NIU student charged with firing gun in university apartments banned from campus

DeKALB – A Northern Illinois University student who police say fired a gun while inside NIU-owned apartment housing has been banned from the DeKalb campus, university officials said.

NIU Spokesman Joe King confirmed on Tuesday Sirwalter Richardson, 22, of the 7600 block of South Ada Street in Chicago, is no longer allowed to live in Northern View Apartments, which is owned by the university.

“As of Saturday evening, he has been banned from campus, including Northern View, and is not allowed to attend in-person classes,” King wrote in a Tuesday email.

Richardson reportedly told police the weapon was discharged accidentally, according to DeKalb County court records.

Richardson was arrested over the weekend and charged with aggravated discharge of a firearm, a Class 1 felony, and unauthorized possession or storage of weapons, a Class A misdemeanor. If convicted of the felony charge, Richardson could face up to 15 years in prison.

The NIU student appeared before DeKalb County Judge Joseph Voiland during a virtual bond hearing Monday and was represented by Public Defender Tom McCulloch. He was given a $10,000 recognizance bond and ordered to surrender any firearms or FOID card to authorities.

According to DeKalb County court documents, NIU police responded to a call Saturday from an NIU student living in building four of Northern View Apartments, which is considered university student housing and owned by NIU. The student told police he found what looked like a bullet hole in his bedroom.

Police later learned Richardson lived in the adjacent apartment, which shared the wall with the bullet hole, according to court documents. Richardson consented to police searching his apartment. Officers found a 9mm pistol, which Richardson allegedly admitted belonged to him, according to records.

“Richardson admitted that he possessed that pistol in his room and that it accidentally discharged towards the wall he shares with [his neighbor],” according to court documents. “Richardson also admitted that he knew the building was occupied at the time of the discharge.”

Police later found a hole through a TV and the wall that matched the bullet hole in Richardson’s apartment. Richardson did not have permission of NIU police to possess the gun on NIU’s DeKalb campus, according to court records.

Richardson is due back in court at 10:45 a.m. Feb. 24 at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore.