2008 Woodie Awards
Shooting shocks NIU
Six dead, several more injured in NIU campus shooting
Kelli Schlueter
Issue date: 2/18/08 Section: News
Media Credit: Northern StarStudents at NIU can tell their story better than we ever could - that is why The Chicago Flame is printing the front page of the university's newspaper in our print edtion.
Tragedy arrived at Northern Illinois University this past Thursday when a lone gunman opened fire in a crowded lecture hall around 3 p.m., killing five students and injuring 17 more, before turning fire on himself.
Stephen Kazmierczak, 27, reportedly appeared from a door adjacent to the stage at the front of the lecture hall, and began shooting into the sea of unsuspecting students in this Introduction to Oceanic Science course. The gunman had four weapons in tow - a shotgun and three handguns, according to sources. According to eyewitnesses, the shooting spree was all over in a matter of minutes, leading up to the self-inflicted death of Kazmierczak himself on the stage in the front of the classroom.
The NIU police force responded to the emergency within 30 seconds of the first 911 call, according to NIU Police Chief Donald Grady. By the time they arrived, the shooter was already dead.
Five NIU student's lives were taken in the wake of this disaster - including Daniel Parmenter, 20, Ryanne Mace, 19, Julianna Gehant, 32, Gayle Dubowski, 20, and Catalina Garcia, 20.
Seventeen additional students were wounded and taken to Kishwaukee Community Hospital, where one woman is currently undergoing orthopedic surgery, eight were treated and released, another is soon to be discharged, and seven were transferred to other hospitals.
Joseph Peterson, NIU graduate student and instructor for the Oceanic Science class that day, was also shot in the arm.
Candlelight vigils and prayer services were held all over the NIU campus on Thursday night and all throughout the day Friday - where students, teachers and parents mourned for the loss of their fellow students and friends.
While there has been no information yet released on Kazmierczak's motive, several news sources have confirmed that he was a former graduate student at NIU in the department of sociology, where his last semester was spring 2007. He most recently attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, UIC's sister school. It was in Champaign on Feb. 9 at a local gun shop where he legally purchased two of the four weapons used in the massacre.
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Stephen Kazmierczak, 27, reportedly appeared from a door adjacent to the stage at the front of the lecture hall, and began shooting into the sea of unsuspecting students in this Introduction to Oceanic Science course. The gunman had four weapons in tow - a shotgun and three handguns, according to sources. According to eyewitnesses, the shooting spree was all over in a matter of minutes, leading up to the self-inflicted death of Kazmierczak himself on the stage in the front of the classroom.
The NIU police force responded to the emergency within 30 seconds of the first 911 call, according to NIU Police Chief Donald Grady. By the time they arrived, the shooter was already dead.
Five NIU student's lives were taken in the wake of this disaster - including Daniel Parmenter, 20, Ryanne Mace, 19, Julianna Gehant, 32, Gayle Dubowski, 20, and Catalina Garcia, 20.
Seventeen additional students were wounded and taken to Kishwaukee Community Hospital, where one woman is currently undergoing orthopedic surgery, eight were treated and released, another is soon to be discharged, and seven were transferred to other hospitals.
Joseph Peterson, NIU graduate student and instructor for the Oceanic Science class that day, was also shot in the arm.
Candlelight vigils and prayer services were held all over the NIU campus on Thursday night and all throughout the day Friday - where students, teachers and parents mourned for the loss of their fellow students and friends.
While there has been no information yet released on Kazmierczak's motive, several news sources have confirmed that he was a former graduate student at NIU in the department of sociology, where his last semester was spring 2007. He most recently attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, UIC's sister school. It was in Champaign on Feb. 9 at a local gun shop where he legally purchased two of the four weapons used in the massacre.
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