DOCSLIB.ORG

Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech, Addendum to Report of the Review

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech, Addendum to Report of the Review MassMass ShootingsShootings atat VirginiaVirginia TechTech AddendumAddendum toto thethe ReportReport ofof thethe ReviewReview PanelPanel PresentedPresented to:to: GovernorGovernor TimothyTimothy M.M. KaineKaine CommonwealthCommonwealth ofof VirginiaVirginia November 2009 Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech Addendum to the Report of the Review Panel Presented to: Governor Timothy M. Kaine Commonwealth of Virginia Presented by: TriData Division, System Planning Corporation 3601 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA 22201 November 2009 INTRODUCTION On April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech experienced one of the most horrific events in American uni- versity history—a double homicide followed by a mass shooting that left 32 students and fac- ulty killed, with many others injured, and many more scarred psychologically. Families of the slain and injured as well as the university community have suffered terribly. Immediately after the incident Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine created a blue ribbon Re- view Panel, referred to as the Virginia Tech Review Panel, which consisted of nine members selected for their expertise in the areas that were to be investigated. The Review Panel’s mis- sion was to assess the events leading to the shooting and how the incident was handled by the university and public safety agencies. Mental health services and privacy laws were examined as well. The Review Panel was to make recommendations that would help college campuses prevent or mitigate such incidents in the future. The Report of the Review Panel was presented to the Governor in late August 2007. It is referred to as the “Report” in this Addendum. SCOPE OF THIS REPORT: ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS In the two years since the Review Panel’s report was published, additional information has been placed in the public record, including Seung Hui Cho’s case file from the Cook Counseling Center and a recent report from the Commonwealth’s Inspector General concerning the Cook Counseling Center’s handling of Cho’s records. Briefings to the victims’ families by police and Virginia Tech officials provided additional details of the events In light of the new information presented to the families, and other information they found in the April 16 archive, several family members requested that additions and corrections be made to the Report. Some families had personal knowledge of the events that were not previously shared. Some families requested new interpretations of certain findings or revisions to some of the Review Panel’s recommendations in light of the new information. Virginia Tech officials also submitted comments requesting some corrections. Governor Kaine asked the victims’ families and Virginia Tech to submit any corrections or ad- ditions they thought important by the end of August, 2009. The time was extended into Sep- tember after discovery of Cho’s missing Cook Counseling Center records. This Addendum responds to the comments and questions received from the families and Vir- ginia Tech by correcting facts in the original report, including the timeline, and by adding addi- tional information about the events leading to the incidents, the response to the incidents, and the aftermath of April 16. The Addendum also includes corrections to names and titles of peo- ple cited in the Report or the list of interviewees. The Addendum does not address opinions or value judgments that were raised, but provides some additional background information that might help address the concerns raised. ADDENDUM PROCESS Governor Kaine engaged the TriData staff that supported the Review Panel to review the addi- tional information and the questions and comments about the Report. TriData was familiar with the research and details of the Report, the sources, and the deliberations behind the Re- port’s original findings and recommendations. All comments received by the Governor’s Office were forwarded to TriData for review. INTRODUCTION The focus of this Addendum is on correcting and adding to the pertinent facts. Many of the families as well as Virginia Tech submitted corrections or comments and added detailed refer- ences to documents now in the public record. After completing an initial review of the com- ments from all parties, TriData submitted a number of questions to Virginia Tech and also in- terviewed several family members for clarification of their comments, and to cross-check in- formation and corroborate facts. There are conflicting opinions on whether the Review Panel should have treated certain issues differently, reached stronger or different conclusions, placed blame on certain individuals, or interviewed additional people. The new and additional information has tended to reinforce the Review Panel’s original findings and recommendations. In several instances, emphasis was added to findings where strongly supported by the facts. While some of the findings have been modified slightly and one added, none of the new information merited changes to any of the recommendations in the original Report. A number of questions and corrections were raised about the timeline in the Report. The time- line was intended to provide an overview of the most important markers in the sequence of events to assist readers as a reference as they went through the details in the text. The Review Panel chose not to include many details in the timeline that were later discussed in the text. This Addendum contains an expanded timeline with virtually all of the additions suggested by the families. SCOPE OF ORIGINAL REVIEW PANEL REPORT As described in the Review Panel’s Report, Governor Kaine’s executive order directed the Re- view Panel to accomplish the following: 1. “Conduct a review of how Seung Hui Cho committed these 32 murders and multiple ad- ditional woundings, including without limitation how he obtained his firearms and am- munition, and to learn what can be learned about what caused him to commit these acts of violence.” 