The day after the murder, the FBI said that the murderer was a young Korean male, aged 23, with the right of abode in the United States. He is a senior majoring in English in this school, wearing a chestnut hat and a black leather coat. He used two pistols before committing suicide. The police confirmed that the murderer's name was Seung-Hui Cho (Cao Chengxi, Korean:? ), a citizen of the Republic of Korea and a permanent resident of the United States. There is a permanent residence address in Centrville, a suburb of Washington, DC. 1992 immigrated to the United States at the age of 8. Now I live in Harper's dormitory. It is reported that Cao Chengxi left a disturbing note before killing two people in the dormitory. Two hours later, he crossed the campus and started his massacre in the classroom. According to the immigration file, the police compared the fingerprints left on the pistol and found a match. At the same time, it is legal for permanent residents (immigrants) to buy guns in Virginia. Larry Hinker, a university spokesman, pointed out that Cao Chengxi was a lonely and unsociable person. He also said that the school made great efforts to find his information.

9 mm Glock 19 pistol and .22 caliber Walter P22 pistol were used in the crime. An official described the murderer as "fully armed and wearing bulletproof vests".