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Heroic Professor Saves 22 Students From A Shooter.
On April 16, 2007, at Virginia Tech, 76-year-old prominent professor Liviu Librescu was teaching an engineering class, when suddenly gunfire erupted.
A series of sharp, firecracker-like bursts echoed in the hall, rapidly approaching the door.
Fear gripped the students as panic set in. "Lock the door," someone shouted but the door had no lock.
Professor Librescu, a childhood Holocaust survivor, understood such madness. He rushed to the door and braced it with his entire body.
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He then shouted to his students, "The Windows! Go! Now!" His commanding voice compelled them to move.
Although they were on the second floor, they forced the windows open. "JUMP," their professor cried, and they did, as fast as possible.
Suddenly, the door handle rattled as the gunman tried to force his way in. But professor Librescu in that moment had superhuman strength, and the shooter could not get in.
Frustrated, the gunman fired through the door. Some of the bullets struck the professor, but the professor did not give an inch.
After the last student escaped, professor Librescu crumpled to the floor, mortally wounded. Yet in his death, 22 students survived.
Those students had been gifted the rest of their lives. Because of professor Librescu's sacrifice, they could build families, pursue careers, realize dreams and make a meaningful difference in this world.
And this profound gift came from a Holocaust survivor, who as a child had been given a second chance at life, a gift he now gave to them.
Editor's note:
This was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. The shooter, Seung-Hui Cho, a Virginia Tech student killed 32 people and wounded 17 more before taking his own life.
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