2. “Conduct a review of Seung Hui Cho's psychological condition and behavioral issues prior to and at the time of the shootings, what behavioral aberrations or potential warn- ing signs were observed by students, faculty and/or staff at Westfield High School and Virginia Tech. This inquiry should include the response taken by Virginia Tech and oth- ers to note psychological and behavioral issues, Seung Hui Cho's interaction with the mental health delivery system, including without limitation judicial intervention, access to services, and communication between the mental health services system and Virginia Tech. It should also include a review of educational, medical, and judicial records docu- menting his condition, the services rendered to him, and his commitment hearing.” 3. “Conduct a review of the timeline of events from the time that Seung Hui Cho entered West Ambler Johnston Dormitory until his death in Norris Hall. Such review shall in- clude an assessment of the response to the first murders and efforts to stop the Norris Hall murders once they began.” 4. “Conduct a review of the response of the Commonwealth, all of its agencies, and rele- vant local and private providers following the death of Seung Hui Cho for the purpose of providing recommendations for the improvement of the Commonwealth's response in similar emergency situations. Such review shall include an assessment of the emer- gency medical response provided for the injured and wounded, the conduct of post- INTRODUCTION mortem examinations and release of remains, on-campus actions following the tragedy, and the services and counseling offered to the victims, the victims' families, and those affected by the incident. In so doing, the Review Panel shall to the extent required by federal or state law: (i) protect the confidentiality of any individual's or family member's personal or health information; and (ii) make public or publish information and findings only in summary or aggregate form without identifying personal or health information related to any individual or family member unless authorization is obtained from an in- dividual or family member that specifically permits the Review Panel to disclose that person's personal or health information.” 5. “Conduct other inquiries as may be appropriate in the Review Panel's discretion other- wise consistent with its mission and authority as provided herein.” 6. “Based on these inquiries, make recommendations on appropriate measures that can be taken to improve the laws, policies, procedures, systems and institutions of the Com- monwealth and the operation of public safety agencies, medical facilities, local agencies, private providers, universities, and mental health services delivery system.” “In summary, the Review Panel was tasked to review the events, assess actions taken and not taken, identify lessons learned, and propose alternatives for the future. Included a review of Cho’s history and interaction with the mental health and legal systems and of his gun pur- chases. The Review Panel was also asked to review the emergency response by all parties (law enforcement officials, university officials, medical responders and hospital care providers, and the Medical Examiner). Finally, the Review Panel reviewed the aftermath—the university’s approach to helping families, survivors, students, and staff as they dealt with the mental trauma and the approach to helping the university heal itself and function again.” REVIEW PANEL AND STAFF The Review Panel consisted of nine highly distinguished members from a variety of relevant backgrounds. Members included a former
Load more

Recommended publications
  • An American Perspective on Amok Attacks
    Research Note no 30 December 2017 Centre de Recherche de l’École des Officiers de la Gendarmerie Nationale An American perspective on Amok attacks By Second-lieutenant Alexandre Rodde (French National gendarmery reserve) On March 16th 2017, at 12:50, Killian B. entered the Alexis de Tocqueville High School in Grasse (French Riviera), carrying several weapons. The shooting spree that ensued, lasted ten minutes, and left five victims injured, before the French National Police was able to arrest the attacker1. In France, this type of attack is a new challenge for law-enforcement forces, especially for intervention squads. These weaponized attacks without any political motive - known in France as “amok attacks”2 - are often mistaken for terrorist attacks, notwithstanding their differences. So, let us ask ourselves : what differenciates such an attack from a terrorist one ? Defined as “an episode of sudden mass assault”3 the Malaysian word “amok” was popularized in a 1922 novel by Stefan Zweig4. Modern amok attacks can be described as a sudden assault, in a densely populated area or premise, by a lone attacker5, using one or several firearms6. The United States are used to these attacks, which have been carefully described and studied by local academics and practitioners. Lessons learned from the USA deserve to be known by the French security forces. Amok attackers, unlike lone- wolf terrorists, do not act according to political or religious agendas, but due to a personal motive7. The differences between both types of attack include their respective targets, methods and purpose. It is therefore important first to assess the threat in France (I), then to study the operational challenge it raises for both the French law-enforcement agencies and the French people (II).
