Hundreds Mourn at First Funeral for an NIU Shooting Victim
February 24th, 2008 Posted in Reptile PetsPink ribbons, ties, hairbands and roses are plentiful at the funeral of Catalina Garcia, the first of five students to be laid to rest after last weeks shooting rampage. Garcia lay in a pale pink coffin, dressed in a pink ball gown with a tiara in her hair. Her favorite color was pink. The sophomore was studying to be a teacher. City officials sayshe represented the dream of many in the heavily Hispanic suburb west of Chicago. Families at the Spanish mass at Our Lady of the Mount Church say Garcia was wise beyond her 20 years. University President John Peters says Garcia accomplished much and brought happiness to many. Girlfriend: University gunman called before shooting to say goodbye The girlfriend of the man who killed five people and himself at Northern Illinois University says he called the day of the shooting to say goodbye. Jessica Baty told CNN that Steven Kazmierczak called her early on Valentines Day and told her not to forget about him. Baty says she had no indication he was planning anything. She describes Kazmierczak as a nice and caring person who “was anything but a monster.” The day of the shooting or the day after, Baty received two packages from Kazmierczak. One contained two textbooks, a cell phone and what she characterized as a “goodbye note.” The other package had a gun holster and ammunition. She confirmed that hed stopped taking an anti-depressant because it made him “feel like a zombie.” (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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