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September 5, 2008 11:50:30 PM CDT

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NIU Shooter Saw Himself as Sensitive Victim

Posted Apr 21, 08 12:39 PM CDT in Crime & Courts,  US 

(Newser) – Steven Kazmierczak didn’t leave a note before his deadly February shooting spree at Northern Illinois University, nor clues to his motivations on his computer or cell phone. But in essays for graduate-school applications, the Chicago Tribune reports, the future killer writes extensively about his life and his mental problems—including a stint in a group home.

Far from a picture of a repressed future killer, Kazmierczak comes across as a success story. Though he felt “victimized” in his adolescence, he was eventually inspired by a social worker to help people with similar problems. “I view myself as being able to relate to those … that are in need of direction,” he wrote. “Everyone … may need someone to rely on.”

Source Chicago Tribune

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This undated image obtained from a MySpace webpage shows Steven Kazmierczak.   (AP Photo)
Three hearts bearing names of three of the five NIU shooting victims hang from a tree on campus in this file photo.   (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
This photo, supplied by Richard Grafer, shows Steven Kazmierczak at the time of his 8th grade graduation in 1994.   (AP Photo/Richard Grafer via Chicago Sun Times)
Steven Kazmierczak smiles in this file photo, released Feb. 15, 2008, by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign   (AP Photo/University of Illinois)
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school shooting  • psychology  • mental illness  • Northern Illinois University  • Steven Kazmierczak  • social work


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