Stephen Kazmierczak, NIU Shooter

By Margaret Lyons in News on Feb 15, 2008 5:47PM

This is the first photo emerging of Stephen (we're also seeing it spelled Steven, but NIU announced it as a ph) Kazmierczak, the gunman in yesterday's shootings at NIU.

Reports this morning were that a sixth victim had died, but that apparently was a miscommunication between all the hospitals: five victims and the shooter have died. According to NIU, the victims are

• Daniel Parmenter, age 20, last of Westchester, Ill.
• Catalina Garcia, age 20, last of Cicero, Ill.
• Ryanne Mace, age 19, last of Carpentersville, Ill.
• Julianna Gehant (pronounced Ghee-hant), age 32, last of Mendota, Ill.
• Gayle Dubowski, age 20, last of Carol Stream, Ill.

Kazmierczak had studied criminal justice at NIU and wrote papers about the role of religion in forming early American prisons and studied self-harm among prisoners. He was, by all accounts, a model student. He grew up in Elk Grove.

Over at the Reader, Whet Moser dug up some oldish NIU web stuff from Kazmierczak, including this bio he apparently wrote when he was vice president of NIU's chapter of the American Correctional Association.

VICE-PRESIDENT: Steve Mazmierczak. Steve served as an undergrad teaching aid for Sociology 388 (corrections) and 488 (juvenile delinquency) in spring, 2004. He has strong interests in justice reform and, as an older sociology/criminal justice major, he brings experience and ideas to the group.

My name is Steve Kazmierczak, and I'm a 3rd year student here at NIU. During my sophomore year I served as an aid for the SOCI170 web-board and last semester, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be a team leader for SOCI488-Juvenile Delinquency. Since attending NIU, I've worked very hard as a student, and I know that I would be able to forth the same effort as an officer of the ACA. I feel that I'm committed to social justice, and if elected as treasurer I promise to serve the NIU chapter of the ACA to the best of my ability.

[Trib, CNN, S-T, other Trib]