STUDENTS GATHER AND PRAY FOR THE NIU COMMUNITY - mlive.comValentine’s Day was horrifically marred by a former Northern Illinois University (NIU) student who opened fire in a class with 162 enrolled, wounding 16 and killing five before turning the gun on himself Thursday afternoon.
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Kazmierczak fired over 50 shots within seconds.
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“He came in with a shotgun on his hip and just opened fire right into the crowd,” said NIU student Shane Pope. “And from that point on I just went into panic mode and quick-turned and ducked down and ran out of there as soon as I could and just hoping that everybody else could get out too. It was madness!”
The motive of gunman Stephen P. Kazmierczak, 27, has not been identified by police. No connection has been found between the Kazmierczak and the ocean sciences class or the students in Cole Hall that day.
“He was an outstanding student, he was an awarded student, he was someone revered by the faculty and staff and students alike,” said NIU Police Chief Donald Grady.
Kazmierczak stopped taking his depressant medication around the time he purchased two of the three weapons, a pump-action Remington shotgun and a glock 9mm handgun, concealed in a guitar case on the day of the shooting.
“The shooter enters the room and doesn’t have any expression on his face, doesn’t say a word, just points his gun and opens fire in the largest section of the crowd,” said George Gainer, a student who was inside Cole Hall during the shooting. “As I’m running, there were people around me and we were all just asking ourselves ‘What’s going on – is this real?’”
From the lecture hall stage Kazmierczak fired over 50 shots within seconds.
The gun dealer who sold a handgun to the Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho reported through topglock.com that he had sold accessories to Kazmierczak, who ordered his weapons Feb. 4 and received them Tuesday.
In the days after the shooting, the NIU community mourned those killed: Ryanne Mace, 19, Gayle Dubowski, Catalina Garcia and Daniel Parmenter, 20, and Julianna Gehant, 32.
“People were gathered around singing hymns and joining together to remember those affected by this tragedy,” said NIU student Elaine Eliadis.
Crosses are mounted for each victim, as well as posters, candles, pictures, cards, flowers and stuffed animals. Students gathered around the memorials holding hands, crying and singing, “We are all Huskies.”
Cole Hall is still blocked off and the door that Kazmierczak shattered and entered has been fixed. Classes and athletic events are all pushed back a week and will resume Monday.
“This event will change everything that happens for the remainder of the year here at NIU,” said Eliadis, “And the worst part is, it could not have been prevented.”
