Tragedy again at Northern Illinois University, 4 dead, 14 wounded, gunman dead
A shotgun-wielding man opened fire on students in a classroom at Northern Illinois University’s DeKalb campus before killing himself today. Four other people were killed, CNN reported.
The man wearing a black trench coat and wielding a shotgun walked into a geography class at Northern Illinois University’s DeKalb campus today and opened fire, injuring more than a dozen people before killing himself, according to school officials and a student witness.
At least 18 people were wounded in the attack, four critically, Kishwaukee Community Hospital said. Three to four victims arrived with head wounds, according to the hospital.
A campus alert posted on the University’s Web site at 5:12 p.m. central time Thursday said the gunman is “dead by self-inflicted gunshot.”
The hospital, located about 10 minutes from the campus, has reported 17 people shot on campus have arrived at their facility. Three are in critical condition, eight are stable, six are in good condition, according to the hospital.
The hospital said one of the three victims in critical condition has been transported to Saint Anthony Hospital in Rockford,Ill.
According to a CNN report, a hospital spokesperson said most of the victims were shot in the head.
The first report of the incident came at 3:20 p.m. local time, and all classes were canceled 20 minutes later, according to the university’s Web site. By 4:10, the school reported that “the immediate danger has passed.”
“This guy came in from behind where the professor was speaking and began shooting,” student Paul Sundstrom said in a televised interview posted on MSNBC.com. Sundstrom said between 150 to 200 students were in the lecture room when the gunman, dressed in a beanie cap and black trench coat, entered the room with a shotgun.
“He shot, emptied out the gun, and nonchalantly began reloading,” Sundstrom said.
Classes are canceled for tonight and tomorrow.
The shooting was in Cole Hall lecture room near the King Commons. The DeKalb campus, which is about 65 miles (104 kilometers) west of Chicago, has 25,000 students.
The attack comes 10 months after the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. A student at Virginia Tech University, formally known as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, killed 32 students and teachers before committing suicide.
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