US: Illinois shooting victims move on in different ways

22 February 2009

When Maria Ruiz-Santana talks about the day a suicidal gunman shot her in the throat in her geology class at Northern Illinois University, she sounds as if she is describing a nightmare from long ago, reports The New York Times. "It feels like it happened to me years and years ago," said Ruiz-Santana, 21, who was among the 25 people shot during the lecture, at Cole Hall. But it has been just one year. The university held activities last weekend to mark the anniversary, including a commemoration ceremony, candlelight vigil and memorial wreath laying.

Last 14 February the gunman, Steven P Kazmierczak, fatally shot five students before killing himself. Kazmierczak's victims and their families have found different ways to cope. Some, like Ruiz-Santana, found closure in a visit to the still-closed Cole Hall. The father of one victim, Joe Dubowski, has left his daughter's bedroom as it was that day. Another victim, Harold Ng, who was struck in the head by shotgun pellets, has turned to his faith.
Full report on the New York Times site

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