Northern Illinois University finally released its in-depth report (300 pages) and psychological profile of Steven Kazmierczak, who on Valentine’s Day in 2008 went on a shooting rampage at Cole Hall where he used a shotgun and two handguns to kill 5 students and injure 21 others before killing himself. The attack lasted 7 minutes. The Chicago Tribune’s article based on NIU’s report is worth reading.
The report offers the most detailed account to date of Kazmierczak’s troubled life, including repeated suicide attempts that required hospitalization, unresolved conflicts with his parents stemming from their decision to institutionalize him and interest in satanic rituals.
It also summarizes lessons the university learned in responding to the crisis, and includes transcripts of the first hour of police radio traffic beginning at 3:06 p.m. with a 911 call. There were a dizzying 200 communications in the first hour, including this one at 3:11 p.m.: “Shooter’s down. Shotgun’s secure. We need an ambulance and the coroner at Cole Hall.”
Killed were sophomore Gayle Dubowski, an anthropology major involved with her church; sophomore Catalina Garcia, active with the campus’ Latino Resource Center; junior Julianna Gehant, who had served in the Army; sophomore Ryanne Mace, an honors student who planned to work in counseling; and sophomore Daniel Parmenter, who tried to shield his girlfriend.
The 27-page profile of Kazmierczak, written by an independent psychologist hired by NIU for about $10,000, states that the shooter had been diagnosed as a teenager with schizoaffective disorder, a disabling mental illness characterized by a combination of schizophrenia and a mood disorder such as manic-depression.
The profile suggests he increased the difficulty of his shooting spree as if it were one of his beloved video games.
When he had emptied the shotgun and walked down into the audience with his handguns, he fired at only those who ran or ducked. Those who sat frozen in their seats, the easiest targets, were ignored.
Kazmierczak, 27, made it difficult for investigators to identify a motive. He didn’t leave a suicide note. The hard drive of his computer has never been found. He tossed out his cell phone’s memory card.
