BLACKSBURG, Va. — The family of Virginia Tech gunman Cho Seung Hui said Friday they feel "hopeless, helpless and lost," and "never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence."
"Our family is so very sorry for my brother's unspeakable actions. It is a terrible tragedy for all of us," said the statement to the Associated Press issued by the gunman's sister, Sun Kyung Cho, on her behalf and that of her family. She works as a contractor for a State Department office that oversees billions of dollars in American aid for Iraq.
"We pray for their families and loved ones who are experiencing so much excruciating grief. And we pray for those who were injured and for those whose lives are changed forever because of what they witnessed and experienced," she said.
excruciating:externemly painful,so that you are able to move or do something
LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) — As they marked the eighth anniversary Friday of the Columbine school shooting and mourned the recent victims at Virginia Tech, many Littleton families were also questioning a judge's decision to seal information about the killers.
事件に関する犯人の情報を封印するということになった なぜでしょう
Columbine High School was closed Friday, as it had been every April 20 since the 1999 attack in which two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, killed 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves.
Invoking the Columbine tragedy, Gov. Bill Ritter asked state residents to join a bell-ringing and moment of silence for the Virginia Tech victims on Friday.
Invoking:to make a particular idea,image or feeling appear in people's minds
We experienced a terrible tragedy at Columbine High School," Ritter said. "The people of Colorado will stand in solemn silence on the anniversary of that dreadful day with the people of Virginia as they grieve."
But federal Judge Lewis Babcock's decision earlier this month to seal for 20 years the testimony of Harris' and Klebold's parents about the boys' home lives has infuriated some survivors and victims' relatives, who feel the information could help prevent future school rampages.
犯人の関する情報は20年間封印される
In the Columbine records ruling, Babcock cited a need for confidentiality and concerns that releasing the testimony from the killers' parents could encourage copycat crimes.
新たな暴力を生まないように
Much information about the Columbine killers is available on the Internet, including video clips of the two practicing their marksmanship, Harris' diaries, and websites dedicated to both killers.
ただネット上には犯人に関するさまざまな情報があふれているいるようです
こうした中でも判事は
"The judge said the tapes were incendiary. We have plenty of things already that stimulate violence," said sociologist Ralph Larkin, author of Comprehending Columbine.