After visiting with mourners during a vigil at a shrine put up to honor the victims of the Northern Illinois University shooting, Governor Blagojevich addressed the press. “I wanted to personally express my condolences to the Northern Illinois University community. We will work with the university to return to their core mission, and that is education.”
Blagojevich stated, “We will work to understand the motive of the assailant.” He wants to understand what the motives are in order to prevent this from happening again. He continued, “We are working with our larger education community, university presidents and leaders throughout Illinois to keep them updated on what we learn so they can update their safety plans and safety rules.” He offered prayers for parents and those who are recovering from their injuries.