On April 16, 2007, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, was the scene of a mass shooting that left 32 people dead. Among them was 20-year-old freshman Matthew Joseph La Porte of Dumont, New Jersey. La Porte was in a French class in Norris Hall when the shooter entered the building.

A member of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and an Air Force ROTC scholarship recipient, La Porte attempted to barricade the classroom door with a heavy desk and then charged the gunman when the attacker forced entry. He was shot multiple times and killed; his actions are credited with slowing the gunman and saving other lives in the room. The shooter, identified as 23-year-old Seung-Hui Cho, died by suicide and was the sole person responsible for the massacre. La Porte was posthumously awarded the Airman’s Medal.

If anyone knew Matthew or was in Norris Hall that day and can add details about his actions or those he helped, please share what is known.