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16 Wounded in Chicago NIU University Shooting |
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Written by Staff Writer
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Feb 14, 2008 at 04:20 PM |
Newsflash - BBC news has just confirmed that a lone gunman has shot and wounded 18 people at a university just outside Chicago. This shocking attack is just one more reason why US gun laws have to change, and change soon. The attack comes just months after a Finnish student opened fire on his classmates, wounding at least 18 people. There are suspected to be 3 fatalities.
The gunman who opened fire at a NIU lecture hall Thursday afternoon, injuring several people, is now dead.
A posting on the website reports that 'the immediate danger has passed. The gunman is no longer a threat."
According to a local hospital, four people are being treated for head wounds. Their conditions are not known.
Many others may have also been wounded during the shooting. Several people were taken away by ambulances. According to a local hospital, they have been told to prepare for as many as 15 victims.
The shooting reportedly occurred at the King Commons, a central gathering point for the Dekalb, Illinois, campus, after 3 p.m. The (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle said there were injuries, citing information heard over a police scanner shortly after 3 p.m. The scanner alerted police about a white, male shooter with a shotgun and pistol.
Edward Robinson was in the lecture hall when the shooter entered before class started.
"He stood by the door, observing," said Robinson. "He seemed like he knew what he was aiming at. He seemed to be aiming in a general direction."
The gunman was wearing a ski mask, according to Robinson.
"It wasn't something that was uncommon," said Robinson, who said many students covered their faces from the winter cold.
Ryan Novak heard the warning over the intercom in his dorm room but his friend was inside the classroom.
"He told us the gunman walked in from the back with a shotgun and pistol and just started shooting," said Ryan Novak, student. "He said he had a black ski mask on."
According to Novak, his friend said the student injured in the room suffered a graze wound to his neck.
Marily Alberti's son was in a geology class when the shots were fired.
"To my son's knowledge, it didn't appear anyone was hit in the classroom. They all crawled out and made it inside," said Alberti, mother of student. "It didn't appear that anyone was targeted."
"I was looking at Cole, I live right across in Neptune East," said Kyra Durr, NIU student. She said the shooting took place at Cole Hall, which is where the school has two large lecture halls, according to students. "I didn't see anything. By the time I went to the other window, it was already broken."
Students were told to take precautions and stay away from the scene of the shooting.
An alert was posted on the NIU website at 3:20 p.m.:
There has been a report of a possible gunman on campus. Get to a safe area and take precautions until given the all clear. Avoid the King Commons and all buildings in that vicinity.
"I pretty much found out from my neighbor that there was shooting- and we ran outside," said Brandon Green, student. Green's neighbor found out online. "All I've been hearing is the same stuff online. We're pretty much on lockdown."
Parents and students worried about people who may have been on campus can call 815 753-1573; 815 753-6143; and 815 753-1574.
In December, NIU was closed for one day due to a threat written on a women's restroom that 'things will change most hastily' in the final days of the semester.
"They were talking about Martin Luther King Commons," said Green. There is no information connecting the threats of violence in December, which were described as 'similar' to Virginia Tech shootings, to today's shooting.
"It definitely is something you think of," said Caitlin Mullen, Northern Star, contributing editor. "One can easily believe it can be connect, but, obviously, nothing is for sure."
Stay with Unews as the story develops. A crew is headed to the Dekalb, Illinois, campus.
NIU is 65 miles from Chicago's Loop. There are about 65,000 students.
Contact Numbers for parents who haven't heard from students:
815. 753.1573
815. 753.6143
815. 753.6174 |
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Last Updated ( Feb 14, 2008 at 04:43 PM )
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