The injury is non-life-threatening.
Zachary Isaacman, 22, has been charged with aggravated battery and unlawful use of a weapon in the 3:30 a.m. shooting. According to NIU's president, the incident started as an argument between Isaacman and his victim, Brian Mulder, 24. It escalated when Mulder was shot in the leg. Police said Isaacman tried to escape but was apprehended shortly after the shooting took place.
"I didn't think it was real at first. I mean the campus seems pretty same any other time. I heard it was an isolated incident so I feel pretty safe," said Dustin Berthold, student.
"This appears to be an isolated incident between two individuals," said John Peters, NIU president.
Freshman Kevin Anderson said he is friends with Mulder.
"Once I saw him with the gun and I ran, that was the last I saw of either of them. All I was thinking was get inside," said Anderson.
According to Peters, the victim suffered a gunshot wound above the knee when he was shot outside the Stevenson residence hall. The shooter, an off-campus student, fled the scene on foot and was apprehended by NIU police a few minutes later. The student who was shot is a resident of Stevenson.
"The victim's injuries are not life threatening. And he was transported to the Kishwaukee Community Hospital for treatment," said Peters.
Sunday marked the two-year anniversary of the campus shooting rampage at Cole Hall that left five students dead before the gunman killed himself. The memories of that shooting linger on.
"My first thought was, 'not again, how could this happen again?' But friend had asked is everyone okay and we checked the Web site and saw that it was an incident that involved two people and so I was put at ease," said Maria Rangel, student.
The shooting occurred around 3:30 a.m. As a precautionary measure, the campus was locked down and all-clear was issued. Campus remained open Thursday afternoon and classes appeared to be back to normal.
"It is a huge campus, and you can't control what everyone does, but students need to be informed. A lot of students heard about it from other students," said Constance Deer, student.
Campus officials and police have not released the name of the victim or of the alleged shooter. Both men are in their 20s. The motive is not known.
