Tragedy strikes another college campus

A gunman has killed 5 students on an Illinois campus, before turning the gun on himself. There has been no reason given yet for the shooting, but a young man walked into a classroom and opened fire before killing himself.

The New York Times reports:

A gunman shot 18 students in a a Northern Illinois University geology class on Thursday afternoon in DeKalb before killing himself, according to witnesses and the authorities.

News organizations reported that four people were killed by the gunman, although that was not immediately confirmed by the university, which last reported that four of the victims were in critical condition. The Chicago Sun-Times and The Chicago Tribune reported that Don Grady, the Northern Illinois University police chief, confirmed the fatalities just after 6 p.m. Central time.Three or four of the victims suffered head wounds, according to a local hospital.

On its Web site, Northern Illinois said that 18 victims were transported to Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb. Eight were listed in stable condition and six were reported in good condition.

The shooting took place on the snowy campus located in DeKalb, about an hour’s drive west of Chicago. One student, George Gaynor, told The Northern Star, the college newspaper, that “a skinny white guy with a stocking cap on” burst through a side door at about 3:05 p.m. Central time, just minutes before the geology class in Cole Hall, with about 150 students in attendance, was to end.

Let's keep the families of these students in our thoughts tonight.