5 shot dead, including gunman, at Northern Illinois University

DoubleTalkingJive

A gunman accused of killing five students in a Northern Illinois University classroom Thursday had stopped taking medication two weeks ago "and became somewhat erratic," campus police said Friday.

At the same time, officials corrected an earlier statement that six other people besides the gunman had died, saying there had been a "miscommunication."

The gunman was identified as Stephen P. Kazmierczak, a former graduate NIU student, who took his own life. (The spelling of Kazmierczak's first name was supplied by a university official. Other references list him as Steven.)

"There were no red flags," said campus Police Chief Donald Grady, saying that Kazmierczak was someone "revered by faculty and students alike."

Kazmierczak's motive is a mystery, he said. Grady refused to discuss what medication Kazmierczak was taking or anything about his medical condition.

He said Kazmierczak brought four weapons'”a shotgun and three handguns'”with him when he kicked open a door to the classroom and began firing. Police found 48 shell casings and six shotgun shells in the classroom, indicating the number of shots, he said.

Authorities have traced the shotgun and one of the handguns to a gun dealer in Champaign, where Kazmierczak was attending graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. They said the purchases were legal, and there was no reason that Kazmierczak should have been denied purchase. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are tracing the other two weapons, said agent Kevin Cronin.

Earlier, the DeKalb County coroner's office had issued a news release saying that a sixth wounded student had died overnight, but university officials retracted that, saying there had been a miscommunication and that only five students and the gunman had died.

The dead students were identified as: Daniel Parmenter, 20, of Westchester; Catalina Garcia, 20, of Cicero; Ryanne Mace, 19, of Carpentersville; Julianna Gehant, 32, of Meriden; and sophomore Gayle Dubowski, 20, of Carol Stream.

Before the Friday morning news conference at which Kazmierczak was identified, NIU President John G. Peters said "the shooter had a very good academic record, no record of trouble."

Kazmierczak was not a current student at the school 65 miles west of downtown Chicago, authorities said. Peters earlier had said the man had been enrolled as a sociology graduate student at NIU but left school last spring.

In an interview at his home near campus Friday morning, a visibly rattled Joseph Peterson, the instructor of the ocean science class on which the gunman opened fire, said he did not know the shooter and had no idea why he targeted his classroom.

In Lakeland, Fla., local sheriff's police were interviewing Kazmierczak's father, Robert, at the request of investigators in DeKalb, but would not release details.

Speaking briefly with reporters at his home about 50 miles southwest of Orlando, Robert Kazmierczak, 66, who is retired, said: "Please leave me alone. I have no statement to make. This is a very hard time. I'm a diabetic."

Then he broke down crying and went back inside his mobile home. Records indicate his wife died in 2006.

The gunman, dressed in black, stormed into an oceanography class Thursday afternoon and opened fire with a shotgun and two handguns. In a matter of seconds, he killed five and wounded 16.

Then, still on stage, he killed himself, authorities said.

Late Thursday, sources confirmed that the gunman was a graduate student in social work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

A law-enforcement source said the gunman was found with a U. of I. identification card in his pocket. Police also said they were unable to determine a motive for the shooting, which erupted shortly before 3 p.m., about 15 minutes before the class of about 100 students in Cole Hall was scheduled to end.

NIU classes have been canceled indefinitely. The dorms, however, remain open. "It's not a lockdown," NIU's Peters told reporters this morning.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld … 2423.story

He stopped taking his meds and went insane. Once they search this guys house or apartment, they may be able to find notes or a plan of this that may further explain why this happened.

buzzsaw

I spent quite a bit of time at NIU. Sad doesn't even begin to describe how I feel.

Gunslinger

Buzzsaw it really does effect you on a personal level when you've been at the same site a thing like this happens. I didn't attend Virginia Tech (I went to the University of Virginia instead) but I had been there and in the area more than once. It truly saddens you to have something like this steal a piece of your fond experiences.

Last night they were saying (on CNN at one point) that 7 were dead, this morning I heard six and now I'm hearing five. Anyone know for sure?

the_real_jessica

I don't think metal detectors will solve much, as there are plastic guns with real bullets on some offmarkets.

The real problem is the overall easy way to get hands onto a gun in the USA.

I mean, i remember being 14 at school in france, and being shown with a few others, a real Kalachnikov.
A guy who was a year older had brought one with him, for someone else.
( I was in a type of school were loads of money did circulate)

If a kid in france can get a kalachnikov easily on the black market, how easy do you think is it for a kid in the USA when arms are authorised in almost any family that wants one ?

I do also think Medias have important roles to play as all kids cartoons on cable have firearms, all video games do too, all TV programs do and News project false imagery of the world being only a vast dangerous place and make people totally paranoid.

So you find people psychologically programmed to think everyone else is an invader and an easy access to arms, something happens in their lifes and they flip ?

WOw, thank the Gov.

It's entertaining the paranoia, more voters, more arms, less factories closing as long as arms are made.

Re: 5 shot dead, including gunman, at Northern Illinois University

Re: 5 shot dead, including gunman, at Northern Illinois University

Re: 5 shot dead, including gunman, at Northern Illinois University

Re: 5 shot dead, including gunman, at Northern Illinois University

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