A man opened fire with a shotgun in a crowded lecture hall at Northern Illinois University on Thursday, killing 6 and wounding at least 22 people before killing himself, authorities said.
Witnesses say a “skinny white guy with a stocking cap on” came out from behind a screen in front of the classroom carrying a shotgun and opened fire on an ocean science class of about 160 that was to have ended shortly.
A hospital spokeswoman told CNN most of the injuries are head and chest gunshot wounds.
The shooter, Steven Kazmierczak, was a graduate student at NIU in the spring of 2007, but was not currently enrolled there. A preliminary investigation has not uncovered a police record on the gunman, and records showed he had no contact with university police while a student there, NIU President John Peters said. He also mentioned that Kazmierczak had a good record as an undergraduate, receiving a degree in sociology at the school in 2006.
Lawrence King was shot twice Tuesday morning. (Photo: LA Times)
Earlier this week, Lawrence King, 15, a student at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, CA was shot in the head by a 14-year-old classmate.
Although authorities initially believed King was improving, the boy’s conditioned worsened early Wednesday and he was declared brain dead later that day.
Police say the classmate, whose identity was not disclosed because of his age, shot King at least twice during their first period English class.
Ventura County Dist. Atty. Gregory Totten said prosecutors would decide whether the case should remain in Juvenile Court after reviewing the police investigation. Under state law, prosecutors can ask the court to try the suspect as an adult, he said. “In all probability he will be charged in adult court,” Totten said.
A motive has not been determined, but students say King and his assailant had a falling out stemming from his sexual orientation. King sometimes wore feminine clothing and makeup and was gay, students said.
“He would come to school in high-heeled boots, makeup, jewelry and painted nails — the whole thing,” said Michael Sweeney, 13, an eighth-grader. “That was freaking the guys out.”
Students say that a day before the shooting, King and several boys had an altercation during lunch. If the assailant did target King because of his sexual orientation, the case could be considered a hate crime. Totten said a hate-crime enhancement is something prosecutors will consider as they move forward, “but the case is going to be reviewed as a murder involving the use of a firearm, and that crime carries a potential sentence of 50 years to life.”
Wow, it’s hard to feel safe in the classroom, no matter what age you are and no matter what grade or college you’re at.
This is terrible.
And I find it sad that at such young ages, some kids are willing to kill someone, just because that person is male and wishes to dress as a woman.
I can understand that young people are thrown off by such things, but at some point you gotta accept it and not resort to killing.
It’s really f*cked up that dude in the earlier story came out from behind a screen and started shooting. how long was he back there, hiding?? wtf!
this is a damn shame another school shooting? people need to get it together. im in college and that used to be the last place i thought would be getting shot up and its very scary that it seems to be happening so often.
first?
The shooting at Northern Illinois University is sad. But once again, I’m glad it wasn’t a Brother (or Sister) that did this. Don’t need anymore negative publicity!
i’m sorry, but i have to post again. why do some males feel so threatened by a feminine male? what is up with that? i see grown men my age (mid-20s) who immediately see a gay man and want to go over and kick his ass. why?? i don’t feel threatened when i’m around a lesbian, so why can’t guys handle it?
WTF is this world coming too a 15 year old…I’m looking at my nephew right now i can’t even envision him holding a gun nor pulling a trigger God!!!!! i’ll pray for both families
This is so sad…. God is definitely on His way back. People go to school to get an education and some go to get away from the violence on their streets and stuff like this happens… I’ll be praying for the victims and their family and friends.
Yeah msuniverse I was thinking the same thing. That’s why I couldn’t wait to get out of high school because kids was shooting left to right in them around the U.S. I thought once I got to college, it would be somewhat safer, but Nosireebobbybrown. It’s nuts there too. RIP to all the students that lost their lives and my prayers go out to their families and the other students that were injured.
THIS HAS
TO STOP
FULLSTOP
I personally dont have anything against gays. Statistics say that Black Men are either in jail, selling drugs, or on drugs. Gay Black men are also contributing to the epidemic of the Black Male Shortage. I hear many females say that some of the Finest Brothers seem to go the “other way”!
feeling safe seems to be something of the past. we are safe nowhere these days, school, church, even our homes aren’t safe havens anymore.
sad !!
i agree with u #5, god is on is way back indeed
So Sad…
O gawd dis is sooo Bad..But ders sunting reeli fishyy abwt da second case…hmmm
The more we give these lunatics credence the more they appear to want to do this. I prayer for the families dealing with this senseless act of violence.
