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2008 Northern Illinois University shooting

SOLVED2008Cole Hall, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · suicide · ongoing investigation — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On the afternoon of Thursday, February 14, 2008, Steven Kazmierczak, a 27-year-old former Northern Illinois University (NIU) graduate, entered a large lecture hall in Cole Hall (Auditorium 101) at approximately 3:05 p.m. Central Standard Time, where an oceanography class of about 120 students was in session. He forced open the door, entered near the stage, and began firing at students using a 12-gauge shotgun he had concealed in a guitar case. He fired all six shotgun rounds and then continued firing with a 9mm Glock 19 pistol, discharging approximately 50 rounds in total. Police later recovered 48 fired cartridge cases, six shotgun shells, and 55 unfired rounds at the scene. Kazmierczak also carried two additional pistols and a knife but did not use them. He fatally shot himself before police entered the room.

Five students — Catalina Garcia, Juliana Gehant, Ryanne Mace, Daniel Parmenter, and Gayle Dubowski — died as a result of the shooting; all were Illinois residents. Twenty-one other people were injured, 17 from gunshot wounds and others from injuries sustained while fleeing. Victims were treated at multiple area hospitals, including Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb, Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, and Rockford Memorial Hospital.

NIU police and officers from several other agencies responded within minutes; the first 911 call was logged at 3:06 p.m., and officers confirmed the shooter was dead by 3:11:42 p.m. The university placed the campus on lockdown, canceled classes for the remainder of the week and the following week, and later added an extra week of instruction in May to make up lost time.

Kazmierczak had graduated from NIU in 2006 with a strong academic record and was, at the time of the shooting, a graduate student in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He had a documented history of mental illness, including a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder as a teenager and prior suicide attempts. Acquaintances and NIU officials described him as a well-regarded, seemingly unstressed student with no record of trouble, and investigators found no suicide note. His girlfriend said he had stopped taking prescribed Prozac roughly three weeks before the attack and had called her early on the morning of the shooting to say goodbye. Authorities intercepted packages he had mailed her that included ammunition, a gun holster, and a final note.

The university held vigils, a week of silence observations, and a memorial ceremony in the following weeks. Cole Hall was later renovated rather than demolished, reopening in January 2012, and a memorial garden with a sculpture titled "Remembered" was dedicated in October 2009. The event is recorded as the deadliest school shooting in Illinois history.

Key facts

Victims
Ryanne Mace, Catalina Garcia, Gayle Dubowski, Juliana Gehant, Maria Christiansen, Daniel Parmenter
Date
2008
Location
Cole Hall, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2008-02-14

    Steven Kazmierczak opens fire in a lecture hall at Cole Hall, NIU, killing five students and injuring others before fatally shooting himself.

  2. 2008-02-15

    A candlelight vigil attended by approximately 2,000 people is held on campus; another injured victim seeks treatment, bringing hospitalized total to 17.

  3. 2008-02-19

    Faculty and staff return to work at NIU.

  4. 2008-02-21

    A week-long memorial observance includes five minutes of silence at the MLK Commons.

  5. 2008-02-24

    A memorial service is held at the NIU Convocation Center, the day before classes resume.

  6. 2008-02-25

    Governor Rod Blagojevich and NIU President John G. Peters propose demolishing Cole Hall.

  7. 2008-05-08

    It is announced that Cole Hall will be remodeled rather than demolished, pending $7.7 million in state funding.

  8. 2009-08-27

    NIU Board of Trustees approves a $9.5 million budget for the Cole Hall renovation project.

  9. 2009-10-02

    A memorial sculpture titled 'Remembered' is unveiled at NIU.

  10. 2010-01-27

    Illinois Governor Pat Quinn visits NIU to release funds for the Cole Hall renovation.

  11. 2011-01-14

    Reconstruction of Cole Hall officially begins.

  12. 2012-01-17

    Cole Hall reopens, later housing the Anthropology Museum.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Ryanne Mace

    VICTIM

    Student killed in the shooting; declared dead on the scene at Cole Hall.

    citation on file

  • Catalina Garcia

    VICTIM

    Student killed in the shooting; declared dead on the scene at Cole Hall.

    citation on file

  • Steven Kazmierczak

    CONVICTED

    Perpetrator; identified by police as the shooter who killed five people and injured others before fatally shooting himself. No criminal conviction occurred as he died at the scene; identification is based on law enforcement investigation.

    citation on file

  • Donald Grady

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    NIU Police Chief who responded to the scene and directed officers during the emergency response.

    citation on file

  • Gayle Dubowski

    VICTIM

    Student killed in the shooting; flown to St. Anthony Hospital in Rockford and pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

    citation on file

  • Juliana Gehant

    VICTIM

    Student killed in the shooting; declared dead on the scene at Cole Hall.

    citation on file

  • Maria Christiansen

    VICTIM

    Student critically injured, struck in the face and neck; survived and later became an officer with the NIU Police Department.

    citation on file

  • Daniel Parmenter

    VICTIM

    Student killed in the shooting; pronounced dead shortly after arrival at Kishwaukee Hospital.

    citation on file

Places

Cole Hall, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois

41.9342, -88.7689

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On February 14, 2008, a former NIU graduate student opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, killing five students and injuring 17 others before killing himself.
Where did the shooting happen?
Cole Hall, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois.
Who was convicted?
Steven Kazmierczak (Perpetrator; identified by police as the shooter who killed five people and injured others before fatally shooting himself. No criminal conviction occurred as he died at the scene; identification is based on law enforcement investigation.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. 2008 Northern Illinois University shootingwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — CNNnews · CNN · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — ABC Newsnews · ABC News · 2026-07-07
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