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Virginia Tech killer's family: We are 'living a nightmare'

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BLACKSBURG, Virginia (CNN) -- The family of Virginia Tech killer Seung-Hui Cho feels "hopeless, helpless and lost" and is "deeply sorry" for his "unspeakable actions," according to a written statement released Friday by his sister.

"We are humbled by this darkness," Sun-Kyung Cho said in the family's first comments since her brother shot and killed 32 people and then killed himself. "He has made the world weep. We are living a nightmare."

In her statement, Sun-Kyung Cho said her brother was "someone that I grew up with and loved. Now I feel like I didn't know this person." (Read Cho family's statement)

"We have always been a close, peaceful and loving family. My brother was quiet and reserved, yet struggled to fit in. We never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence," she said.

The statement was made public as people across Virginia and around the country donned Virginia Tech's maroon and orange and paused to remember the lives lost in Cho's shooting rampage. (Read more about the memorials)

Wendy Adams, whose niece, Leslie Sherman, died in the rampage, told The Associated Press about the family's statement: "I'm not so generous to be able to forgive him for what he did. But I do feel for the family. I do feel sorry for them."

Sun-Kyung Cho said her family has been praying for the victims and their families, listing by name in her statement all 32 people who died. (Honoring the victims)

"Each of these people had so much love, talent and gifts to offer, and their lives were cut short by a horrible and senseless act," she said. "There is much justified anger and disbelief at what my brother did, and a lot of questions are left unanswered.

"Our family will continue to cooperate fully and do whatever we can to help authorities understand why these senseless acts happened.

"We have many unanswered questions as well."

The Cho family, who emigrated from South Korea in 1992, lived in Centreville, Virginia, in the Washington suburbs. They left their home and went into seclusion after police arrived to search for evidence Monday night.

Cho's parents worked in a dry cleaning business. Sun-Kyung Cho, who, like her brother, grew up mostly in the United States, is a graduate of Princeton University.

Cho's great-aunt, Kim Yang-soon, described Cho as "very cold" and said her niece was constantly worried about him, according to an interview translated by the AP. (Watch relative recall problems from Cho's childhood )

Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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