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.”
4 school shootings in a week span…thats obsurd….
soon peeps aint goin send their kids to college they may not make it back home and thats a dam shame…… kids that want to make something of themselves …… it take one person to fuck up a lot of lives ….. R.I.P. to all of the familes thats affected
Agree with #60 100%
All of this is too sad…………..My condolences to the families…………..I’m speechless
OH MY GOODNESS!! This world is just becoming WAY out of line. I feel so bad for the innocent matter fact all..this is just horrible. But where are these kids getting guns from?? And I dont think that the music these days are helping a bit, some are actually influencing this type of mess. I just want to pray for everyone there, and pray for all the children in these schools. I am completely shocked..I dont even know what to say..Oh God help us.
All of these school shootings need to stop now.
This is crazy, Since the media put the first school shooting on the news it just put ideas in all the other wackos heads. Its like a domino effect this is happend way too many times. These nut jobs always kill others and then kill themselves, Why dont they just kill themselves and leave every on else alone. Damn that sucks my heart goes out to the friends and family of the victims.
They need to start putting armed gaurds in every school from now on, This shit is getting out of hand. People send kids to school to get an education not to get gunned down as if they are in the streets running with a gang.
THIS IS FUCKED UP! WHEN WILL ALL THIS BULLSHIT END?
I should have known there would be some homophobia in this thread….
Don’t matter how the boy was dressed, he did NOT deserve to be shot!
I agree with #4, about certain men being threatened by gay men. I just don’t understand that. Let them be what they feel in their hearts, what the hell does it matter to you? If you don’t like it, fine, it’s none of your damn business anyway! No one deserves to be shot for how he/she dresses, PERIOD. An innocent boy has DIED, can some people have the decency to leave their homophobia out of this?????
its always been my experience that guys with the most homophobia are the main ones who dibble and dabble with the gays in the first place and since they struggle with their own sexuality..they act out on others.
I havent met a straight man in my life that was really concerned about what some gay guy was doing if he wasnt curious his damn self.
It seems as if the hate will never stop but will only getting worse. As I read article after article and watch news day in and out I just wander what does my children have to look forward to. What will there children have to endure? The world is going mad. All I can say is stay prayed up people, dont forget that there is still a God who has control over all things. And remember to hold near to God and all the teachings that He has to offer. Only his shield can protect us now.
I’m sick and tired of these white motherfuckers shooting up our schools! goddamn!
Why bring race into it? When the shoe is on the other foot and a Black person does something idiotic, wrong, and disturbing if White people said oh I am getting tired of them Blacks doing this and that they will be racist. So when the shoe is on the other foot do not get cocky and bring race into it because it is not needed. With the students who lost their lives race should be the last thing to come to your mind but if it is not I feel sorry for you that you have to go through life judging every tragedy by race.
I will pray for the victims family. It is sad this had to happen and innocent people lost their lives.
#46 is right, a couple weeks ago a black man walked into a lane bryant store and killed like 5 women! These shooting sprees seem to transcend beyond race. I just don’t get this shit! U can’t trust nobody these days, nobody! The white guy I may sit next to in class or the girl who sits in front of me, may go on a shooting spree the next day, U just never know! People who knew this terrorist was utterly surprised that he would do such a thing, yet for Virginia tech, people weren’t surprised…U just never know, it could be anyone…
Also why is it here in America that this shit is happening???? In England universities it doesn’t happen, in Nigerian universities it doesn’t happen, in Romanian universities, in Indian universities, etc. you don’t hear about it, cause it never happens, so why in America?????
Don’t be so quick to say that most of these kind of incidents happen in WHite Schools. African-American schools are targeted as well. Years ago, people said that only whites committed seriel “killer” crimes. Now blacks are doing it. To sum things up, it’s not so much as what race you are anymore.When these kinds of acts are committed,crime does not discriminate.
I agree with you Judah.
America is the type of country where any fucking thing goes.
No, that lil boy does not deserve to get shot.
I blame the school for his death.
His ass should have been sent home to change.
Had they did THEIR job, as administrators taking care of our kids and providing a neutral learning environment, then home boy would not have been shot.
This is a tough debate that can really go either way.
But on the basis of Christianity, which is what this country was built on, that lil boy should NOT have been able to go to school looking like that.
I have nothing against homosexuality, everyone has their hang ups, but damn…for example, my son will NOT HAVE THAT OPTION until he is 18. If he wants to be gay, I would suppress the SHIT out of that tendency while I am raising him because GOD said so. Fuck America and it’s flamboyant ass…
As for the University…man oh man, seriously, how long WAS homeboy waiting behind the screen. Thank God I am graduating in May…I plan on taking online courses for grad school
#76 i hope and pray im ur boss one day so i can tell you to go home and change and not come to work looking a mess like you probably do.
instead of tryin to suppress ur child you need to be supportive of them cuz when you get old…you dont want a bitter child to have to take care of you..you’ll end up in a nursing home gettin bed sores
Please, my son loves me, just like I love my own parents.
Nursing homes were never and will never be an option for ANY generation of our family.
So before you go running your funky ass mouth about people, you need to check yourself.
Concreteloop is a blog made to inform us and gives us a chance to express different views about different things. I read the article, and I expressed my opinion. I have the right to say whatever the fuck I want.
Pretty sad that you cant even go to school anymore and feel safe.
Who gives people the right to say when and why someone dies???