One year ago, Another Campus massacre. 5 sons and daughters dead.

[Shardik]

A mental patient legally bought guns and killed people... Children. Students.

DEKALB, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn joined hundreds of mourners gathered at Northern Illinois University on Saturday to mark the day one year ago when a gunman fatally shot five students in a lecture hall before turning the gun on himself.

School administrators, students, and friends and families of the victims attended a commemoration ceremony and a wreath laying at a planned memorial site near the still-closed Cole Hall. A candlelight vigil was planned for later Saturday.

Courtney Roy, 20, visited the campus Saturday for the first time to remember childhood friend Gayle Dubowski, who was fatally shot by Steven Kazmierczak on Feb. 14, 2008. She attended the service in the university's darkened convocation center, where students on stage recited quotes from family and friends about each of the people killed.

"She would've wanted me to be here," Roy said. "She always pushed me, and she's pushing me now."

School president John Peters said the community had been "strengthened by a renewed sense of unity and purpose." He was joined by Quinn and the victims' families in hanging wreaths at the site, where five markers engraved with the names of each student killed, along with the words, "Forward Together," stood.

Kazmierczak, a 27-year-old former NIU student, stepped from behind a screen on the lecture hall stage, carrying four guns. He fired dozens of shots into the geology class.

Killed were Dubowski, 20; Catalina Garcia, 20; Julianna Gehant, 32; Ryanne Mace, 19; and Daniel Parmenter, 20. Nineteen other people were wounded.

Officials and friends have said Kazmierczak struggled with mental health troubles, but no motive has been determined and no suicide note was ever found.

The survivors have found different ways to cope. Some, like Maria Ruiz-Santana, who was shot in the throat, found closure in a visit to Cole Hall. Harold Ng, who was struck in the head by shotgun pellets, has turned to his faith.

More at: http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=freep&sParam=34153244.story



From another year ago...

Topeka — A year ago this week, a gunman opened fire on the campus of Virginia Tech, killing 32 people before killing himself.

We asked local universities how their campus safety procedures have changed since then.

The still-haunting pictures from nearly one-year ago remind us all, tragedies can happen anywhere. But college campuses, like Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois, where 6 died two months ago, have received extra scrutiny in the past year. We asked K-State, KU and Washburn officials what steps they've taken.

More here: http://search.cnn.com/search?query=a%20year%20ago%20campus&type=web&sortBy=date&intl=false

And we wonder why people still call for the relaxing of current gun laws.

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Tech was in 2007. April 16, 2007.

I knew some of the victims.

[Shardik]

3. Thank you for the correction. I've changed the OP

And I'm sorry for your losses. :hug:

[Midlodemocrat]

4. No problem. It's actually very hard to get away from this topic

if you live here. There's still so much sorrow about what happened as well as trying to point fingers. Not like the finger pointers can be blamed.

My own child is in college. :shudder:

[Shardik]

5. While I wish mine was, she has chosen a different path.

I would feel better if she would let me send her to college.

[Midlodemocrat]

6. You've still got time. She might decide to do so.

My son will probably go to the Community College for a bit. He could use a little extra time to mature.

My daughter wouldn't have done that in a million years. Weird huh? I even offered to buy her a new car if she did and stayed home.

No dice. Sigh.

[Shardik]

7. I know... The little jerks are as hard headed as I was at that age.

(Double your sigh)

[remoulade]

2. Schools should be gun-free zones.

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