Refusing to cower, he saved lives

Behind the mug shot of Cho Seung-Hui with the unsmiling, pursed lips and vacant eyes, another face has emerged.

A face of heroism.

On televisions in homes across the nation, Zach Petkewicz's gripping story has become a portrait of courage.

In an interview with CNN, the mild-mannered Virginia Tech senior struggled to contain tears as he recounted how he and other students in a Norris Hall classroom kept Cho at bay by barricading the door with a table.

Yesterday, the 3 1/2-minute video segment, entitled "Hero student," was among the most-viewed clips on CNN.com.

While sitting in class, Petkewicz and fellow students had heard a scream and then gunshots coming from down the hall. The students peeked out, saw the shooter, later identified as Cho, and then slammed the classroom door.

Petkewicz, an honor-roll mathematics major, hid behind a lectern in a "cowering position." Then he shook off his fear and flew into action.

"It was just like, there was nothing stopping this guy from coming in," Petkewicz recalled. "And so I said, 'We need to barricade this door.' Me and two others got up, threw a couple of tables in front of it, and had to physically hold it there while there were gunshots going on."

Cho tried the door handle, then pushed against the door.

"He tried to force his way in, got the door to open up about six inches, and then we just lunged at it and closed it back up," Petkewicz said. "And that's when he backed up and shot twice into the middle of the door."

Petkewicz and the two other students were leaning against the cinder-block walls, holding a long, rectangular table across the door. None of the shots hit them.

Then came the dreadful sound of a gun clip dropping to the floor just outside the classroom door. Cho was reloading. Deterred, he walked away. No students in Petkewicz's class got hurt.

But Petkewicz is a reluctant hero. When told that his quick thinking likely saved lives, he looked away and cried.

"I'm just glad I could be here," Petkewicz said. *