rainbowbob
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NIU KILLER TRIED SUICIDE 4 TIMES, MAGAZINE SAYS
Kazmierczak Reportedly Was Fascinated By Shooters at Va. Tech, Columbine
By Steve Schmadeke, Chicago Tribune reporter
Steven Kazmierczak struggled mightily with mental illnesses, attempted suicide at least four times and was fascinated by the shooters of students at Virginia Tech and Columbine High School, a new magazine article says.
But nothing in the investigative files laid bare in Esquire explains why he stormed into a Northern Illinois University lecture hall on Valentine's Day, killing five students and wounding more than 15 before killing himself.
Three of his suicide attempts came while he was a student at Elk Grove Village High School. He once told a school nurse after an overdose attempt that "I want to die. Life sucks," according to Esquire. Kazmierczak, who was treated for bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorders, had suffered psychotic episodes, reporting hearing voices and hallucinations, the article says.
Before opening fire inside NIU's Cole Hall, the former graduate student at the school listened to Marilyn Manson's "The Last Day on Earth" in his white Honda Civic, according to the article. Then he stood emotionless on stage, opening fire while dressed in a black T-shirt with an image of a red AK-47 assault rifle and the word "Terrorist"—a shirt Kazmierczak had joked with friends about wearing to an airport, Esquire reports.
Campus Police Chief Donald Grady declined through an NIU spokesman to confirm or deny the story's details and said the department did not leak the files. Grady said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing and it could be some time before a report is issued.
Kazmierczak also struggled with his sexual identity, telling his former girlfriend of encounters with men, including a University of Illinois biochemistry professor, according to the magazine. He also had a number of encounters with women he met through Craigslist, Esquire reports.
He was discharged from the Army five months after enlisting in September 2001 when his mental health history came to light, according to the article.
I would like to know whether you think Kazmierczak's right to legally purchase firearms should have been forfeited based on his known history of mental illness - including 4 attempted suicides.