(U-WIRE) RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine addressed several recommendations and findings dealing with Cho Seung-Hui’s medical history and Virginia Tech’s awareness of his mental state.
Among these, the most important issues arises from the “red flags” indicating that Cho was mentally unstable, and that the shootings could have been averted.
Kaine stated that Cho had been advised to not attend a large university far from home because it would cause him to lose his support system that was assisting him with his fixation on the Columbine High School shootings and other acts of violence. In addition, Cho’s mental records were not sent to Tech prior to his attendance.
All of the warning signals that should have promoted action, such as violent compositions in English classes and his attempted suicide threat, were not addressed by the campus administration.
“The dots were not connected,” Kaine said.
Privacy laws from his past mental examinations were one element that blocked most of these red flags from becoming more recognizable. Kaine suggested that one of the recommendations would be to alter privacy laws for certain individuals like Cho in order to promote public safety.
While Kaine applauded the campus and Blacksburg police for their professionalism, he stated that there were still flaws in the campus’s notification system. He suggested that the police chief should be able to administer a campus notification without having to go through the bureaucratic panel for emergencies.
Kaine also mentioned the heroic performance of the Virginia Tech rescue squad and the campus police’s plan for shooting emergencies.

