NIU Shooting leaves killer and 5 others dead, 16 injured

The President of Northern Illinois University says a gunman killed five people in Thursday afternoon's shooting on the campus before turning the gun on himself. The shooting is being described as a "rapid fire" assault in the Cole Lecture Hall.

NIU President John Peters say four females and two males are among the dead. He says four died at the scene and two died later at hospitals.

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A gunman opened fire just after 3:00 this afternoon on the campus of Northern Illinois University. 5 are now confirmed dead, 16 injured.

Of those taken to the hospital, 3 are in critical condition, one of which was flown to Saint Anthony's Hospital. 8 are stable, and 6 in good condition. Of those taken to the hospital, there are currently no fatalities.

University President John Peters says the gunman stepped out from behind a screen at the front of a large lecture hall in Cole Hall during a class and opened fire. One shotgun and two handguns were used. The shooter was not a student of NIU.

According to the Bureau County Republican, calls started coming in just after 3pm over a police scanner about a white male shooter with a shotgun and pistol. The shootings were reported to occur at the Cole Lecture Hall, MLK Commons, and Neptune Hall (a dormitory).

At 3:20 this afternoon, a message on the campus website urged 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."

At 4:14pm, campus police reported that the immediate danger has passed, and that the gunman was no longer a threat.

NIU Chief of Police Donald Grady says officials have identified the gunman, but his name is not being released. He says it appears the gunman may have been a student somewhere else and acted alone.

Cara Coyne, a student at NIU, was near where the shooting started. She said, "Everything is shut down, the roads the campus everything. School is on lock down and tight campus security till the end of the year. We do not have class tomorrow or anything. I was walking by cole when everyone started running out and yelling that there was a shooting. I was heading to the building right next to it. I started running to the building and to my class. When we got there we were watching out the window and all the medical crew showed up. When we got the announcement that everything was closed down we headed down and out the building. I seen so many people on stretchers and it was so scary. I have never been this scared in my life."

In addition to counseling made available in each residence hall, the following hotlines have been set up for students and parents:

815-753-1573
815-753-6143
815-753-1574
815-753-1575
815-753-9564
815-753-6257

Classes are cancelled through tonight and tomorrow

Posted: Feb 14, 2008 05:00 PM EST
Updated: Feb 14, 2008 10:02 PM EST
DEKALB, Illinois --

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Violence in high schools and colleges are in the news more than ever. Why do you think this is happening?

What are your ideas on what should be done to stop these troubled students?

Do you think that colleges should begin to think about security measures as many high schools have?

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