Campus Killer Fired 170 Rounds in Nine Minutes

The gunman who carried out the massacre on the campus of Virginia Tech fired more than 170 rounds in nine minutes and died with a bullet to his head in a classroom surrounded by his victims, the police said yesterday, providing more details on the incident. But investigators still do not know what made Cho Seung-hui do it.

Cho, 23, chained shut three public entrances to Norris Hall, the classroom building where he killed 30 students and teachers, police said. Two hours earlier, he had gunned down his first two victims in a dormitory across campus.

State police superintendent Colonel Steven Flaherty said the investigators had compiled 500 pieces of evidence from Norris Hall, but still had no answers about what motivated Cho to carry out such a bloody killing spree.

"We certainly don't have any one motive that we are pursuing at this particular time, or that we have been able to pull together and formulate," he said. "It's frustrating because it's so personal, because we see the families and communities suffering. They want answers."

Col Flaherty warned it could be months before the case was closed. The investigation will begin slowing down as the authorities examine the evidence, he said.