Atlanta, GA 2/15/2008 7:24:34 AM
News / Education

Gunman in NIU School Shooting Used Shotgun, Pistol

The gunman in the Northern Illinois University school shooting Thursday carried a shotgun and pistol.

A gunman opened fire in a classroom in NIU's Cole Hall on its Dekalb Campus with five minutes left in the class. The shooting occured at 3:20pm CST.

Early reports said that 18 people were shot, but more recent reports say that 11 people were taken away to ambulance to the same hospital, mostly suffering from head injuries. No casualties have been confirmed, except for the gunman, who was pronounced dead less than an hour ago.

It has not been determined whether the gunman committed suicide or was killed by police officers. He is said to have been a white male between the ages of 18 and 20 years old. He was wearing all black.

Classes at Northern Illinois were cancelled twenty minutes after the shooting and classes tomorrow are cancelled as well.

Eyewitness reports conflict as some students say the gunman came into the classroom from the back door, while others say he stood up in the middle of class and "started shooting like it was a movie".

NIU.edu, the school's website, has also been posting updates on the shooting on its campus.

For more news concering this school shooting, please check out http://news.finditt.com/NewsList.aspx?cat=15&wcat=18