CHICAGO (Reuters) - At least 18 people were shot when a gunman opened fire at Northern Illinois University outside Chicago on Thursday, CNN said, quoting its local affiliate.
It appeared that the gunman had either been taken intocustody or had been killed.
"Campus police report that the immediate danger haspassed," the university's Web site said. "The gunman is nolonger a threat."
One local media report said police had the gunman incustody, other media reported he was dead.
A hospital near the campus said it expected to receive upto 15 people wounded from the incident.
A local newspaper said the gunman was armed with a shotgunand a pistol.
One student told local radio that roughly 140 students werein a geology classroom when the man stood up and opened fire.Other witnesses said bloodied victims were hit by buckshot.
The 25,000-student campus, which is 65 miles (104 km) westof downtown Chicago, was shut down and classes cancelled, theuniversity said on its Web site.
A woman who was outside the classroom when the shootingoccurred said students fled in terror. "One guy said, there'ssomeone shooting," she said.
U.S. schools and colleges have seen a series of shootingincidents in recent years.
A university in Blacksburg, Virginia, Virginia Tech, becamethe site of the deadliest rampage in U.S. history in April lastyear when a gunman killed 32 people and himself.
(Reporting by Andrew Stern and Stuart Grudgings; Editing byFrances Kerry)