    [Show full text]
  • Business Meeting
    . PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Business Meeting . — November 19, 2020 — Please print double-sided in support of Board Policy B707 – Sustainable Use of Resources Portland Community College Board of Directors Vision Building futures for our Students and Communities . Mission Portland Community College supports student success by delivering access to quality education while advancing economic development and promoting sustainability in a collaborative culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Core Themes • Access and Student Success • Quality Education • Economic Development and • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Sustainability . Who We Are Portland Community College is a public, multi-campus, comprehensive community college serving the lifelong learning needs of our students. We offer college transfer programs; career and technical education programs; adult basic skills; opportunities to develop English as a second language; high school completion and dual credit; community and continuing education programs; and service-learning opportunities that foster the development of civic responsibility and engagement. Through extensive partnerships with business, industry, labor, educational institutions and the public sector, we provide training and learning opportunities for the local and state workforce and promote economic and community development. We Value • Effective teaching and student development programs that prepare students for their roles as citizens in a democratic society in a rapidly changing global economy • An
    [Show full text]
  • Islamophobia and Religious Intolerance: Threats to Global Peace and Harmonious Co-Existence
    Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies (QIJIS) Volume 8, Number 2, 2020 DOI : 10.21043/qijis.v8i2.6811 ISLAMOPHOBIA AND RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE: THREATS TO GLOBAL PEACE AND HARMONIOUS CO-EXISTENCE Kazeem Oluwaseun DAUDA National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Jabi-Abuja, Nigeria Consultant, FARKAZ Technologies & Education Consulting Int’l, Ijebu-Ode [email protected] Abstract Recent events show that there are heightened fear, hostilities, prejudices and discriminations associated with religion in virtually every part of the world. It becomes almost impossible to watch news daily without scenes of religious intolerance and violence with dire consequences for societal peace. This paper examines the trends, causes and implications of Islamophobia and religious intolerance for global peace and harmonious co-existence. It relies on content analysis of secondary sources of data. It notes that fear and hatred associated with Islām and persecution of Muslims is the fallout of religious intolerance as reflected in most melee and growingverbal attacks, trends anti-Muslim of far-right hatred,or right-wing racism, extremists xenophobia,. It revealsanti-Sharī’ah that Islamophobia policies, high-profile and religious terrorist intolerance attacks, have and loss of lives, wanton destruction of property, violation led to proliferation of attacks on Muslims, incessant of Muslims’ fundamental rights and freedom, rising fear of insecurity, and distrust between Muslims and QIJIS, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2020 257 Kazeem Oluwaseun DAUDA The paper concludes that escalating Islamophobic attacks and religious intolerance globally hadnon-Muslims. constituted a serious threat to world peace and harmonious co-existence. Relevant resolutions in curbing rising trends of Islamophobia and religious intolerance are suggested.
