BLACKSBURG, Va., April 22, 2007

Gunman Caused More Than 100 Wounds

Medical Examiner: Virginia Tech Gunman Died Of Gunshot Wound To Head

  • Virginia State Police stand guard outside Norris Hall, where 31 people were shot and killed a day earlier on the campus of Virginia Tech, April 17, 2007 in Blacksburg, Virginia.

    Virginia State Police stand guard outside Norris Hall, where 31 people were shot and killed a day earlier on the campus of Virginia Tech, April 17, 2007 in Blacksburg, Virginia.  (Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla)

  • Photo Essay Makeshift Memorials

    Candles, flowers, mementos placed to honor slain Virginia Tech students and faculty.

  • Interactive Virginia Tech Gunman

    A sketch of Cho Seung-Hui, the man who gunned down 32 people in cold blood.

(CBS/AP)  Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho fired enough shots to wound his 32 victims more than 100 times before killing himself with a bullet to his head, a medical examiner said Sunday.

Dr. William Massello, the assistant medical examiner based in Roanoke, said pathologists have sent blood samples for toxicology testing to determine if Cho was on drugs at the time of his rampage. It could take as long as two weeks to get the results of those tests, he said.

Cho was not especially accurate with his shots, Massello said, but hit many of the victims several times. His shots caused more than 100 wounds.

He picked up his first gun on February 9th from a pawn shop near campus, reports CBS News correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi.

Days later, he started shopping over a series of days, picking up cargo pants, a hunting knife, gloves, ammunition and chains to lock the doors of Norris Hall shut.

Investigators say he fired more than 175 rounds inside that classroom, adds Alfonsi.

Many of the victims had defensive wounds, indicating they tried to shield themselves from Cho's fire, but there was no evidence in the autopsies that Cho struggled with any of the people he killed.

Cho died from a gunshot to his temple, Massello said. Even if his brain had been intact, doctors would not have been able to tell whether he had any sort of brain abnormality. Those are usually neurological or chemical disorders that are not detectable during an autopsy, he said.

Massello said autopsy reports are being typed, and he was unsure when they would formally be completed and released.

Authorities had to return to the victims' dorm rooms and homes to collect fingerprint information so they could make identifications, according to an official close to the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Several of the victims had gunshot wounds to the head, the official said.

Many of the victims' bodies left the medical examiner's office on Thursday, the official said, adding that several major airlines offered to transport the bodies back to their families' for free. The official was not sure if Cho's body was among those that had been released.

Massello said it took four doctors working for days to complete the autopsies on all 32 victims and Cho, but he was not sure whether all had been released to families.


© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a Comment
by gunownerdan April 23, 2007 5:44 PM EDT
Terrorists, homicidal maniacs, and other dangerous criminals just love defenseless victims.
a-human-right.com
Reply to this comment
by deblock86-2009 April 23, 2007 3:08 AM EDT
Its like shooting apples in a barrel, you don't have to be accurate to do a lot of damage.
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by agnim April 23, 2007 1:10 AM EDT
"Cho was not especially accurate with his shots, Massello said, but hit many of the victims several times."

LOL
Is that a joke or what?

Which murdering maniac needs to be 'accurate' when the government make sure that the guns available to them have lots and lost of bullets?

The ratio of people killed to those wounded is pretty 'accurate' if you ask me. For the most part he made sure he finished the 'job' he set out to do.
Reply to this comment
by charlemaine1 April 23, 2007 12:22 AM EDT
sad
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