God im a college student and crap like this scares me to death! Lord protect us all!
Bless, God.
may their souls rest in peace. all of these campus shootings make me terrified to leave out of my dorm room unless i need to.
this is really sickening. even after columbine and that other shooting (columbia? nyu? i don’t remember), it’s still shocking. something more needs to be done.
i’m praying for the victims and their families
SAD SAD…you know I read somewhere that the girl R kelly slept with (the Daniels chick), she goes to this school (NIU)!
Small world…
o my days i’m from london, england so we don’t really experience school shootings at all/to the kind of scale that you guys do but i can’t believe how some people can easily and mercilessly end someelses lives. It takes someone clearly misguided, possessed and coldly detatched from society. why is it TOO easy to get hold of a gun??
so sad. people just need to get some therapy
this just saddens me both incidents there’s alot i could say but people should already know…
That is so Sad!!! I pray I do not know what that feels like. Everytime there is a college campus shooting my parents blow up my cell phone and I get aggrevated but its a blessing that I can return their phone calls. My heart goes out to the king family and the 22 niu casualties and their families. I pray this is the last school shooting.
Its a damn shame, this country’s got some major issues.
Its it truly sad when I have to tell my children to be on the lookout while trying to get an education. Its hard enough to get my son to focus on books & leave the girls alone. Now I have to preach about watching your back in class and get the closest seat to the exit?!?!? WTF???
Thats a shame….Cnt even feel safe in a school anymore, n then the case where that woman shot 2 fellow students in Baton Rouge? Its just crazy!! R.I.P to all of the victims…
my best friend goes to that school i go to school in chicgao and i was scared shitless!
Ive Heard About This Last Night Man Yo What Is Goin On In The World Today Man People Want An Education At The Same Time All These People Carrying Guns And Stuff Killing People Just Don’t Make Sense. The Campus Shooting Reminds Me Of Last Year’s Virginia Tech Shooting. Im Serioulsy Speechless.
this is so sad…….this system of things…….its only going to get worse…..
my prayers are with the families………
The frequency of these occurences is something that should be taken note of. People are getting tired of this atmosphere. Man’s laws are conflicting with God’s laws and God’s laws always win out. There will be even more and more of these actions because of the overall satanic climate of America. There is no order and no respect for the Most High. Why would they allow a teenager to come to school in drag? This is an atmosphere that is being promoted purposefully with the intent of causing confusion, encouraging homosexuality, lesbianism, and eventual conflict. People dressing in drag at a damn middle school is ridiculous and its akin to forcing your lifestyle on others. I wonder if the boy that shot the homosexual would’ve been charged with a hate crime had he been a gang member and shot another gang member. Maybe they should draft “self-hate crime” statutes for when black men shoot each other. Maybe that would stop them.
………# 9 you said : It takes someone clearly misguided, possessed and coldly detatched from society.
There’s your answer right there. Sad but true. Help us Lord.
ONLY WHITE KIDS SHOOT AT SCHOOLS
when a korean kid shoots more 32 people he don`t appear on TV that much
when white kids shoot even one kid they get FAMOUS
wassssssup with that?
This is so scary and crazy! My little sister is in college, and I am afraid for her all of the time. I mean, this past month in Memphis alone there have been three school shootings. May God protect us all.
This is exactly why i went to an HBCU..crazy shit like this happens at those white schools
man this shit is getting crazy…just in austin, texas last week a 7 year old was found hanging from a hook unconcious and dead in the boys bathroom at his school…they have no idea what happened….schools just arent safe anymore…scary shit. I’m prayin for all the victims…
This is so sad.
I got an email yesterday about a 13yr old boy who beat, kidnapped and sodomized a 6yr old girl who hit him with a rock.
And today, I read this. Just sad.
My condolences to all the victim’s families.
#28…..JUDAH
Your are the most ignorant fool on here. Your saying by him dressing in drag, and going to school, that forces himself on others???? People choose what to follow, they aren’t forced. H could dress however the hell he wanted too…. Doesn’t make it right that he was gunned down for what he was.
