to one from the film.

The film won the Gran Prix prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004. It is about a man unjustly imprisoned for 15 years. After escaping, he goes on a rampage against his captor.

Authorities on Thursday disclosed that more than a year before the massacre, Cho had been accused of sending unwanted messages to two women and was taken to a psychiatric hospital on a magistrate's orders and was pronounced a danger to himself. But he was released with orders to undergo outpatient treatment.

The disclosure added to the rapidly growing list of warning signs that appeared well before the student opened fire. Among other things, Cho's twisted, violence-filled writings and sullen, vacant-eyed demeanor had disturbed professors and students so much that he was removed from one English class and was repeatedly urged to get counseling.

In other developments:

Memorial services were held around the nation, with many conducted on college campuses. Nearly 3,000 students, for example, gathered at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green for a vigil that included a banner that read, "Today We Are All Hokies."

Susan Duarte, the only postal worker on duty Monday at the post office Cho Seung-Hui used to mail his package, told CBS News she remembered his package because of the address. Duarte said when she saw his face on the news, she recognized him from weeks earlier, but not from Monday. She said she noticed nothing unusual about Cho.

Cho Seung-Hui had troubled his parents as a child because of speech difficulties, a South Korean newspaper reported Thursday. Cho left South Korea with his family in 1992 to seek a better life in the United States, Cho's grandfather told the Dong-a Ilbo daily. The 81-year-old grandfather, identified only as Kim, said Cho "troubled his parents a lot when he was young because he couldn't speak well, but was well-behaved," the report said.

Cho's great aunt, an elderly woman who lives outside Seoul, told the Associated Press that the shooter never communicated well with his parents. "Normally sons and mothers talk. There was none of that for them. He was very cold," said Kim Yang-soon. She said Cho's mother consistently voiced concerns over her son's mental stability. "Every time I called and asked how he was, she would say she was worried about him."

Virginia Tech got another scare Wednesday morning as police in SWAT gear with weapons drawn swarmed Burruss Hall, which houses the president's office. The threat targeted the university president but was unfounded and the building was reopened, said police chief Flinchum.

Virginia Tech police chased a fruitless lead in the early-morning murders of two students at a dorm, halting officials from sending out a warning about a possible gunman on the loose, according to police statements reported by The New York Times.

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© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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