Moment of silence for Va. Tech victims

Gov. Bob McDonnell led a solemn ceremony today at the Bell Tower in Capitol Square in memory of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings, marking the three-year anniversary of the event, reports The Post's Rosalind Helderman on the Virginia Politics blog.

Several dozen state employees joined McDonnell, some wearing Virginia Tech shirts, as he led a moment of silence, then read aloud the names of 32 students and faculty killed by student shooter Seung Hui Cho.

Wearing a red and orange ribbon on his lapel, McDonnell called on Virginians to remember the mass killing by being kinder to one another, looking out for neighbors and speaking up if they sense a colleague or friend is in mental distress. He praised state police for their work on campus and said he believed the state had made important changes to its mental health system and campus security since that day.

He asked Virginians to "all do our part to create a more loving, kind, just and friendly Commonwealth."

McDonnell issued a proclamation declaring April 16 Virginia Tech Remembrance Day and said he would mark the day each year of his four-year term.

The final group of students who were enrolled at the university when the slayings took place will graduate this year.