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December 2, 2008 10:23:19 AM CST

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Gunman Was Known as 'Gentle, Even,' 'Best in Class'

Posted Feb 15, 08 5:54 PM CST in US 

(Newser) – Northern Illinois University profs and students who knew Stephen Kazmierczak said today they were stunned by his transformation into a killer: “I knew him as a warm, sensitive, very bright student,” one professor said in disbelief. "I have had him in my home." A mentor told the Chicago Tribune, "He was the most gentle, even guy." A fellow student  said he was  "probably the best student in the class."

The Tribune adds detail to the profile of the former sociology grad student who killed 5 and wounded another 15 in a shooting spree yesterday: Kazmierczak told one prof he served with the military before being discharged for psychological reasons. Last spring, he failed several classes at NIU before transferring to the University of Illinois. And he worked briefly as a prison guard, before abruptly quitting without offering a reason.

Source Chicago Tribune

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Flowers, candles, and small notes sit in the snow Friday, Feb. 15, 2008, on the campus of Northern Illinois University near Cole Hall, the scene where a lone gunman shot and killed six Thursday on the...   (Associated Press)
In this photo released Feb. 15, 2008, by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is Steven Kazmierczak who was identified by Florida authorities and a university official familiar with the investigation...   (Associated Press)
Victims are treated shortly after the shootings on the Northern Illinois University campus Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008, in DeKalb, Ill. Five people were fatally shot before the gunman killed himself. (AP...   (Associated Press)
A law enforcement officer stands guard outside a Northern Illinois University building where a gunman opened fire in a lecture hall in DeKalb, Ill., Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)   (Associated Press)
Graphic shows map of Illinois. A gunman opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University on Thursday, authorities said. (AP Graphic)   (Associated Press)
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