This week, a jury found Virginia Tech negligent for delaying warnings in response to the first shootings in the April 2007 campus massacre that ultimately left 33 dead: Jury finds Va. Tech negligent in '07 shootings.The wrongful death civil suit was brought by the parents of two students who were killed in Seung-Hui Cho's shooting rampage. The lawsuit argued that university officials botched their response to the first two victims, who were shot in a dorm and waited too long to alert students of a gunman on campus:
It took jurors 3 1/2 hours to find that university officials botched their response to the April 16, 2007, massacre that left 33 people — including the gunman — dead. The jury determined in the wrongful death lawsuit against the state that the parents of Julia Pryde and Erin Peterson each deserved $4 million. The award likely will be sharply reduced because Virginia law requires such awards to be capped at $100,000.It's been almost five years since that dark day at Virginia Tech. These parents have waited a long time to see some accountability for what happened, and I hope this verdict helps to ease their pain. More here: Virginia Tech to review negligence verdict in 2007 shooting rampage.
The lawsuit was the last pending litigation over the mass shootings and it's not clear if any additional lawsuits will be filed. The state is expected to appeal the verdict, as it did a separate fine handed down by federal education officials. No criminal charges were brought in the shootings.
"We were looking for truth for a long time," Harry Pryde said outside the courthouse that's less than 10 miles from Tech's Blacksburg campus. "We persevered and we got some truth today."