    [Show full text]
  • Is the United States an Outlier in Public Mass Shootings? a Comment on Adam Lankford
    Discuss this article at Journaltalk: https://journaltalk.net/articles/5980/ ECON JOURNAL WATCH 16(1) March 2019: 37–68 Is the United States an Outlier in Public Mass Shootings? A Comment on Adam Lankford John R. Lott, Jr.1 and Carlisle E. Moody2 LINK TO ABSTRACT In 2016, Adam Lankford published an article in Violence and Victims titled “Public Mass Shooters and Firearms: A Cross-National Study of 171 Countries.” In the article he concludes: “Despite having less than 5% of the global population (World Factbook, 2014), it [the United States] had 31% of global public mass shooters” (Lankford 2016, 195). Lankford claims to show that over the 47 years from 1966 to 2012, both in the United States and around the world there were 292 cases of “public mass shooters” of which 90, or 31 percent, were American. Lankford attributes America’s outsized percentage of international public mass shooters to widespread gun ownership. Besides doing so in the article, he has done so in public discourse (e.g., Lankford 2017). Lankford’s findings struck a chord with President Obama: “I say this every time we’ve got one of these mass shootings: This just doesn’t happen in other countries.” —President Obama, news conference at COP21 climate conference in Paris, Dec. 1, 2015 (link) 1. Crime Prevention Research Center, Alexandria, VA 22302. 2. College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187; Crime Prevention Research Center, Alexan- dria, VA 22302. We would like to thank Lloyd Cohen, James Alan Fox, Tim Groseclose, Robert Hansen, Gary Kleck, Tom Kovandzic, Joyce Lee Malcolm, Craig Newmark, Scott Masten, Paul Rubin, and Mike Weisser for providing helpful comments.
    [Show full text]
  • Refine Technologies to Create Active Orthotic Devices
    Refine Technologies to Create Active Orthotic Devices TASK GROUP DESCRIPTION Background Current orthoses were developed ultimately to enhance function of people disabled by injury to the limb (traumatic transaction of muscle and peripheral nerve) or by disorders that interfere with the muscle-nervous system, such as muscular dystrophies, stroke, spinal cord injuries, and weakness from aging. With few exceptions, currently marketed orthotic devices are passive and designed to overcome the weakness and instability produced by the pathology as well as to maintain the limb in an optimum functional position. The most common example is the polypropylene ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) designed to keep the foot and ankle at 90º to optimize foot contact and prevent foot drop in swing phase. The thermoplastic AFO is often designed with an articulating element between the foot and shank segments, thus allowing the patient some ankle motion. More elaborate braces for persons with spinal cord paralysis generally include the theromoplastic AFO linked to metallic uprights on the inner and outer shank and thigh. The uprights can even extend to a waist belt or trunk support (e.g., knee-ankle-foot orthosis [KAFO] or hip-KAFO. Hinges interposed at the knee and the hip are typically actuated manually or by cable systems. Patient-based research shows that the functional advantage of using these orthoses are difficult to measure. This may underlie the observation that while many children wear orthoses, during the transition to adults the orthoses are abandoned. The bulky stiff plastics, while providing support for the joint Page 1 of 9 encompassed, interfere with body center of mass transition during walking.
    [Show full text]
  • In Memory of Professor Liviu Librescu
    In Memory of Professor Liviu Librescu Professor Liviu Librescu, 1930-2007 Renowned Researcher and Educator in Aeroelacticity, Thermal Stresses and Composites Professor Librescu from the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics died in the Virginia Tech tragedy on April 16, 2007, as he lived, devoted to his students and to his profession. His last action was to sacrifice himself to save the students in his classroom. At the hearing of the shooting, he blocked the door with his body while telling his students to jump from the window. He was shot through the door and killed. All his students survived but one. Professor Librescu survived the Holocaust and earned his Ph.D. from the Academy of Sciences in Romania (1969) where he stayed as a faculty member. He then immigrated to Israel from Romania during the communist regime and spent his sabbatical in 1985 in the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department at Virginia Tech where he stayed since then, continuing his research in aeroelasticity, thermal stresses and composites. He was a wonderful educator and a prominent researcher with numerous journal and conferences papers (“More journal articles and conference papers than anyone else in the field” say his colleagues) and a book - Thin-Walled Composite Beams: Theory and Application, with O. Song, Springer, 2005 -. He also served on the Editorial Board of seven different journals, helped organize many international congresses and symposia, and had recently participated in a project administered by the NRC involving researchers from his native Romania. Professor Librescu’s death is a great loss to the mechanics community.
