April 16th, 2007 Virginia Tech shooting leaves 32 dead. On April 16, 2007, 32 people died after being gunned down on the campus of Virginia Tech by Seung-Hui Cho, a student at the college who later died by suicide. The Virginia Tech shooting began around 7:15 a.m., when Cho, a 23-year-old senior and English major at Blacksburg-based Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, shot a female freshman and a male resident assistant in a campus dormitory before fleeing the building. Police were soon on the scene; unaware of the gunman’s identity, they initially pursued the female victim’s boyfriend as a suspect in what they believed to be an isolated domestic-violence incident. However, at around 9:40 a.m., Cho, armed with a 9-millimeter handgun, a 22-caliber handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, entered a classroom building, chained and locked several main doors and went from room to room shooting people. Approximately 10 minutes after the rampage began, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The attack left 32 people dead and more than a dozen wounded. In all, 27 students and five faculty members died in the massacre. Two days later, on April 18, NBC News received a package of materials from Cho with a timestamp indicating he had mailed it from a Virginia post office between the first and second shooting attacks. Contained in the package were photos of a gun-wielding Cho, along with a rambling video diatribe in which he ranted about wealthy “brats,” among other topics. In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shooting, authorities found no evidence that Cho, who was born in South Korea and moved to America with his family in 1992, had specifically targeted any of his victims. The public soon learned that Cho, described by students as a loner who rarely spoke to anyone, had a history of mental health problems. It was also revealed that angry, violent writings Cho made for certain class assignments had raised concern among some of his professors and fellow students well before the events of April 16. In 2011, Virginia Tech was fined by the U.S. Department of Education for failing to issue a prompt campus-wide warning after Cho shot his first two victims. #Crime, #Virginia, #Shooting,

1998, A school shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas, kills five. Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, shoot their classmates and teachers in Jonesboro, Arkansas on March 24, 1998. Golden, the younger of the two boys, asked to be excused from his class, pulled a fire alarm and then ran to join Johnson in a wooded area 100 yards away from the school’s gym. As the students streamed out of the building, Johnson and Golden opened fire and killed four students and a teacher. Ten other children were wounded. The two boys were caught soon afterward. In their possession were thirteen fully loaded firearms, including three semi-automatic rifles, and 200 rounds of ammunition. Their stolen van had a stockpile of supplies as well as a crossbow and several hunting knives. All of the weapons were taken from the Golden family’s personal arsenal. Both of the boys had been raised around guns. Andrew Golden belonged to a local gun club and sometimes competed in shooting contests. Because Johnson and Golden were thirteen and eleven, they could not be charged as adults in Arkansas. They were both adjudicated as delinquent and sent to reform institutes. They were to be released when they turned 18, as they could legally no longer be housed with minors, but Arkansas bought a facility in 1999 that enabled the state to keep the boys in custody until their 21st birthdays. Johnson was freed in 2005, but later returned to prison for other charges; Golden was released in 2007 and died in 2019. Arkansas changed its laws following the Jonesboro tragedy so that child murderers can be imprisoned past age 21. #TrueCrime, #Murder, #Prison,

What is it with the increase in mass shootings in the States?

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Comet and Annual Meteor Shower Take Place This Weekend ​ Be sure to look to the sky tomorrow night: Two major celestial events are offering exciting views. Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks — dubbed the “Devil Comet” — will reach its brightest state as it makes its way around the sun, an orbit that takes approximately 70 years. Also taking place Sunday is the Lyrid meteor shower, which will peak over the Northern Hemisphere. ​ Nicknamed for horn-shaped outbursts of ice and gas observed on its surface, the Devil Comet will glow against the darkness when it reaches its closest distance to our star, about 144 million miles. Getting a glimpse of the comet will best be achieved with binoculars or a telescope and a clear view of the west-north-western horizon just after sunset, per Newsweek. ​ Originating from the debris trail left behind by the comet Thatcher, the Lyrid meteor shower will peak later Sunday evening and into the early hours on Monday (Earth Day, no less!). Lucky stargazers may get to witness meteors streaking across the sky every few minutes, Mental Floss reports. These shooting stars were named after the constellation Lyra, and have been observed for centuries. ​ To catch the best glimpse of the Lyrids, seek out dark, clear skies away from city lights. Telescopes aren’t necessary, and, of course, those who miss it will have another chance to catch the show next year.