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Illinois University Shooter's Father Lives In Lakeland

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 15, 2008

Updated: 02/15/2008 12:46 pm

TAMPA - A Lakeland man is the father of the person authorities say fatally shot five people at Northern Illinois University on Thursday before turning the gun on himself, but the shooter never lived here, neighbors said today.

Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies were called by DeKalb, Ill., police detectives at 3 a.m. today for help locating Robert Kazmierczak. Deputies interviewed Kazmierczak about 5 a.m. and forwarded the information from that discussion to Illinois authorities.

Kazmierczak made a brief statement to reporters gathered outside his home this morning. "Please leave me alone," he said. "This is a very hard time. I'm a diabetic and I don't want to have a relapse."

Neighbor Ronald Lloyd said he noticed several patrol cars parked along Double Eagle Drive this morning.

He said Kazmierczak moved to the neighborhood a little more than two years ago with his wife, who was disabled. A ramp was built to accommodate her, but she died about a year and a half ago, Lloyd said. Since then, Kazmierczak has lived alone. He is a quiet person, Lloyd said.

"I would be out walking my dog, and we would pass," Lloyd said. "He would say hi, but when I tried to talk a little more, he just kept walking.

"I really didn't know him that well," Lloyd said.

Six people died in the shooting rampage at the university, including Kazmierczak's son, Steven, officials said.

Steven Kazmierczak, 27, graduated from NIU in 2006, officials said.

Kazmierczak shot 15 people and sent scores of students fleeing for the exits before killing himself.

Witnesses said he was dressed in black and wearing a stocking cap when he emerged from behind a screen on the stage in NIU's 200-seat Cole Hall and opened fire just as the class was about to end at 3 p.m.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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