Rest in peace, Professor Liviu Librescu who held the Virginia Tech shooter at bay
From Tuesday's (Baltimore) Sun
'I don't think my teacher got out'
Engineering student says lecture turned to frantic rush to flee gunshots
By Doug Donovan
Sun Reporter
Originally published April 16, 2007, 11:21 PM EDT
In Monday morning's lecture on solid mechanics, all was quiet except for the sound of Professor Liviu Librescu's voice.
Then came the gunshots -- in the classroom next door. In an instant, Virginia Tech's Norris Hall, a building dedicated to the science of engineering, was torn apart by the worst shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.
Junior Richard Mallalieu said he and about 20 classmates instantly dropped to the floor, ducking under and behind desks for what sounded like the first 10 shots.
"It wasn't like an automatic weapon, but it was a steady 'pow,' 'pow,' 'pow,' 'pow,' " Mallalieu, 23, said in a phone interview with The Sun. "We didn't know what to do at first." Then the sound of the gunshots shifted. Coming closer.
Their next move became instantly clear: Get out.
Mallalieu said his professor held the door shut while students darted to the windows. Some climbed on desks, ledges and a radiator cover to pull down the screens and kick at the metal-framed glass, Mallalieu said. Three windows easily gave way and swung open on hinges as the gunshots got louder.
.....
When I first heard about the Tragedy at Virginia Tech, Yet Another Shooting, I remember feeling really impressed that in this age of apathy, a Professor was braved enough and cared enough to do something heroic and useful for his students. So it's all the more upsetting that following the odds, this man did not make it out alive:
CBC News: Holocaust survivor killed in Virginia Tech shootings trying to save students
Published: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 | 5:42 PM ET
Canadian Press: MATTI FRIEDMAN
JERUSALEM (AP) - Liviu Librescu survived the Nazi Holocaust. He died trying to keep a gunman from shooting his students in a killing spree at Virginia Tech - a heroic feat later recounted in e-mails from students to his wife.
'I don't think my teacher got out'
Engineering student says lecture turned to frantic rush to flee gunshots
By Doug Donovan
Sun Reporter
Originally published April 16, 2007, 11:21 PM EDT
In Monday morning's lecture on solid mechanics, all was quiet except for the sound of Professor Liviu Librescu's voice.
Then came the gunshots -- in the classroom next door. In an instant, Virginia Tech's Norris Hall, a building dedicated to the science of engineering, was torn apart by the worst shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.
Junior Richard Mallalieu said he and about 20 classmates instantly dropped to the floor, ducking under and behind desks for what sounded like the first 10 shots.
"It wasn't like an automatic weapon, but it was a steady 'pow,' 'pow,' 'pow,' 'pow,' " Mallalieu, 23, said in a phone interview with The Sun. "We didn't know what to do at first." Then the sound of the gunshots shifted. Coming closer.
Their next move became instantly clear: Get out.
Mallalieu said his professor held the door shut while students darted to the windows. Some climbed on desks, ledges and a radiator cover to pull down the screens and kick at the metal-framed glass, Mallalieu said. Three windows easily gave way and swung open on hinges as the gunshots got louder.
.....
When I first heard about the Tragedy at Virginia Tech, Yet Another Shooting, I remember feeling really impressed that in this age of apathy, a Professor was braved enough and cared enough to do something heroic and useful for his students. So it's all the more upsetting that following the odds, this man did not make it out alive:
CBC News: Holocaust survivor killed in Virginia Tech shootings trying to save students
Published: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 | 5:42 PM ET
Canadian Press: MATTI FRIEDMAN
JERUSALEM (AP) - Liviu Librescu survived the Nazi Holocaust. He died trying to keep a gunman from shooting his students in a killing spree at Virginia Tech - a heroic feat later recounted in e-mails from students to his wife.