THERE IS NO ANSWER FOR SOME STUFF…..PEOPLE JUST HAVE HATRED, GOD IS COMING….CANT YOU SEE??? THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END, THIS IS ONLY THE BEGGINING
dont try to make some dam sense out of a blatent hate killing of some homophobic 13 year old who decided to kill someone who was fine with themselves. The deceseaded deserve more respect….You are a disgrace JUDAH
–May my condolences go out to the families of those all who were hurt and killed by such hateful beings-…
This is tragic. School is no longer a place to receive an education. The minute you walk through the door, you’re judged on everything ranging from the way you wear your hair to the way you choose to live your life. Not only that, but people are so angry nowadays. No one values life anymore. It’s so easy for someone to run up in a school, shoot anyone in sight, and call it day. I don’t understand and I’m tired of asking why. There really is no need for this kind of behavior. We need to watch what we say to people, how we treat people, and what we teach our kids so we can learn from the devastating events that take place. Life is way too short to hear news everyday about people dying in the name of hatred. Where did all the love go?
Metal detectors need to be re-inforced! And stonger rules about who comes into the schools too!
A 14 year old with a gun is not a non-reality folks! It very much happens, more than we would like to not believe it, this story here proves it. Getting a gun on the streets is as easy as 123, and the people selling dont care what age is buying–as long as they got money. And if parents are going to keep a gun in the house, put it in a lock box, a safe something! And dont let the klds know you have one or something! It’s sad, because the most common spot is usually in a old shoe box in the closet.
I’m telling you, my dad always kept a gun in the home, but I’m 32, and i still couldn’t tell you where his hiding place was.
I pray for that boys family. 14 years old, this is just ridiculous!
@Judah,
Hey Judah, what’s up! I feel what you are saying about the stanic cllimate of America ( i would of said the World) because this world is full of sin & Satan is very strong, but he also is a liar!
But I have to respectivley disagree with you on one comment you made. Just because the little boy dressed in high heels and makeup dosent give anyone the right to shoot him. Point blank. Just the same as just because we are black, that doesn’t give anyone the right to call us Nigger, force us into slavery, seperate our families, attack us with fire hoses & dogs and shoot & kill Dr. King now did it?
I’m tired of hearing about campus security improvements only AFTER someone has taken innocent life. I’m tired of seeing campus police adjustments and metal detectors and emergency response systems being changed only AFTER some gunman has wreaked havoc on the campus. I go to one of the largest universities in Texas, that alone makes me feel unsafe. But to continually hear horrible news like this and know that changes are not being made makes me feel like going to school is risking my life in a huge way.
Satan is attacking on all sides, on all levels. I carry my keys in my hands while walking to class now, so that I can stab a potential attacker. I carry big textbooks in my backpack so that potential kidnappers will have a harder time carrying me off. I wear more practical shoes that I can run if something goes down. I no longer listen to my ipod in public because I don’t want to give the impression that I’m not aware of my surroundings. This is what going to school has been resorted to for me.
@35
That’s right, he can dress however the hell he wants to and he will suffer the consequences of his actions and he did. Your opinion of what is right has nothing to do with the stipulations of the Lord (Prov 16:25). I will agree on one thing that you said though, Christ is coming back and the scriptures tell us what he’s coming back to do. I have no idea who you’re talking about when you say “God” so I won’t assume because Satan is the god of this world and 90% of the time when people say “God” they’re talking about the god of their own mind who is Satan (II Cor 4:3-5). I deal with the Most High of the scriptures that details that a person that crossdresses, is a transexual (or aspires to be), engages in homosexuality or lesbianism is worthy of death (Lev 18:22, Lev 20:13, Deut 22:5, Deut 23:1, Rom 1:25-32). Simple as that. I don’t understand people that call on the Lord but despise his Word and his judgements. What that boy did in shooting that young man was not right because you are not supposed to go against the laws of the land, but when Christ comes back the scriptures tell us that he and the angels are going to kill so many wicked people, the blood will make his white garment look red (Isaiah 63:1-4, Rev 14:14-20, Rev 19:10-21). Your bullshit pity is not going to bring him back anyway, so spare me please.
No disrespect to whoever is moderating my opinions, but it’s not going to bring that homosexual back and it’s not going to change what the Most High is going to do.
this shit is sick
# 32 ….This can happen at any school, HBCUs are not protected. It isn’t a white thing, someone of any color can go on a shooting rampage.
Something is happening to our youth. Kids killing kids, college students going on rampages. This is something that NEVER happened with such frequency in the last generation. We must explore this. Possibly the media, or untested perscription drugs or declining social values. We must find out why this is happening at such an alarming rate.
when we start to a) become desensitized to it and b) fear sending our children out to the get the education they have a right to have. Then our culture society and way of life is threatened.
