Cho Seung-Hui

The young Virginia Tech student who committed the worst shooting massacre in U.S. history is described as a silent, troubled person whose writings concerned instructors so much they contacted school officials.

The gunman has been identified as Cho Seung-hui, 23, an English major in his final year of undergraduate studies.  He came to the United States from South Korea in 1992 with his parents when he was eight years old. 

Cho wrote a number of stories and screenplays for creative writing classes filled with scenes of extreme violence and murder.  An English professor says the writings and Cho's strange behavior prompted her to alert school authorities and the counseling service.  She also tutored Cho individually to keep him away from other students and instructors.

Authorities say he left behind a rambling note with a list of grievances, including complaints about women, religion and "rich kids." 

Federal investigators are searching Cho's writings and e-mails to try and find out why he went on the shooting rampage.

There were reports of renewed police activity Wednesday at Virginia Tech university that gave students a scare.  Media reports said there had been a report of suspicious activity, which later proved to be unfounded.

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine said Tuesday he will appoint an independent panel of law enforcement experts to evaluate whether Virginia Tech reacted appropriately to the two shooting incidents.  He said the request to create a panel came from Tech President Charles Steger.

Virginia Tech students gather for a candlelight vigil, 17 Apr 2007

Some Virginia Tech students and their parents are angry over the failure of university officials to warn students and lock down the campus immediately after the first dormitory shootings.  Authorities say they believed the first shootings were domestic related.  At least 30 others were shot two hours later in a campus classroom building.  Cho killed himself before police arrived.

Thousands of students and faculty members gathered on the lawn of Virginia Tech University for a candlelight vigil late Tuesday for the victims.  The mourners stood in silence as "Taps" was played.  A makeshift message board was filled with handwritten messages for the victims.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.