NIU

Northern Illinois University. On February 14, 2008, Valentine's Day, former student Steve Kazmierczak entered a geology class at Cole Hall and shot 21 people, killing 5 before killing himself. This happened not at Knox, but at a different University. So why should there be a page for the NIU shooting at the Knox Wiki? I think it is important to remember Catalina Garcia, Daniel Parmenter, 20, of Westchester, Ill., Ryanne Mace, age 19, of Carpentersville, Ill., Julianna Gehant, 32, of Mendota, Ill., and Gayle Dubowski, age 20, last of Carol Stream, Ill. They were not unlike us; they were children, students, and friends. They were nice, intelligent, hardworking people who were robbed of their future by an irresponsible, sick individual. They were bright young flames that were put out ahead of their time. I think it is also important to remember Kazmierczak, not because he deserves any pity, but to use him an example of a horrible person. He obviously had deep psychological problems, and was taking anti-depressant drugs, which he had apparently stopped tacking because "They made me feel like a zombie". Instead of taking responsibility for whatever was going on in his life, he chose to take it out on innocent people. He also escaped punishment by shooting himself. He should have been punished for what he had done, but instead, he got off easy.