Va. Tech Families Tentatively Back Deal

"Until we see the details, we withhold statement," said Joseph Samaha of Fairfax County, whose daughter Reema was killed.

A number of the families did not retain lawyers or plan to pursue litigation against the state.

"The priority for me was not to sue, but to find out what went wrong," said Andy Goddard of Richmond, whose son, Colin, was shot four times and survived. "The most important thing was determining exactly what went wrong, not necessarily who -- I'm not interested in seeing a line of heads on spikes.

"We don't need to add any more victims to this tragedy. But we need to find out exactly what went wrong, learn from it, so that it never happens again."

Goddard said he knew nothing about the settlement and is waiting for his copy of the draft. "As far as I'm concerned, until each of us sign off on it, the settlement is still open," he said. "Negotiations are still underway."

Contracts have not been completed. But most families have said they intend to sign the documents, the governor's office said. Other families said they are undecided.

Lori Haas of Richmond, whose daughter Emily made an emergency call on the day of the attack, said she could not comment on the settlement because it is confidential. Haas was not represented by a lawyer and described the settlement as a draft agreement in principle. "Nothing has been signed," she said.

Mildred Granata of Toledo, whose son Kevin was killed, said his widow hasn't reached a decision.

"When you have a child that is shot down, even when that child is a grown man, it is something you never get over," Mildred Granata wrote in a claim filed last week. "We will never again have our complete family together. . . . If we sound bitter, we are. The Virginia Tech administration had plenty of time to cancel classes and close its doors that day after the first shooting. But they did not."

Del. David A. Nutter (R-Montgomery), who represents the Blacksburg area, said many residents have complained to him that the state would be using taxpayer money to pay victims for the shooting. But he said he supports the settlement, which will probably keep the state's costs down and provide closure.

"This is not the kind of thing you want to go on and on," he said.

Staff writers Tim Craig and Tamara Jones and researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report. Kumar and Craig reported from Richmond.