Gunman opens fire on Illinois campus
Hospitals told to expect up to 15 victims from university near Chicago
BREAKING NEWS
NBC News and MSNBC
updated 9 minutes ago
DEKALB, Ill. - A gunman opened fire Thursday in a lecture hall on the campus of Northern Illinois University, and more than a dozen people were reported injured. Police sources told NBC affiliate WMAQ of Chicago that the shooter may have taken his own life.
Ambulances and fire trucks raced to the scene of the shooting at Kohl Hall after the shooting, which occurred about 4 p.m. ET, the university said in a posting on its Web site.
A spokesman at Kishwaukee Community Hospital in DeKalb told NBC News that area hospitals had been told “to expect up to 15 injured people from the campus.”
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The university issued an alert at 4:20 p.m. ET telling students to avoid Kings Common and buildings in that area. The university was locked down, and students reportedly were calling from the library.
“We can’t leave the dorm. We can’t go outside,” a student named Jasmine told WMAQ. “The doors are locked.”
This breaking story will be updated.
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