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2 victims of Illinois shooting attended school that just marked anniversary of another mass shooting

Posted at 4:15 PM, Feb 16, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-18 02:55:24-05

On Thursday, the sound of bells rang out on the campus of Northern Illinois University to mark 11 years since five students were killed in a mass shooting.

One day later, two more members of that community -- a student and alumnus -- were killed in another mass shooting.

Northern Illinois University student Trevor Wehner and alumnus Clayton Parks were among those killed at an Aurora, Illinois, manufacturing business Friday in a shooting rampage by an employee who was being fired from his job.

They were killed a day after the Dekalb, Illinois, university's bells tolled five times at 3:06 p.m. to honor each of the students killed in a shooting on February 14, 2008.

That day, a former student opened fire, killing five and wounding more than a dozen others before killing himself.

Friday was Wehner's first day as an intern at the Henry Pratt Co., according to a statement from the university's president, Lisa Freeman. He was set to graduate this May with a degree in human resource management.

Parks worked as the human resources manager at Henry Pratt Co. He graduated from NIU's College of Business in 2014, the university said.

"Loss like this is devastating and senseless," Freeman said in the statement. "I ask our university community to please keep the Wehner and Parks families, friends and communities in your hearts and offer them caring thoughts."

Thursday was also the first anniversary of the shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 students and staff dead.