May GOD be with the families at this time.
this is nothing but pure evil doing the bidding of the anti christ. anytime you have mass murder of this nature its no other way to explain it, evil has no color BECAUSE YOU HAVE SOME SERI………..OUS BLACK DEVILS roam’n and kill’n each other nightly and they call that gang related. its nothing but the SPAWN OF SATAN, NATURAL BORN KILLERS. MAY YOU BASTARDS BURN IN HELL all ya kill’n MF’s YOU ARE NOTHING BUT THE DEVIL IN A HUMAN BODY./
This is just a damn shame! I mean seriously what is wrong with people. Why do some people feel the need to do things like this. I mean parents our sending their kids off for better opportunities and instead their getting killed at one of the main places they should be protected. Im 22 years old and I just think this is just pitiful! I feel just as horrible about the ex cop killing his girlfriend and unborn child.
This is too sad. Its a shame. We think we’re sending our children to school to get an education and what there really getting is an education in violence. So sad. Pray for their families and our future.
May God continue to watch over us and our children. My condolences to the families.
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Judah, you are really sad. You are sitting here quoting scriptures, yet justifying a murder. THOU SHALL NOT KILL!!!!! It doesn’t matter what he does.. If he is wrong, GOD will get him and they always say GOD will get you better than any MAN can.. I just don’t understand why you opened your mouth! R.I.P. to the victims. It all boils down to the word HATE, whether it be self-hatred or hatred of others.
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@52
Stop it please, I didn’t justify anything. The boy is dead because the Lord decided it was time for him to go like He does everyone else that dies (Deut 32:39, I Sam 2:6, Job 4:7-9, Psa 68:20). The boy who shot him was wrong, by the standards of this society, and will pay for his crime also (I Pet 2:13-17). The scriptures say what they say and are very clear. Take it up with the Most High, not me. I think that you and people like you are the sad ones because you have no answers.
You people are so ignorant 2 make the statements that you have. How could a Child deserve to be killed, because of his choice of dress of sexual curiosities? This is devastating some of you people will think differently when your children decide that they want to be gay or lesbian. I mean think about how his parents must be grieving. Anyone who condones that other young man’s actions are no better than people who teach their kids to be Racist.
I think that before everyone dismisses JUDAH as simple religious rhetoric and goes all super LIBERAL excepting everything the media and society allows. We do need to police ourselves morally. There is a moral and ethical decay in our culture.
Kids are cussing out parents, everything and I mean everything is rampant. The way our young girls are dressing the way our young men behave and the acceptant of sexually immoral behavior.
WE NEED TO CHECK IT BEFORE IT DESTROYS US COMPLETELY
This has to stop.
…Jesus take the wheel. I was just thinking the other day that one of my professors is the type who will make a student want to shoot up the school.
Its so sad cuz alot of kids I graduated with went to that school.
That hit really close to home and i was actually considering
going there..man people are crazy and one day they snap.
My prayers to the family and studens at NIU.
@Nova
Sis, they’re supposed to attack and dismiss me. This is that time. When you read the scriptures, none of those men or women of God were accepted at all (Matt 5:11, Luke 6:22-26, II Chr 36:15, I Cor 4:13, etc.). It is what it is. It’s just my viewpoint and it’s not that serious. It only becomes serious when peoples’ conscience gets cut to the heart. Notice all these people talkin’ about “Jesus take the wheel” and “God is comin back” get irate with me but they have nothing to say much less subsidize their viewpoint with relevant scriptures, or even their own thought process for that matter. This new wave of “liberal thinking” as you call it cannot be checked, and it will not be checked. The few who see what is happening will spiritually separate themselves from the rest of the lemmings that cannot stop themselves form going over the cliff.
judah you give urself entirely too much credit you homo….noone is really thinking about u for real…we see ignorant comments u make and feel sorry for you….
nothin more ..nothin less…
what happened in each of these situations were a tragedy and your condolences would have been enough. You remind me of the that church that got sued for protesting the soldiers that died funerals.
underneath the cover of bible verses and scriptures all I feel is hate……I dont feel uplifted at all after reading any of your comments..and its funny how you said the lil boy was pushin his beliefs on others..what the hell do you think you’re doing right now?