Crime & Safety

Pittsburgh Shooter John Shick Was 'Good, Hardworking Student,' Says Carleton College Professor

John Shick graduated from Carleton College in 2004 as a chemistry major.

John Shick, a Carleton College graduate who killed one person and injured six others when he opened fire Thursday at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, was described as a "good, hardworking student."

That's according to David Alberg, one of Shick's chemistry professors at Carleton, where Shick graduated in 2004.

Another one of Shick's chemistry professors at Carleton, Marion Cass, said Shick, 30, was devoted to his studies while in Northfield and said she was clearly surprised by the events that unfolded last week in Pittsburgh.

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"It's pretty disturbing and quite shocking news," she said, according to the Philadephia Inquirer. "I'm very sad about the situation."

Shick graduated in 2004 after a five-year collaborative program where he received a Bachelor's in chemistry from  and a Bachelor's in engineering from Columbia University, said Eric Seiger, Carleton's director of media relations, according to the Huffington Post.

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Shick was killed as he tried to escape, the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette reported.

Police said Shick had two 9mm semiautomatic handguns and two fanny packs with sandwich bags holding unidentified pills, the Post-Gazette reported.

No motive has been established.

Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC on Friday confirmed the death of employee Michael Schaab in Thursday's shootings that also wounded six others at the Pittsburgh facility.

Schaab, 25, worked at Western Psych since 2008 as a milieu therapist, providing program development and group therapy, according to UPMC's website.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our colleague and friend, Michael Schaab, yesterday. It was clear that Michael was truly a leader among our staff, and he was beloved by the geriatric patients whom he cared for every day," said Claudia Roth, president and chief executive officer of Western Psych.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this time. This senseless act of violence has had a profound impact on all of us who knew and admired him. He will be greatly missed," Roth said. “We are offering resources and tools to support staff, patients and families during this challenging time, and we offer our support and prayers to those who are still recovering from their injuries.”

Schaab was pronounced dead at the clinic at 3 p.m., about 80 minutes after the shootings occurred, the report stated.

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