Five dead in shooting at Northern Illinois University

DEKALB, Ill. - A man dressed in black opened fire with a shotgun and two handguns from a stage of a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University on Thursday, killing five people and himself, according to published reports.

NIU Police Chief Donald Grady confirmed the deaths following a news conference, according to the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and The (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle.

The (DeKalb) Daily Chronicle said there were injuries, citing information heard over a police scanner shortly after 3 p.m. The scanner alerted police about a white, male shooter with a shotgun and pistol.

There were 18 people injured in the shooting, four are in critical condition.

At 4:14 p.m., the Northern Illinois University Web site posted that "immediate danger has passed."

As of 4:31 p.m., the Web site posted that NIU classes are cancelled and the NIU campus will be closed tonight and Friday. The Web site urges students to call parents and consult any residence hall for counseling. The Web site also provides hotlines for students and parents needing information.

Theresa Komitis, spokeswoman at Kishwaukee Medical Center in DeKalb, said as many as 15 patients were expected to be brought to the hospital and possibly other area facilities. She had no further details as of 4 p.m. There was no immediate confirmation from law enforcement or the hospital that 15 people had been injured, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Messages were left for university and police in DeKalb, located about 65 miles west of Chicago.

"Get to a safe area and take precautions until given the all clear," officials said in a message posted on the Northern Illinois University Web site at 3:20 p.m. today. "Avoid the King Commons and all buildings in that vicinity."

NIU was closed for one day during final exam week in December after campus police found threats, including racial slurs and references to shootings earlier in the year at Virginia Tech University, scrawled on a bathroom wall in a dormitory. Police determined after an investigation that there was no imminent threat and the campus was reopened.

The Northern University Web site posted this campus alert at 3:50 p.m. today. "Its has been confirmed that there has been a shooting on campus and several people have been taken away by ambulance. All classses are cancelled on the DeKalb campus. People are urged not to come to campus. More information will be posted as it becomes available."

At 4:10 p.m. the Northern University Web site updated their campus alert post, saying that the scene is secure. "Only essential personnel should remain on campus," according to the Web site.

Check back with DailyIllini.com for updates.