‘That one day seemed like one week’
Saugus mom lost son in 2007 Virginia Tech massacre
Ross Alameddine of Saugus was the only Massachusetts victim of the gunman who killed 32 people and injured 17 at Virginia Tech 10 years ago. Here is his mother’s story:
Ten years ago, on April 16, 2007, our family’s life changed forever. There had been a shooting at Virginia Tech, where my only son, Ross, was a student. My heart stopped when I did not hear from him. I called the school and all they could tell me was to call the local hospitals. I spent all day calling emergency rooms in the area. There was total chaos everywhere.
The shooting happened early in the morning and I did not hear until more than 12 hours later the fate of my son. That one day seemed like one week. It was cruel.
Late that night, I received the phone call that no parent wants to receive. The police chaplain at Virginia Tech called me at 10:45 p.m., and told me, “Your son is gone.” Then he told me that I’ll be receiving notification by my local police. That dreadful knock at my door came two hours later.
My precious 20-year-old son, Ross, a sophomore at Virginia Tech, was murdered in the campus massacre — the worst mass school shooting in U.S. history. He was in his French class, where he was supposed to be. He was most definitely not “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Ross was intelligent, kind, musically talented, built computers and had a dry wit. He loved making people laugh. He also loved technology and languages.
The shooter was a mentally ill senior at Virginia Tech, who had been admitted to the hospital one year before with suicidal and homicidal ideations. He never should have been allowed to purchase a gun. He never should have been able to pass the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which is a database that lists people who are prohibited from getting a gun.
He purchased two semiautomatic weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. He murdered two students in their dorm. Then, two hours later, he chained the doors of Norris Hall, where classes were being held and went on a second shooting spree, taking 30 more innocent lives and injuring 17 students in nine minutes.
Since then, I have been advocating for gun sense and awareness. If I can help one family from losing their loved one from gun violence, I’ll be doing my job.
I would like to thank MassDOT for lighting the Leonard Zakim Memorial Bridge on April 16th in memory of our loved ones at Virginia Tech. Also, I’d like to thank Lamar Outdoor Advertising for designing and displaying a beautiful Virginia Tech remembrance billboard in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island. These gestures were a beacon of light on a terribly dark day.