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Feb 15, 2008 9:33 am US/Central
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Survivors, Families Try To Cope With Massacre
DE KALB, Ill. (CBS) ―
Survivors and families are doing their best to cope Friday morning with the aftermath of the shooting at Northern Illinois University.
Most of the victims of the massacre were rushed to Kishwaukee Hospital near the campus. From there, the more seriously injured were taken to hospitals with better equipped trauma units.
Since then, relatives from all over have been pouring into Kishwaukee Hospital be with their loved ones.
One of the shooting victims was about to undergo surgery at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.
Meantime, at Kishwaukee, some parents were still arriving to see their injured children.
Eighteen of the 22 people shot at NIU were rushed to Kishwaukee, including 13 males and five females, all between the ages of 18 and 27. The community medical center was flooded with the kinds of traumas it does not normally see.
Medical technician Ann Rasmussen said, "I have kids and I was trying to keep my composure and stay strong because it's really scary."
Parents and NIU students ran inside to learn the conditions of their loved ones, among them Kathy Gajda, whose friend was shot in the arm and leg. Like most students, her friend was suffering from emotional wounds that will take longer to heal than the physical ones.
"I think anybody is in position would be in shock. I mean, it's kind of random. It's Thursday, you wake up, go to class, you know," Gajda said.
One of the six people killed in the rampage died at Kishwaukee. The hospital received a total of six patients who were later taken to other hospitals. Two of them were taken to St. Anthony Hospital in Rockford, one was taken to Rockford Memorial Hospital, and three were taken to Good Samaritan.
Patrick Korellis, a 22-year-old from Lindenhurst, spent the night at Kishwaukee. For now, doctors do not want to risk removing the buck shot in the base of his skull and his shoulder.
His mother tells CBS 2 it's a miracle he is alive, and his brother said he was shaken up.
"At first he didn't want to go back to the school at all, but I think mainly, this is his last semester; he's going to go back and just finish his school," said Thomas Korellis. "He's not going to that class again though."
Thomas Korellis is also an NIU grad, and said he has always felt safe on campus.
Also injured was Unnum Rahman, 19, of Plainfield who suffered gunshot wounds to her right eye and arm. She underwent surgery Thursday night at Advocate Good Samaritan and was in serious condition Friday morning.
Rahman was able to speak to her father before she was transferred to Good Samaritan.
"She's in good spirits, she's talking. She's a little in pain because of that, but doctors are taking care of her," said Wasif Rahman. "She's one of the lucky ones; I heard there were other people that were fatalities, and my heart goes out to the rest of the families."
Surgeons at the hospital worked to remove buckshot from Rahman's right eye.
Maria Ruiz-Santana, 18, was in critical condition, as was a male victim who asked not to be identified.
Distressed student Lauren Carr was leaving campus Thursday night, heading home to suburban Carol Stream. She's been trying to shake off the traumatic images of that gunman opening fire in her classroom, an admittedly difficult thing to do.
"It's kind of like one of those things where you're just like 'Wait, what's going on?' You just kind of fight for your life and you crawl out and everyone's screaming. It's the worst thing I've seen in my life."
Des Plaines resident John Giovanni is doing the same. "He squared up...boom...we all dropped...I just got up and ran. I had to get out of there," Giovanni said.
The NIU junior was trying to make sense of the random, senseless crime and how it could happen here. "We thought security was pretty tight here. Who knows what's gonna happen next time. I mean I'm going to be in class from now on looking over my shoulder because if he would have come through the back door, I wouldn't be here right now, I would have been dead."
For many NIU students, word of the shooting came from their fellow students instead of school officials. In what is really a sign of the times, students called each other, sent e-mails and text messages minutes after the shootings occurred.
An e-mail from the university went out more than an hour after the shootings, even though the NIU website reported a possible gunman on campus 20 minutes after the shooting began.
Thursday night, technology was playing an important role in the recovery process, as students were logging onto social networking websites like Facebook to share their thoughts about the tragedy.
NIU students and friends gathered at midnight Thursday night for a candlelight vigil. They shared stories from the day, prayed for guidance, and even looked to Hollywood for inspiration, by talking about the movie "Evan Almighty."
Some of the students were members of the Lutheran campus ministry, while others just needed the comfort of friends.
The following hotlines are available for students and parents:
• 815-753-1573
• 815-753-6143
• 815-753-1574
• 815-753-1575
• 815-753-9564
• 815-753-6257
Counseling is also available on campus for students at all residence halls and at the Neptune Dining Hall, Campus Life Building 100 and the Psychological Services Center in the Psychology/Computer Science Building.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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