Settling Virginia Tech
Joe Samaha knows nothing can bring back his 18-year-old daughter, Reema , who was shot to death on April 16, 2007, while in class at Virginia Tech .
So even though a Richmond judge approved a cluster of settlements Tuesday between the state and families of victims, the real victory is still coming in pieces for Samaha.
"We don't like the words 'closure' and 'moving on,'" he told reporters outside the John Marshall Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon.
"We'll live with this."
Samaha's goal is to get the full story, including the mistakes made by Virginia Tech, about what happened the day 32 people were murdered by a mentally ill student who later killed himself.
"There were numerous steps that the university could and should have taken prior to and including that day, which would have prevented the magnitude of violence," he said.
Two such examples, he said, were the university's returning of Seung-Hui Cho , a mentally ill individual, back to campus without any punishment, and the lack of timely notification, alarms and lockdowns to students on campus after the first two murders on campus.
Two attorneys who represented five families of students killed or injured in the massacre, including Samaha, told reporters that e-mail from a Virginia Tech employee clearly contracted the university's statements.
The e-mails, which were sent out before Cho opened fire in Norris Hall, showed that at least some parts of campus were on lockdown when university officials said that only a limited lockdown was in place.
Attorneys Peter Grenier and Douglas Fierberg also presented handwritten notes showing an earlier version of the emergency broadcast message sent out to students called the first Cho shooting a double murder rather than just a "shooting."
"Without this information, large groups of innocent students walked into danger," Grenier said, adding that the "watered-down message" to students obviously went unheeded as the vague description didn't sound serious enough.
The settlement approved today resolved 46 of the 57 claims against the state related to the April 16 tragedy, and include both 32 killed and 25 injured. Of the 32 deceased, 28 claims were or will be settled soon, two declined to file a claim and two are unresolved.
Families of the deceased will each receive $100,000 and the injured will receive varying amounts of money up to $100,000. The injured will also have their medical needs taken care of for life by the state. The Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund will also stay open for five years.
Families said they were also most pleased to gain several chances a year to meet with Gov. Timothy M. Kaine , Virginia Tech officials, including president Charles Steger , and Blacksburg police to ask whatever questions they want and get an update on changes to policies, procedures and more specifics on what happened that day.
"We hope to get frank and truthful answers," Samaha said, "to get the whole story."
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