Shooting at Northern Illinois University?? Anyone know anything?

[seemslikeadream]

[Sherman A1]

1. What have you heard?

I have a friend with a daughter there, but did not see anything on my front page. Do you have a link or source?

[cornflake_31]

2. Here

<http://www.niu.edu/index.shtml>

[sinkingfeeling]

3. There's a campus alert out that it's a possibility...

http://www.niu.edu/index.shtml

[Earth_First]

4. WLS Chicago reports:

Police and fire officials were on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb Thursday afternoon after a report of a shooting near a dormitory.

"There has been a report of a possible gunman on campus," an alert on the university's Web site said. "Get to a safe area and take precautions until given the all clear. Avoid the King Commons and all buildings in that vicinity."

The possible shooting took place near Cole Hall, a DeKalb police officer said. There were reports of at least one injury.

[seemslikeadream]

5. I've heard there are 3 down

nothing else yet

[whistle]

9. Oh god....do you have a link yet

[uppityperson]

6. kick for NIU and rec

was hoping just a rumor, crap

[whistle]

7. They have been on alert since December 10, 2007 when threats

...were discovered in the form of racial slurs and references to the Virginia shootings. I'm not sure if the security alerts are still in effect or not. I've not heard anything else though. Please keep this thread apprised if anything new develops

[seemslikeadream]

8. heard they've caught the gunman

[johnnie]

10. At Least 3 People Shot On N. Illinois Campus

DE KALB, Ill (CBS) ― At least three people have been shot on the Northern Illinois University campus. The school is now on lockdown.


"Police are trying to get everyone off campus,'' said student David Healy, who was near Cole Hall when the shooting happened. "At least five people have been pulled out on stretchers."

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/nui.shooting.campus.2.654370.html


I hope this isn't another VT. Not good.

[uppityperson]

13. story from that link...

At least three people have been shot on the Northern Illinois University campus. The school is now on lockdown.

DeKalb police reports at least three people have been shot at Cole Hall. There are several ambulances on the scene. The incident apparently happened around 3:15 p.m.

"Police are trying to get everyone off campus,'' said student David Healy, who was near Cole Hall when the shooting happened. "At least five people have been pulled out on stretchers."

The Northern Illinois University website is reporting a possible gunman on campus. The website message is urging all students and faculty to take cover and get to a secure location. The message urges everybody to avoid the the King Commons and all buildings in the vicinity.

[uppityperson]

11. News story, link, scanner said at least 2 shot....

http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2008/02/14/news/local/doc47b4b34dd9e21731609942.txt
At least two people have been shot at Northern Illinois University, according to information heard Thursday afternoon on a police scanner .

Shortly after 3 p.m., calls started coming over a police scanner about a white, male shooter with a shotgun and pistol.Reports have said the shooter is down, but an alert on the university's Web site instructed people on campus to take cover.

"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," the alert states.

Rescue crews from surrounding villages and cities, including Maple Park, Burlington, Geneva, Hampshire, Sugar Grove and Kaneville, have been called to the scene. A university spokeswoman said at 3:10 p.m. she had just heard about the shooting and could not immediately comment on the situation.

[seemslikeadream]

12. They've released gradeschool kids from school

[malaise]

14. On GEM$NBC now

There's a been a shooting a day this week. Shooting in a lecture hall - three down but possibly more.

[Junkdrawer]

15. Up to 15 injured. n/t

[Junkdrawer]

23. CLTV Reports 18 shot n/t

[seemslikeadream]

16. just talked with my daughter

she didn't know about this till 5 minutes ago, is pretty shaken is being escorted to her car

[uppityperson]

22. I'm glad she's ok.

Best wishes to you and yours.

[Junkdrawer]

25. Glad she's not hurt n/t

[seemslikeadream]

17. STUDENTS WERE NOT TOLD ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING

TILL A FEW MINUTES AGO

[halobeam]

18. omg.. I'm glad your child is okay.

I'm sick about this all. SICK.

[Jersey Devil]

19. 15 reported injured so far

including one down with blood on the back of his head

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23171567/

[KharmaTrain]

20. That's My Alma Mater...

I know this area well. Cole Hall is a lecture hall and this is right next to the student center.

We're watching WLS-TV here...the school newspaper reports the gunman is dead.

[Mugu]

26. My Alma Mater as well.

My ladyfriend's daughter is in the nursing program there, but is home sick today.

Regards, Mugu

[KharmaTrain]

27. My Daughter Just Graduated...

She lived a couple blocks away on Lucinda. I can't even count the number of times I walked the courtyard outside the "John Wad" (as we called it).

I hope your daughter is safe...looks like things are under control. Fortunately this is away from the big dorms.

Cheers...

:hi:

[seemslikeadream]

21. GUNMAN DEAD

[nonconformist]

24. CNN is saying at least 18 people shot

http://www.cnn.com/

[seemslikeadream]

28. 4 PEOPLE WITH HEAD WOUNDS

[Xenotime]

29. I remember when this was breaking news....now...

the media only cares about McCain and Obama

[countryjake]

33. Ain't that the truth...Wolfie thinks Romney's endorsement is more important...

totally disgusting :puke:

[Lex]

30. 18 shot, 3 dead

per cnn

[Muttocracy]

35. no, CNN says no fatalities except gunman - yet anyway

[Lex]

42. believe me, at the time I posted that, that is what cnn was saying

but it is cnn after all

[countryjake]

43. And they were still reporting it a half hour after your post...

I believe that the two who were helicoptered out to critical care centers from the original hospitals where they were taken are probably pretty bad off.

According to the hospital press conference, there are three critically wounded, out of the seventeen victims.

