Newsweek Looks Back At Viriginia Tech Massacre

A team of Newsweek correspondents reconstructs the timeline of the day of the shootings at Virginia Tech that left 32 dead. Derek O'Dell, a sophomore recalls that the scariest thing was seeing the killer's eyes because there was nothing there.

In an e- mail, writing professor Lisa Norris tells Newsweek that the associate dean of students tried to be helpful when she and other teachers voiced their concerns but the administrator said she could find "no mention of mental health issues or police reports" on Cho.

Newsweek reviews the events of the week and how a killer known for his isolating behavior even among his roommates and grim writings with a history of mental illness was beyond the reach of help.

In "Story of A Gun," (p.37), Senior Editor Jerry Adler and Assistant Editor Raina Kelley report on the history, business and availability of the 9mm Glock handgun in U.S. culture. It was the Virginia Tech gunman's weapon of choice.

In "Something to Talk About" (p.39), Contributing Editor Eleanor Clift writes on the noticeable hush from Democrats in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings. Democrats could no longer afford to let the GOP own the issue, Newsweek reports. But one Democrat, New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband was killed by a gunman in a 1993 shooting spree, is talking. And a bill she has pushed that would give states incentives to report information about criminals and the mentally ill is now getting more attention.

And in "The Anatomy of Violence" (p.40), Science Editor Sharon Begley reports on the science of violence in the wake of the worst massacre in U.S. history. Scientists now believe the roots of violence are equally planted in the biology of the individual, the psychology that reflects the interaction of innate traits and experiences, and the larger culture.

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