Boyfriend dies saving life of NIU victim

CHICAGO, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- One of the survivors of last week's Northern Illinois University shootings didn't learn until days afterward that her boyfriend had died saving her life.

Because Lauren Debrauwere was struggling with her own serious injuries, her parents told her that her boyfriend, Daniel Parmenter, was OK, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.

Parmenter was sitting next to Debrauwere in their ocean science class last Thursday when a gunman entered the lecture hall and began shooting. Steven Kazmierczak, a former NIU student, carried out the attack in which five students were killed before he turned a gun on himself.

Debrauwere's father told the Tribune that Parmenter tried to protect Debrauwere by placing his body over hers while they were lying on the floor.

Parmenter died of gunshot wounds to his head, back and side. Debrauwere was hit in the hip and abdomen.

"For a day or so, we told her, 'He's all right,'" Mark Debrauwere told the Tribune.

On Saturday, after consulting with a hospital social worker, Debrauwere's parents broke the news that Parmenter had died. His funeral was Tuesday at in Oak Brook, Ill.