    [Show full text]
  • The Deadliest School Shooting in American History: a Dramatistic Analysis of the Virginia Tech Massacre
    Zafis 1 The Deadliest School Shooting in American History: A Dramatistic Analysis of the Virginia Tech Massacre A Senior Project presented to the Faculty of the Communication Studies Department California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Arts by Natalie Susanne Zafis June, 2013 © 2013 Natalie Susanne Zafis Zafis 2 Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….3 Kenneth Burke and the Dramatistic Pentad…………………………………………………6 Context of the Shooting……………………………………………………………………..11 Analysis of Media Coverage………………………………………………………………..16 Initial Perceptions of an Imperfect Gun Rights Dominated Scene………………….17 The Shift in Focus from a Gun Rights Scene to a Flawed Agent…………………...19 The Development of a Counter-Scene: Gun Rights vs. Mental Illness……………..21 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..24 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………...27 Zafis 3 Introduction April 16, 2007, marks the day of the deadliest school shooting in American history. Seung-Hui Cho murdered 32 people, wounded 17 others, and took his life at Virginia Polytechnic Institute that day. Although many critical details surrounding the event were unknown or unclear immediately after it took place, local and national media outlets published as much information as possible, even at the risk of inaccurate reporting. For example, one of the first reports published by the media after the rampage described “unimaginable horror as some students were lined up against a wall and shot” by the gunman, who was supposedly not a student and was looking for his girlfriend (Hauser & O’Connor). It was later confirmed that the shooter was 23-year-old Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho, who was not only classified as mentally ill, but was also deemed “an imminent danger to self and others” by a district court in Montgomery County, Virginia, in December of 2005 (Effron).
    [Show full text]
  • A Schema of Right-Wing Extremism in the United States
    ICCT Policy Brief October 2019 DOI: 10.19165/2019.2.06 ISSN: 2468-0486 A Schema of Right-Wing Extremism in the United States Author: Sam Jackson Over the past two years, and in the wake of deadly attacks in Charlottesville and Pittsburgh, attention paid to right-wing extremism in the United States has grown. Most of this attention focuses on racist extremism, overlooking other forms of right-wing extremism. This article presents a schema of three main forms of right-wing extremism in the United States in order to more clearly understand the landscape: racist extremism, nativist extremism, and anti-government extremism. Additionally, it describes the two primary subcategories of anti-government extremism: the patriot/militia movement and sovereign citizens. Finally, it discusses whether this schema can be applied to right-wing extremism in non-U.S. contexts. Key words: right-wing extremism, racism, nativism, anti-government A Schema of Right-Wing Extremism in the United States Introduction Since the public emergence of the so-called “alt-right” in the United States—seen most dramatically at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017—there has been increasing attention paid to right-wing extremism (RWE) in the United States, particularly racist right-wing extremism.1 Violent incidents like Robert Bowers’ attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in October 2018; the mosque shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 2019; and the mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas in August
    [Show full text]
  • The Different Components of Active Shooter Incidents: Examining the Co-Occurrence of Offender and Incident Characteristics
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects CUNY Graduate Center 2-2021 The Different Components of Active Shooter Incidents: Examining the Co-occurrence of Offender and Incident Characteristics Jeffery R. Osborne The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/4168 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Running head: ACTIVE SHOOTER INCIDENTS THE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF ACTIVE SHOOTER INCIDENTS: EXAMINING THE CO-OCCURRENCE OF OFFENDER & INCIDENT CHARACTERISTICS by JEFFERY R. OSBORNE A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Criminal Justice in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2021 ACTIVE SHOOTER INCIDENTS ii © 2021 JEFFERY R. OSBORNE All Rights Reserved ACTIVE SHOOTER INCIDENTS iii The Different Components of Active Shooter Incidents: Examining the Co-occurrence of Offender & Incident Characteristics by Jeffery R. Osborne This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Criminal Justice in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ___________________ ____________________________________ Date C. Gabrielle Salfati Chair of Examining Committee ___________________ ____________________________________ Date Valli Rajah Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Maria R, Haberfeld Michael M. Maxfield Steven M, Gorelick John P. Jarvis THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK ACTIVE SHOOTER INCIDENTS iv ABSTRACT The Different Components of Active Shooter Incidents: Examining the Co-occurrence of Offender & Incident Characteristics by Jeffery R.
