NIU Shooting

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-niu-victim_15feb15,0,4963469.story

As the instructor wrapped up a lecture on types of sea salt, a gunman walked onto the stage and opened fire, officials said.
...At least five students were killed, including Parmenter, 20, of Elmhurst, a finance major and member of the NIU (Northern Illinois University) rugby team. The gunman, a former NIU graduate student, took his own life, police said.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jyL4Flbu5SYr5VH5zsWcYcnw0dygD8UQIC280

A man opened fire Thursday in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University, killing five people and wounding more than a dozen others before taking his own life. The following is a timeline of events:

_2 p.m.: Geology 104 begins in a large lecture classroom in Cole Hall. More than 160 students are registered for the class.

_Shortly after 3 p.m.: A man dressed in black and carrying a shotgun and two handguns steps out from hiding and begins a "very brief rapid-fire assault" before killing himself, says NIU President John Peters. Campus police are on the scene in "less than two minutes," says NIU Police Chief Donald Grady.

_3:20 p.m.: Officials post a message on NIU's Web site saying there is a report of a possible gunman on campus and warn students to "get to a safe area and take precautions until given the all clear."

_3:40 p.m.: NIU officials say all classes are canceled and campus is closed.

_3:50 p.m.: School officials confirm there has been a shooting on campus and several people have been taken away by ambulance. Officials urge people not to come to campus.

_4:10 p.m.: Campus police report on the Web site that the scene is secure.

_4:14 p.m.: Campus police say the immediate danger has passed and "the gunman is no longer a threat."

_4:31 p.m.: NIU officials ask all students to call their parents as soon as possible.

_5:12 p.m.: Police say at a news conference the shooter is dead by a self-inflicted gunshot.

_5:43 p.m.: NIU officials say 18 victims have been transported to Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb. They say four victims are in critical condition.

_7:58 p.m.: Peters confirms at a news conference that the gunman killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others before fatally shooting himself. He says there is no known motive.

This was a lot more close to home than anything has ever been to me. DeKalb (where NIU is located) is an hour and a half away from my hometown. I personally know a few kids who go there. I'm still waiting to see if one friend is ok. :( My mother got real emotional as she tells me how upset it is for her to be worried for her own child's safety at an educational environment. <<sigh>>

One used to think their children were safe at a University or college. Not anymore. That sucks.

Except for alcohol poisoning, traffic accidents and hazing stunts gone awry.

I grew up not far from Columbine, and my family still lives in the area. 9 years later and its still in people's minds. My nieces' school saw an influx of students as parents transferred their kids out of Columbine, and one of my nieces became good friends with a girl that was shot in the shoulder and lost her brother. These shootings don't just impact for a week or a month or a school year. The impact is for a lifetime, even for those that knew no one.

My husband and I moved to Virginia the week of the Virginia Tech shootings. My memory of moving in is sitting on the inflatable mattress, watching the news of the shootings.

My prayers go out to the victims and their families.

As do mine.

This is terrible news. I hope the community can stick together through this and find some way to move forward.

The depths of human mental malfunction are difficult to even ponder. How in the *hell* does someone get to the point in their mind where taking weapons into your school and blowing away innocents seems to make any sort of sense? And then, kill yourself? Why not just blow your own brains out first? Maybe even do it in the lecture hall, in front of everyone. You'll still make the news, make a statement, and be remembered as a psycho, same as if you take out the other people.

This is so wrong. So bad. So sick.