Published on Thursday, February 14, 2008

Cole shooting leaves gunman dead, others wounded

By ALAN EDRINN

A shotgun-wielding gunman who shot and injured at least five students in a Cole Hall ocean science lecture class shortly after 3 p.m. has been killed, police say.

“The gunman is deceased,” said Lt. Gary Spangler of the DeKalb Police Department, adding that the “majority of the incident happened in Cole Hall.”

Many of the victims are being taken to Kishwaukee Community Hospital, who in a 3:50 p.m. update to its Web site, has reported that three to four victims with head wounds have arrived, with up to 15 victims arriving.

More details will be posted on the hospital’s Web site as it becomes available.

George Gaynor, a senior geography student, who was in the class when the shooting happened, said the shooter was “a skinny white guy with a stocking cap on.”

He described the scene immediately following the incident as terrifying and chaotic.

“Some girl got hit in the eye, a guy got hit in the leg,” Gaynor said outside just minutes after the shooting occurred. “It was like five minutes before class ended too.”

University Police, DeKalb Police and other neighboring agencies are locking down campus, including a large portion of Lucinda Avenue completely closed down to traffic.