[Muttocracy]

44. oh, I don't doubt you heard it right at the time

I just wanted to post in case anyone with loved ones there was having a heart attack.

And it doesn't sound great for critical head injuries, so I'm afraid your post may end up right in the end :<

[nemo137]

31. I called my friends who go there.

I got two voicemails, which I hope means they're either busy or getting some counseling. One works at the Northern Star, so I hope she's just busy as hell. The one friend I did talk to said that the gunman walked into a geology class with a shotgun and pistol and started shooting. One of his friends was shot in the leg, but was as well as can be expected the last he heard. According to him, the gunman killed himself, but that's coming out of NIU's own rumor service, and isn't official.

I just got an IM from one of my other friends, who was across campus when it happened and is just now processing it. He's filling me in on other friends, who are ok.

If you know someone at Northern, please give them a call and check in.

[countryjake]

32. 13 victims remain hospitalized, most with gunshot wounds to the head...

as many as 18 were injured, gunman is dead.

Two other victims are reportedly dead.

[countryjake]

34. Press conference in five minutes 6:30 EST on CNN Headline News

[Muttocracy]

36. a cnn link from a couple of minutes ago

(edit so I'm not reprinting the whole thing)

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/14/university.shooting/index.html

(CNN) -- A person who shot at least 17 people Thursday at Northern Illinois University's DeKalb campus outside Chicago has died, a law enforcement official tells CNN.

Many victims were shot in the head, said Theresa Comitas, spokeswoman for Kishwaukee Community Hospital, about 10 minutes from the school.

At least three victims are in critical condition, eight are in stable condition and six are in good condition, a hospital official tells CNN.

One of the wounded was transferred by helicopter to Rockford Hospital, she said. There were no fatalities at the hospital, she said.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the DeKalb County coroner's office said no fatalities had been immediately reported.

[countryjake]

39. Right, they've just changed it...gunman is the only death, reportedly a suicide...

from your link:

"At least three victims are in critical condition, eight are in stable condition and six are in good condition, a hospital official tells CNN.

One of the wounded was transferred by helicopter to Rockford Hospital, she said. There were no fatalities at the hospital, she said.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the DeKalb County coroner's office said no fatalities had been immediately reported."


Also, the head of Geology Dept. called in a bit ago and said that his TA had been wounded...that the shooting began at the front of the room.

[seemslikeadream]

37. 3 dead including the gunman

Chicago channel 2 CBS

[countryjake]

41. Many of the cable news stations are now changing that to only the gunman...

and they are all waiting for a hospital press conference.

[Nickster]

38. Channel 5 Chicago just reported this, as of 5:34pm. They had a rep from the hospital

where the victims were taken.

3 listed as critical
2 with serious head injuries
8 listed as serious
6 listed as good

The rep said there were no deaths. One of the critical patients has already been transferred to another hospital.

[Muttocracy]

40. AP wire report 6:35pm

...
Kishwaukee Community Hospital spokeswoman Theresa Komitas told WLS-TV in Chicago it received 17 victims all with wounds from the shooting or flying debris, including three with serious injuries. She said she knew of no deaths at the hospital.

...
"Some girl got hit in the eye, a guy got hit in the leg," Gaynor said outside just minutes after the shooting occurred. "It was like five minutes before class ended too."

Witnesses said the young man carried a shotgun and a pistol. Student Edward Robinson told WLS that the gunman appeared to target students in one part of the lecture hall.

"It was almost like he knew who he wanted to shoot," Robinson said. "He knew who and where he wanted to be firing at."
...
The school was closed for one day during final exam week in December after campus police found threats, including racial slurs and references to shootings earlier in the year at Virginia Tech, scrawled on a bathroom wall in a dormitory. Police determined after an investigation that there was no imminent threat and the campus was reopened.

The shooting was the fourth at a U.S. school within a week.

On Feb. 8, a woman shot two fellow students to death before committing suicide at Louisiana Technical College in Baton Rouge. In Memphis, Tenn., a 17-year-old is accused of shooting and critically wounding a fellow student Monday during a high school gym class, and the 15-year-old victim of a shooting at an Oxnard, Calif., junior high school has been declared brain dead.

[seemslikeadream]

45. 5 dead including gunman

[Muttocracy]

46. :-( It just gets worse and worse

[malaise]

47. Five dead, sixteen injured

Madness. I'm amazed at the level of coverage. They sure appear to be playing this down.

[seemslikeadream]

48. 22 wounded and 6 dead including shooter

We are just in shock, my daughter is with friends, her bf was in that room hours before it happened and we didn't hear from him for quite awhile.

[countryjake]

49. This is so heartbreaking, condolences to your daughter and her classmates.

On this day, of all days, that always holds such meaning for so many young people, I can't help but think that this may have been related to a love-gone-sour. They're saying that the shooter wasn't a student at NIU.

This will be a sad Valentine's memory for many yrs. to come.

[malaise]

50. What a horrible experience for all of them

This is madness.

[malaise]

51. sixth student died overnight

Good Grief.

[AngryOldDem]

53. I am so sorry.

Best wishes to you all.

[krispos42]

52. This is very sad

There were two other shootings this week that were the result of direct interpersonal problems.

This...

*sigh*

My fears have come true. The "school shooting" has become ingrained in our culture.

This will take a generation or more to weed out. 20 years, 40 years... more?


It is now part of our mentality. This sort of thing could have happened any time in the last 100 years. But for some reason the last decade has been bad.

[terrya]

54. I was watching the coverage of this.

And one horrible thing that occured to me about these things is how unsurprised I am about these shootings anymore. They've almost become a fact of life in the United States.