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E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
VA Tech: A Preventable Tragedy?
One of the saddest revelations so far in the coverage of yesterday's horrific school shooting is that several people anticipated violence from the suspect, but despite their efforts were unable to prevent it.
The man police have named as the shooter, 23 year-old Seung-Hui Cho, was identified by classmates and professors as being severely troubled more than a year ago. His writings were so disturbing that one professor eventually contacted university officials and police, before referring him to counseling. The chairwoman of Virginia Tech's English department tutored Cho one-on-one, and repeatedly recommended counseling, but could not be sure whether he ever actually went.
The more that is revealed about these terrible events, the more questions are raised. Not least of all, what else can be done to prevent troubled young people from falling through the cracks, as this man seems to have?