Skokie police were trying to determine Friday why a 26-year-old Evanston man walked into Niles West High School in Skokie on Thursday night and fired six shots, seriously wounding a security officer.
The gunman died minutes later after turning the revolver on himself.
No students or teachers were harmed in the incident, and classes began as usual Friday morning.
“We’re trying to get on with school as normal as possible,” said Niles Township High School District 219 Supt. Griff E. Powell.
A team of psychologists, social workers and counselors was on hand, but few students felt the need to consult with them.
“Apparently the kids feel safe for now,” said Maren Karras, District 219’s public relations director.
Police were calling it a domestic dispute, saying the victim, Skokie Police Officer Donald Hennessy, 57, knew the assailant, Westley N. Keaton of Dodge Avenue in Evanston. Authorities would not elaborate on the relationship.
“We’re still trying to piece it together,” said Skokie Sgt. Michael Ruth.
Police said that about 10 p.m. Thursday, Hennessy was moonlighting as a security guard at the school when Keaton confronted him in a hallway near the gymnasium, brandishing a .357 Magnum handgun. A volleyball game for adults was winding up inside the gym.
Either Hennessy or Keaton pulled a fire alarm, alerting police and sending a teacher into the hallway to see about the commotion.
The teacher, whom school officials would not identify, witnessed the shooting. Police said she ushered the volleyball players out the back door and returned to the scene to assist Hennessy, who was able to radio for help.
Within moments, police arrived and spotted Keaton just west of Gross Point Road. When they flashed a spotlight on him, he shot himself in the head, police said.
Keaton, a 1990 graduate of Evanston Township High School, was pronounced dead at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston. Police said he had 32 rounds of ammunition on him. He is not known to have had a prior record.
Hennessy, a 35-year veteran of the force, was shot twice in the chest and once in the groin. He was listed in fair condition Friday afternoon at St. Francis.
“He’s very well-liked by the members of the department,” Ruth said.