    [Show full text]
  • Backgrounder on Pistols Used in Virginia Tech Shooting
    Backgrounder on Pistols Used in Virginia Tech Shooting “[C]omparable in size and weight to the small .38 revolvers it has replaced, the…Glock 19 is significantly more powerful with greater firepower, and is much easier to shoot fast and true.” - Glock Catalog April 2007 Table of Contents Introduction...................................................................................................1 Attachment One: Catalog Copy for the Glock 19 and Walther P22 Pistols............5 Attachment Two: Background on Glock’s History from the book Making a Killing: The Business of Guns in America............................................9 Introduction The two handguns used in the Virginia Tech shooting—a 9mm Glock 19 pistol, and a 22 caliber Walther P22 pistol—stand as stark examples of the trend toward increased lethality that defines today’s gun industry. Since the mid-1980s, the gun industry has embraced increased firepower and capacity to resell the shrinking base of gun buyers in America.1 In the 1980s, a very significant shift in gun design and marketing occurred: high-capacity semiautomatic pistols became the dominant product line. Formerly, the most popular handgun design was the revolver, most often containing six shots. In 1980, semiautomatic pistols accounted for only 32 percent of the 2.3 million handguns produced in America. The majority were revolvers. By 1991 this number had reversed itself with semiautomatic pistols accounting for 74 percent of the 1.8 million handguns produced that year. Domestic Pistol and Revolver Production
    [Show full text]
  • The Guardian's Coverage of the Virginia Tech Massacre
    Through "Foreign" Eyes: The Guardian's Coverage of the Virginia Tech Massacre A thesis presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science Jared D. Hargis June 2009 © 2009 Jared D. Hargis. All Rights Reserved This thesis titled Through "Foreign" Eyes: The Guardian's Coverage of the Virginia Tech Massacre by JARED D. HARGIS has been approved for the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism and the Scripps College of Communication by Bill Reader Assistant Professor of Journalism Gregory J. Shepherd Dean, Scripps College of Communication ii ABSTRACT HARGIS, JARED D., M.S., June 2009, Journalism Through "Foreign" Eyes: The Guardian's Coverage of the Virginia Tech Massacre (125 pp.) Director of Thesis: Bill Reader This thesis presents a textual analysis and a descriptive content analysis of how the British newspaper The Guardian covered the Virginia Tech school shootings that took place on 16 April 2007. Analysis of the first eight days of coverage, totaling 61 articles, added to the existing research on media coverage of school shootings by understanding how the media lens of an influential British newspaper viewed the “gun culture” of the United States. The results of this study indicate that The Guardian’s coverage suggests that the “gun culture” of the United States may be directly responsible for the Virginia Tech school shootings, and that the newspaper and its readers (via their feedback) have constructed a collective argument that such events are inevitable when guns are so readily accessible as they are in the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • Article: Why Dylann Roof Is a Terrorist Under Federal Law, and Why It Matters
    ARTICLE: WHY DYLANN ROOF IS A TERRORIST UNDER FEDERAL LAW, AND WHY IT MATTERS Winter, 2017 Reporter 54 Harv. J. on Legis. 259 * Length: 19820 words Author: Jesse J. Norris 1 * Highlight After white supremacist Dylann Roof killed nine African-Americans at a Charleston, South Carolina church, authorities declined to refer to the attack as terrorism. Many objected to the government's apparent double standard in its treatment of Muslim versus non-Muslim extremists and called on the government to treat the massacre as terrorism. Yet the government has neither charged Roof with a terrorist offense nor labeled the attack as terrorism. This Article argues that although the government was unable to charge Roof with terrorist crimes because of the lack of applicable statutes, the Charleston massacre still qualifies as terrorism under federal law. Roof's attack clearly falls under the government's prevailing definition of domestic terrorism. It also qualifies for a terrorism sentencing enhancement, or at least an upward departure from the sentencing guidelines, as well as for the terrorism aggravating factor considered by juries in deciding whether to impose the death penalty. Labeling Roof's attack as terrorism could have several important implications, not only in terms of sentencing, but also in terms of government accountability, the prudent allocation of counterterrorism resources, balanced media coverage, and public cooperation in preventing terrorism. For these reasons, this Article contends that the government should treat the Charleston massacre, and similar ideologically motivated killings, as terrorism. This Article also makes two policy suggestions meant to facilitate a more consistent use of the term terrorism.
    [Show full text]