( CNN ) -- Virginia Tech plans to consider all its options after it reviews a jury verdict that found it was negligent in a 2007 shooting rampage that left 33 people dead , including the gunman , a university spokesman said . The move follows Wednesday 's verdict by a seven-member jury in Christiansburg , Virginia , that awarded $ 4 million each to two victims ' families who sued the state for wrongful death in the shooting massacre . `` We are disappointed with today 's decision and stand by our long-held position that the administration and law enforcement at Virginia Tech did their absolute best with the information available on April 16 , 2007 , '' Mark Owczarski , a university spokesman , said in a statement . `` We will discuss this matter with the attorney general , carefully review the case and explore all of the options available . '' The jury found Virginia Tech failed to notify students early enough following the discovery of two shooting victims at West Ambler Johnston dormitory . The two students were the first victims of Seung-Hui Cho , who went on to kill 30 more people at Norris Hall -- home to the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department -- after chaining the doors closed . He also wounded 17 people before killing himself . The families of Erin Peterson and Julia Pryde , who were killed in Norris Hall , argued that had officials notified students , faculty and staff earlier of the shooting at the dormitory , lives might have been spared . Peterson died while in her French class ; Pryde was shot while attending an advanced hydrology class . The Peterson and Pryde families did not accept a portion of an $ 11 million settlement between the state and the families of victims , opting instead to sue for wrongful death . `` It certainly was the end of a long process for us where we just said we wanted to get a little bit more truth . A little bit of accountability and we were n't just going to go away , and so we came here and this is what happened , '' Harry Pryde , Julia 's father , told CNN affiliate WDBJ of Roanoke , Virginia . While the jury awards the families $ 4 million each , an attorney for the state has asked the judge to reduce the verdict to $ 100,000 per claim . State law limits awards to $ 100,000 , though the judge approved a request by an attorney for the family to file a motion on the matter . The university does not believe the evidence presented during the trial showed there was an increased danger on campus , Owczarski , the university spokesman , said . Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger , in a letter to the school 's faculty , staff and students , said the killings `` were an unprecedented act of violence that no one could have foreseen . '' The evidence presented during the trial `` established that it was the unanimous decision of three law enforcement agencies that the mass shooting was simply not foreseeable . Only with hindsight can one conclude that Cho 's unprecedented acts were foreseeable , '' Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II , a spokesman for the state attorney general , said in a statement following the verdict . Authorities initially believed the shooting at the dormitory was a case of domestic violence , a jealous boyfriend who shot the couple . While police were questioning a possible suspect , Cho opened fire at Norris Hall . The Department of Education found , in a 2010 report , that Virginia Tech did not notify students in a `` timely manner '' -- as dictated by what is known as the Clery Act -- after the shooting at the dormitory . The government also fined Virginia Tech for failing to follow internal school policies . According to the Department of Education report , police went to the dormitory at 7:24 a.m. after being notified about the shooting of two students . The university notified students , faculty and staff of the shooting in an e-mail at 9:26 a.m. , the report said . It was about 15 minutes after the e-mail that Cho began his rampage , it said . Since the massacre , the school has beefed up its communications , using methods that include e-mail notices ; telephone , cellular phone and text messages ; classroom electronic message signs ; posters ; university website notices ; campus loudspeakers and desktop alerts . In addition , the safety phones in the campus and local community are connected to the campus 911 emergency operator and residential buildings are accessible only through a key card . Door alarms sound , alerting police , if an exterior door is propped open in a residence hall . CNN 's Eric Fiegel contributed to this report .
A jury has found Virginia Tech was negligent in the April 2007 shooting rampage . The verdict is a major victory for families of victims and survivors who have been waiting more than two years to see justice served. The families of two victims sued for wrongful death . The jury awarded the two families $ 4 million each .