BLACKSBURG, VA. — The family of Virginia Tech gunman Seung-hui Cho spoke out for the first time Friday, saying in a prepared statement that they felt "hopeless, helpless and lost" and were left heartbroken by the "terrible, senseless tragedy" the deeply troubled young man inflicted on fellow students and teachers.
"I feel like I don't know this person," Cho's older sister, Sun-kyung Cho, said in the statement issued through a North Carolina attorney. "We never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence."
The family of immigrants from South Korea had not been heard from since Cho, 23, a senior majoring in English, shot 32 people to death Monday morning then turned his handgun on himself. Sun-kyung Cho and her parents, who have a home in Centreville, Va., are staying with friends and relatives, the FBI said Friday.
In the statement, Sun-kyung Cho said the family was "deeply sorry for the devastation my brother has caused." She said she and her parents pray every day for the students and teachers who were murdered, and the statement listed the names of all 32 victims.
Sun-kyung Cho said the family was cooperating fully with police to "help authorities understand why these senseless acts happened. We have many unanswered questions as well."
Through a third party, Sun-kyung Cho contacted Wade M. Smith -- a prominent defense lawyer in Raleigh, N.C. -- late Thursday, a source said. Sun-kyung Cho had seen Smith interviewed on television and thought he seemed trustworthy, the source said. Smith represents one of three former Duke University lacrosse players who were cleared this month after being charged last year with sexually assaulting a stripper.
Smith told the woman that she didn't need a lawyer, but he agreed to act as an intermediary for the family. There is no fee or retainer, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Smith is not commenting.
Assistant FBI Director Joe Persichini told the Associated Press Friday that while officials are in contact with Cho's family, they have not been placed in protective custody.
The family's statement came as police filed a search warrant request for Cho's cellphone records and e-mail accounts, saying they wanted to find out whether "he may have communicated with others concerning his plans to carry out attacks on students and faculty at Virginia Tech."
