Grim Findings in Va. Tech Probe

"It became clear he was not the typical college student and exhibited behaviors far outside the norm," Stewart said in his testimony.

Cho's behavior included harassment of other students, and at least one person in his dorm asked to be moved to another building "to get away" from him, according to the report.

On Dec. 13, 2005,after a student complained about Cho, Virginia Tech police instructed Cho to stay away from that person. Later that day, Cho sent an instant message to his roommate saying that "he might as well kill himself," according to the report. The student told his father, who contacted campus police.

When Cho returned from taking an exam, police took him into emergency custody, although he said he was joking in the instant message. At the police station, a social worker evaluated Cho and determined that he was mentally ill and a danger to others.

Based on that evaluation, a magistrate sent Cho to St. Albans Behavioral Health Center in Christiansburg overnight for further examination. The next morning, a psychologist interviewed Cho for 15 minutes. Later that afternoon, Cho was released after a judge ordered that he receive outpatient treatmentat Virginia Tech's Cook Counseling Center. Cho agreed to the order.

The report indicates that the university counseling center was told that Cho had been ordered to receive outpatient treatment. But officials at the counseling center told Stewart that they do not receive such referrals, the report says.

The report does not say whether Cho received the follow-up care, but three sources have told The Washington Post that he did not.

The report recommends that Virginia officials consider giving health-care professionals more time and resources for initial screenings of the mentally ill. The report also suggests that local mental health agencies better monitor and follow up with people receiving counseling in the community.

Andrew Goddard, father of an injured student, Colin Goddard, told the panel that it was "incredibly disturbing and distasteful that an individual who brutalized the privacy of so many should have his privacy so doggedly preserved."

Goodard also criticized state and federal gun laws. "This awful tragedy was a direct result of the interaction between a deranged individual and two simple efficient and readily available killing machines," he said.

Holly Adamsof Springfield, mother of slain student Leslie Sherman, said family members want an outside specialist to review the panel's recommendations and findings before they are made public to make sure the report is tightly focused on the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Thomas J. Fadoul Jr., a Vienna lawyer hired by the families, noted during a break in the hearing that the panel is headed by a retired state police superintendent and includes several members with close ties to law enforcement or government agencies.

"Here we have a state agency reviewing another state agency. This is the government watching other governments," Fadoul told reporters. "When you have a government watching the government you . . . have an inherent conflict of interest."

Adams said she was particularly distressed that several panel members said last month, before the investigation began, that they thought Virginia Tech police and other authorities responded to the shooting appropriately.

Massengill said the panel is committed to "uncovering the facts."