BLACKSBURG, Va. – Family members of those killed in the Virginia Tech massacre expressed their outrage at the fact that they nor their representatives will be on the panel tasked with investigating the April 16 killings.
In a recently released statement, the relatives also indicated they were very unhappy the names and faces of the victims have been used for financial gain without their consent.
The families of 13 of the 32 people slain at Virginia Tech drafted the statement to let the public know that not everyone is fully behind the membership of the panel.
Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine (D) said the relatives were welcome to contact the panel members. According to the Washington Post, however, the panel chair said that family members were barred from the group so the proceedings could be “free of any emotional-driven actions or agenda.”
In response to the families’ claims that the school was making money off of the victims’ photos, a Virginia Tech spokesman said the $7 million donated to the Hokey Spirit fund was unsolicited.
