In his first TV interview since surviving the 2008 mass shooting incident at Northern Illinois University on Valentine’s Day, Professor Joseph Peterson told NBC 5 Investigates his initial thought was it was a drill.
“The first few seconds of it happening, my thoughts were literally this could be a training exercise, but that was literally one or two seconds,” recalled Peterson, who was a teaching a geology class at the Cole Hall auditorium to 120 students when a gunman with multiple weapons barged in and started shooting.
People tried hiding or running for their lives.
“I realized I’d been shot, but I also realized I wasn’t dead,” said Peterson. “I was grazed in the shoulder with a nine-millimeter.”
He managed to get out of Cole Hall and ran to another building.
“I got to the next building over and there were a bunch of students in a computer lab and I told them there had been a shooting in Cole Hall. 'Get away from the doors, get away from the windows, call 911.’ And just ran down the hall to every classroom I could find and warned people to get to safety,” Peterson said.
Five students—Gayle Dubowski, Ryanne Mace, Catalina Garcia, Julianna Gehant, and Daniel Parmenter were killed in the shooting and more than a dozen others were wounded.
Local
A FEMA report issued after the Feb. 14, 2008 NIU shooting concluded the gunman fired “nearly 60 rounds” before he ended his own life.
“I think I’m willing to come forward and talk more about it now just because I feel like we’re finally getting something that can benefit some good,” Peterson said.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
He now teaches Geology and Paleontology at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where he also works with campus police.
“He knows what he’s talking about. He lived through a situation like this,” said Acting Police Chief Chris Tarmann, who teaches active shooter training on campus and for police departments across Wisconsin.
Tarmann has also teamed up with Peterson to train students and civilians as well.
“We’ve become really good friends the last 10 years. He’s a co-presenter, we teach this class together, “ Tarmann said.
“The first part is focusing more on the campus community about if you see something, say something," Peterson said.
NBC 5 Investigates has found “educational facilities” are the second-most likely place for active shootings in the U.S.
According to FBI statistics, businesses are twice as likely to have an active shooter than a school or college.
“We’re in this different time where we got to be really helping our community understand how to react to these situations,” Tarmann said.
“It’s about getting yourself to safety and doing what you can, and you can’t really predict exactly how you’re going to react,” Peterson said.
Run, hide, fight is the training model they teach to know how to respond in an active threat situation—and to call 911 as soon as possible. Also, know where all the exits are wherever you go.
“I should’ve been doing this since day one. It takes two seconds, if even, when you sit in a theater or restaurant to just look around and know where the exits are. I mean, the illuminated signs are there, and we don’t even see them, “ Peterson said.
Say something if you see a potential threat is also part of their proactive training. That includes reaching out to people around you who might be struggling and need help.
“This has been a way for him to give back to the circumstance in a way and I don’t even know if that’s the right wording for that. But it’s a way from him to heal a little bit,” said Tarmann.
“There’s also this kind of heavy feeling for a long time that I’ve got this thing that I’m carrying, and I don’t know what to do with it and this has been a great way of bringing some good with it. I can take this experience and hopefully try to help other people,” Peterson said.
