College freshman killed and three others shot at off-campus party, Illinois cops say

A shooting at an off-campus party a week into the semester at Southern Illinois University has left a freshman dead, officials say.

Police in Carbondale were sent to a home about a half-mile away from Southern Illinois University early Sunday morning for reports of shots fired at a party, officers said. When police arrived, they found a gunshot victim and sent her to a local hospital.

The victim, a student at SIU, died at the hospital, according to Carbondale police. She was identified by WSIU as Keshanna Jackson, a freshman student from Chicago.

Three others victims from the party also showed up at the hospital with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, police said. All three are not affiliated with the university.

Police have not publicly released any information on a suspect or what led to the shooting.

In a statement to The Southern Illinoisan, SIU Chancellor Austin Lane said the university is “heartbroken to lose a member of the Saluki family.” The fall semester at SIU began Aug. 16.

Jackson’s sister, Kaszcha Jackson, said Keshanna had a bubbly personality and made everyone laugh, according to the Daily Egyptian.

“She just graduated from high school. She started her own nail business, she wanted to go to school to gain knowledge and expand her business professionally,” Kaszcha Jackson told the university’s student newspaper.

Hundreds of people attended a vigil on SIU’s campus Sunday night, WSIL reported.

“These young people are giving me hope by responding immediately to something that nobody should ever have to deal with,” Father Joseph Brown, a professor at the university, told WSIL. “But to have to come and grieve for a child again, this takes me down, but these young people assembling here bring me back up.”

University police are assisting Carbondale police in the investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact police at 618-457-3200.

Carbondale is about 100 miles southeast of St. Louis.

This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 9:58 AM with the headline "College freshman killed and three others shot at off-campus party, Illinois cops say."