ROANOKE, Va., March 14 (UPI) -- A jury in Christiansburg Wednesday found Virginia Tech University responsible for the deaths of two students killed in the 2007 mass shooting in Norris Hall.
The Montgomery County Circuit Court jury reached a unanimous verdict in the trial involving the deaths of Erin Peterson and Julia Pryde, the only two students whose families chose not to settle with the university for the April 16, 2007, tragedy, the Roanoke Times reported.
School officials waited more than 2 hours to notify the campus two students had been shot and killed in West Ambler Johnston Hall that morning, and the campus was not put on lock down. Moments later, Seung-hui Cho entered Norris Hall and gunned down 30 people before shooting himself.
The seven-person jury awarded each family $4 million, though the state may only be liable to pay $100,000. Judge William Alexander will rule on the award cap at a later date, the newspaper said.
