On February 14, 2008, Northern Illinois University in DeKalb became the scene of a deadly classroom shooting. Just before 3:05 p.m., 27-year-old Steven Kazmierczak entered a large lecture hall in Cole Hall dressed in a long overcoat. Inside, more than 100 students were expecting a statistics lecture. Kazmierczak pulled out a shotgun and two handguns, and opened fire indiscriminately at those seated before him.
He fired nearly 50 rounds, killing five students and wounding 17 others—some critically. Blood and chaos filled the auditorium. Kazmierczak turned one of the guns on himself and died by suicide in the front row before responding officers entered.
Investigators later determined Kazmierczak had planned the attack in advance. He had studied the classroom layout, arriving early and lying in wait before the scheduled lecture. His residence held signs of his intent: notebooks filled with academic commentary and writings revealing severe emotional distress, combined with over-the-counter medications and self-harm notes. He was known to have struggled with depression and anxiety, and had experienced life changes, including the recent death of a former professor who had inspired him.
Kazmierczak had no criminal record. He was said to have been polite yet withdrawn and had stopped taking psychiatric medications in the months preceding the shooting. Friends and former instructors noticed he had become increasingly isolated and withdrawn.
The Northern Illinois University shooting exposed the lethal potential of untreated mental illness combined with planning and uninterrupted access to multiple firearms. It became a catalyst for universities nationwide to rethink threat detection, mental health intervention, and classroom security protocols.
Articles:
NIU Killer Left Valentine’s Day Note
Gunman didn’t fit profile of mass murderer
College shooter’s deadly rampage baffles friends
Police investigate NIU shooter’s two sides
Gunman may have felt slighted by Northern
CNN exclusive: Secret files reveal NIU killer’s past
Gun dealer supplied Virginia Tech and NIU shooters
Additional Links:
Leave a Comment