February 15, 2008

Gunman at Northern Illinois U. Seemed Like 'a Nice Kid'

By Beckie Supiano

By all accounts, Steven P. Kazmierczak was a good student. He had earned a dean's award for his sociology work at Northern Illinois University, where he received a bachelor's degree and also did graduate work.

At the time of Thursday's shooting, Mr. Kazmierczak, 27, was enrolled in a graduate program in social work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"Personally, I found Steven to be a very committed student," said Janet Carter-Black, a professor