Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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February 15, 2008

6 Killed in US University Shooting; Gunman Also Dead
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1B417FA:A6F02AD83191E1600D95BE3620781969D937473925D9872C& Former student has
been identified as gunman in shooting at Northern Illinois University
near Chicago





Students hold prayer vigil at Wellspring Chapel for victims of NIU
shooting in DeKalb, Illinois, 15 Feb 2008A former student has been
identified as the gunman who killed six students Thursday at a
university near the midwestern U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois.

The shooter walked into a crowded lecture hall at Northern Illinois
University in the city of DeKalb and randomly opened fire. He killed
five people - three of them instantly - and wounded 16 others before
killing himself.

U.S news agencies are reporting that a sixth person later died from
injuries sustained in the attack.

NIU President John Peters says the gunman last attended the school in
2007 as a graduate student, but left to attend another university. He
says the man apparently had no police record.

Peters says four of those killed were women.

The 25,000 student campus has been closed and classes scheduled for
Friday have been canceled.

Officials say they have no reason to believe the shooting had anything
to do with a message found on a university bathroom wall in December
referencing a shooting rampage earlier last year at Virginia Tech.

In that incident, a troubled student shot and killed 32 students and
teachers before turning a gun on himself.

Thursday's incident at NIU was at least the third school shooting in
the U.S. over the past several days that left at least four people
dead.

Some information for this report provided by AP, Reuters.


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