By Lee Ross 

What a terrible way to get detoured off our route.  We were almost to Chicago looking forward to some deep dish pizza when we got word about a campus shooting at Northern Illinois University. 

Here’s the latest: The university just concluded a press conference. The only fatality the president and other campus officials would confirm is the shooter.  He died of a self-inflicted wound.  It appears as if the unnamed shooter, who is not a NIU student, brought three guns with him on a stage in front of a 162 person geology class.  It was on this stage that the gunman shot himself.  The university confirmed the earlier numbers released by the local hospital of those injured 18 in total.  Two of those wounded were medivaced to larger regional hospitals.  The NIU police chief said the shooter was not a student at NIU but likely a student at another university.  He said there is no known motive at this time.  It was noted that the entire shooting spree started and ended in just a couple of minutes around 1500 local time. Our hope is that because the university officials didn’t make mention of other deaths that that will remain the case.  of course, our prayers are with all of those who were wounded and hope for sure they pull through.

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