Five people were killed and a dozen others injured when a young gunman shoot in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University (NIU) in the Chicago suburb of DeKalb, Illinois, on Thursday, including the gunman who killed himself, local authorities said.

The shooting took place shortly after 3 p.m. (2100 GMT) when the gunman, a young, white male, came out from behind a screen in front of a 600-seat lecture hall in a geology class and opened fire, NIU president John Peters told a press conference.

The gunman fatally shot himself in the end, according to DeKalb police.

Police has not released the gunman's identity yet, but said he is not a student at the campus, probably a student from elsewhere.

At 4 p.m. (2200 GMT), the school said there was no further danger and counselors would be made available to the students.

The campus was closed for the night and all classes were temporarily cancelled.

The 113-year-old NIU is 102 km west of downtown Chicago and has an enrollment of more than 25,000.

(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2008)