WIU Student Who Shot Roommate Charged With Attempted Murder

CHICAGO — A Western Illinois University student who shot his roommate in a residence hall Tuesday night turned himself into Chicago police, authorities said.

Kavion Poplous, 18, of Chicago was taken into custody by the FBI Wednesday around 1:30 p.m. He charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery and aggravated discharge of a firearm, officials said.

Poplous allegedly shot a fellow student in Thompson Hall in Macomb around 10:30 p.m. in what officials initially described as a "roommate dispute." The residence hall was evacuated, classes were cancelled and the Macomb and Quad Cities campuses were placed on lockdown Wednesday.

The shooting victim was taken to McDonough District Hospital in Macomb and later transported to another hospital, officials said.

"I want to thank the swift work of our Office of Public Safety and other law enforcement personnel and first responders for the assistance they provided," WIU Interim President Martin Abraham said in a statement.

"I'd also like to thank law enforcement, as well as our student services staff and so many others, who worked quickly to ensure our students' safety. Our thoughts are with our student who remains hospitalized, and we pray for a speedy recovery."

WIU is set to reopen and resume classes on Thursday, and all campus residence halls will remain locked through the weekend to ensure residents' privacy, officials said.