Steven Kazmierczak

Mass Murderer

Steven Kazmierczak and the 2008 Northern Illinois University Massacre

Background

Steven Phillip Kazmierczak was a 27-year-old former Northern Illinois University student who carried out a mass shooting at the university on February 14, 2008. The attack occurred inside Cole Hall on the Northern Illinois University campus in DeKalb, Illinois. Five students were murdered, numerous others were wounded, and Kazmierczak died by suicide before police could take him into custody. Kazmierczak was born on August 26, 1980, in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and grew up in Elk Grove Village. He attended Northern Illinois University, where he studied sociology and earned a degree in 2006. People who knew him at the university often described him as intelligent, polite, and academically capable. He had received recognition for his work and had reportedly expressed an interest in social justice, criminal justice, and mental-health issues. At the time of the massacre, Kazmierczak was enrolled as a graduate student in social work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His outward academic success concealed a complicated history of emotional and psychiatric problems. He had previously received mental-health treatment and had taken prescribed medication. Reports that he had recently stopped taking medication became an important part of the investigation, although investigators never established a single definitive explanation for the attack.

Preparation for the Attack

Evidence gathered after the shooting indicated that Kazmierczak had prepared for the assault. He legally purchased firearms and ammunition in the weeks before February 14, 2008. The weapons associated with the attack included a 12-gauge Remington Sportsman 48 semiautomatic shotgun, a 9mm Glock 19 pistol, a .380-caliber SIG Sauer P232 pistol, and a .380-caliber Hi-Point CF-380 pistol. Kazmierczak carried the shotgun onto campus concealed inside a guitar case. He was also equipped with loaded magazines, ammunition, a utility belt, handgun holsters, and a knife. Some of the firearms he carried were not discharged, but investigators recovered them at the scene after his death. Before the massacre, Kazmierczak removed the hard drive from his laptop computer and the memory component from his cellular telephone. These actions deprived investigators of material that might have explained his planning, communications, or motive. He left no clear suicide note or written statement providing a direct reason for choosing Northern Illinois University, Cole Hall, or the particular class he attacked.

The Shooting at Cole Hall

At approximately 3:05 p.m. on Thursday, February 14, 2008, Kazmierczak entered Auditorium 101 in Cole Hall. An introductory oceanography class was underway, with approximately 120 students inside. He entered through a door near the front of the auditorium, close to the stage and teaching area. Kazmierczak began firing the shotgun toward the students seated in the lecture hall. The sudden gunfire caused panic as students attempted to reach the exits, hide behind seats, or take cover on the floor. The instructor escaped through an available exit while students crowded toward the doors. After firing the shotgun, Kazmierczak continued the attack with his Glock pistol. He moved along the front and western portion of the auditorium while firing into the occupied seating area. Witnesses later described students helping one another escape and warning others when the attacker appeared to pause or reload. The assault lasted only several minutes, but the confined auditorium and the number of students present produced devastating consequences. Eighteen people were struck by gunfire. Other students suffered injuries while fleeing, falling, or attempting to take cover. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Gayle Dubowski 20 yr old Female

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