From the Chronicle of Higher Education online, May 12, 2003
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/05/2003051206n.htm
One Student Is Killed and 2 Are Wounded in Shooting Rampage at Case Western
Reserve U.
By Dan Carnevale
A former student at Case Western Reserve University killed one
student and wounded two other people on Friday during a rampage in a campus
building, where he indiscriminately fired two semiautomatic weapons,
according to police officers.
Police identified the shooter as Biswanath Halder, 62, of Cleveland.
Mr. Halder graduated from Case Western in 1999 with an M.B.A. and had filed
a lawsuit against the university, which was later dismissed.
The shooting started at 4 p.m. and lasted more than six hours before police
captured the assailant. About 60 people were evacuated from the Peter B.
Lewis Building, which the architect Frank Gehry designed to house Case
Western's school of management, while the gunman sprayed hundreds of
bullets.
Those trapped inside hid in offices and behind desks while frantically using
cell phones and e-mail messages to seek help.
"We are incredibly saddened that this kind of thing should happen in
any setting," Edward M. Hundert, the president of Case Western, said at a
news conference on Friday. "This kind of incident is antithetical to the
kind of experiences that we would hope would happen on our nation's
university campuses."
Thomas R. Shrout, associate vice president for public affairs at Case
Western, said that Mr. Halder had sued the university a couple years ago
because he thought an employee there had tampered with his Web site. An
internal investigation determined that this did not happen, and his suit was
dismissed last year. Two weeks ago, a judge refused to hear Mr. Halder's
appeal, Mr. Shrout said.
Reports indicate that Mr. Halder was wearing a wig, helmet, camouflage
clothing, and a bulletproof vest during the shooting. He received one
gunshot wound during the confrontation, but he was not seriously injured. He
was released from a hospital on Saturday and was in police custody on
Sunday. No charges had been filed yet.
The student who was killed was identified as Norman E. Wallace, who
was in his first year at the management school. Mr. Wallace, who was
president of the Black M.B.A. Student Association and a member of the
Finance and Investment Club, was walking in the building with a friend, who
was wounded.
The Lewis building remains closed as police officials investigate the
incident.
Case Western is offering counseling services to students and faculty
and staff members who need assistance.