Friday, February 19, 2010

Northern Illinois University struck by another student shooting


CHICAGO — Northern Illinois University was shut down briefly Friday after a student was shot near a residence hall just over two years after a disturbed student shot 21 people.

"NIU Public Safety officials are stating that the event appears to be an isolated incident between two individuals, and that the alleged assailant is in police custody," the university said in a campus alert posted on its website.

The university said that a student was injured in the shooting and transported to hospital but did not release any further details about the victim.

The campus was reopened shortly after the first alert was posted at 4:29 am and students were told to attend classes as usual.

Daniela Bedolla, 22, was studying in her dorm room when she heard a single gunshot around 4:00 am (1000 GMT.)

"It was really loud," she told the Chicago Tribune.

"I just thought it was drunk kids fooling around, or a car backfiring or something."

But then word spread that someone had been shot outside and people shouted to call 911.

Stephen Kazmierczak, 27, opened fire in a lecture hall at NIU on February 14, 2008, killing five students and wounding 16 others before turning his gun on himself.

He was described as an "outstanding" graduate student with no history of trouble but signs of erratic behavior in the two weeks prior to the slaying.

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