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2008 Northern Illinois University shooting

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Northern Illinois University Shooting
LocationDeKalb, Illinois, United States
DateThursday, February 14, 2008
3:05 p.m. (CST)
TargetNorthern Illinois University
Attack type
School shooting
WeaponsShotgun, 3 handguns[1]
Deaths6 (including the perpetrator)
Injured16
PerpetratorsStephen Kazmierczak

The Northern Illinois University shooting was an incident that took place on February 14, 2008, where a gunman shot multiple people on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. The incident happened on the campus's Cole Hall at approximately 3:05 p.m. local time.[2] The campus was put on lockdown and all classes were cancelled for the remainder of the day and the following day. Students and teachers were advised to head to a secure location and take cover, avoiding the scene and all buildings in the vicinity of the area.[3]

The shooting

The gunman, Stephen Kazmierczak, entered through a door at approximately 3:00 pm CST on stage in the front of an ocean sciences class in a large lecture hall with 150 to 200 students and began to fire.[4][5][6][7] The class was "Introduction to Ocean Science" taught by graduate teaching assistant Joseph E. Peterson.[8][9] The gunman was reported to be a thin, white male wearing a black shirt and a black ski hat.[5] He was a former NIU Sociology graduate student and a current graduate student in the department of social work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[10][5][11]

A total of 22 people were shot; six people are confirmed dead, including the gunman who shot himself before police arrived.[4][11][12] One witness reported that at least 30 shots were fired by the gunman. Many victims were shot in the head, with at least six of the victims in critical condition, three admitted to the hospital and eight discharged, according to a spokeswoman for Kishwaukee Community Hospital. Two of the wounded were transferred by helicopter to Rockford's Saint Anthony Medical Center, three to Downers Grove's Good Samaritan Hospital, and one to Rockford Memorial Hospital.[4][13] Two patients that had been hospitalized have died as a result of their injuries.[12] By 4:00 pm CST, school officials announced that there was no further danger and that counselors would be made available in all residence halls.[4]

Victims

The DeKalb County coroner's office identified four of the victims, all Illinois residents:[14]

A fifth victim was identified by Winnebago County Authorities:[15]

Reaction

File:NIU huskies ribbon.jpg
Black ribbon indicating support for the students of NIU

The university's official website reported the possibility of a gunman on campus. The website then warned students to "Get to a safe area and take precautions until given the all clear. Avoid the King Commons and all buildings in that vicinity." All NIU classes were cancelled for the remainder of the day, as well as Friday. Students have been asked to contact their parents as soon as possible.[2]

A spokesman for the ATF stated that agents were dispatched to the scene to assist and could help trace the weapons used. The FBI also sent out agents to assist.[4]

All NIU Huskie sporting events, home and away, through Sunday were cancelled.[14]

Earlier campus incident

The campus was shut down on December 10, 2007, the first day during exam week, after graffiti was found on a restroom wall warning of a possible shooting. A spokesman said that the warning, which was discovered December 10, made reference to the Virginia Tech massacre, which killed 32 people at Virginia Tech, but he said that it could not be immediately determined whether the threat was related to the shootings on February 14, 2008. The Chicago Sun-Times reported at that time that an unknown person posted the graffiti in the Grant Towers D residence hall, and that the graffiti included a racial slur and the notation, “What time? The VA tech shooters messed up w/ having only one shooter.”[5]


See also

Wikinews has related news:

References

  1. ^ "Gunman Planned Campus Shooting For At Least Six Days". ABC. 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  2. ^ a b "Campus alert". Northern Illinois University. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2008-02-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Six Dead After University Shooting". CityNews. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2008-02-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e "18 shot, 5 dead including gunman, at Northern Illinois University". CNN. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2008-02-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b c d Staff Writer (2008-02-14). "Gunman opens fire on Illinois campus". MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-02-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "7 Dead in N. Illinois U. Hall Shooting". Associated Press. 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  7. ^ "Source IDs alleged campus gunman who killed 6, himself". CNN. 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
  8. ^ "Spring Schedule 2008." Northern Illinois University Department of Geology & Environmental Sciences. Retrieved on February 15, 2008.
  9. ^ Peterson, Joseph. "Personal Website." Retrieved on February 15, 2008.
  10. ^ "NIU noted gunman's scholarship". Chicago Tribune. 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2008-02-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ a b "Gunman Dead; More Than a Dozen Injured at Northern Illinois University". Fox News. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2008-02-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ a b Meisner, Jason (2008-02-14). "NIU shooting leaves 6 dead". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2008-02-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Kishwaukee Community Hospital Site". Kishwaukee Community Hospital. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2008-02-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ a b "NIU sporting events cancelled in wake of shooting". CNN.com. 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2008-02-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "ESPN.com" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Gunman in Illinois campus shooting identified". CNN.com. 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2008-02-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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