Officials name Illinois gunman who killed five students
Friday, 15 Feb 2008 20:48
The gunman killed five before shooting himself dead
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Officials at Northern Illinois University have named the gunman who shot dead five students at the US campus yesterday.
Steven Kazmierczak, 27, from Champaign, jumped into a lecture hall at the university, armed with a shotgun and two handguns.
He opened fire on the group before turning one of the guns on himself.
The deceased students have been named as Daniel Parmenter, 20; Catalina Garcia, 20; Ryanne Mace, 19; Julianna Gehant, 32; and Gayle Dubowski, 20.
Students fled to exit the room as he opened fire, some continuing to run despite bleeding from gunshot wounds.
At least 16 people were injured in the incident.
The local Kishwaukee community hospital said seven critical patients had been transferred to other hospitals nearby.
The black-clad gunman was a graduate student in sociology in spring 2007 but had left the university, NIU officials said.
University president John Peters said: "Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. We thank the community for the outpouring of sympathy during this terrible time of tragedy."
The Valentine's Day shooting is the latest in a series of gun crime rampages which reflect the US' poor gun controls.
Last April saw 23-year-old Cho Seung-hui kill 32 people at Virginia Tech University, the worst incident of its kind in US history.