Five people were killed and a dozen others injured when a young
gunman shoot in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University
(NIU) in the Chicago suburb of DeKalb, Illinois, on Thursday,
including the gunman who killed himself, local authorities
said.
The shooting took place shortly after 3 p.m. (2100 GMT) when the
gunman, a young, white male, came out from behind a screen in front
of a 600-seat lecture hall in a geology class and opened fire, NIU
president John Peters told a press conference.
The gunman fatally shot himself in the end, according to DeKalb
police.
Police has not released the gunman's identity yet, but said he
is not a student at the campus, probably a student from
elsewhere.
At 4 p.m. (2200 GMT), the school said there was no further
danger and counselors would be made available to the students.
The campus was closed for the night and all classes were
temporarily cancelled.
The 113-year-old NIU is 102 km west of downtown Chicago and has
an enrollment of more than 25,000.
(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2008)
