PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — The woman who brought a gun into a UW-Platteville dorm in May and shot and killed another student, then herself, had a pattern of concerning behaviors. This according to a police profile obtained by television station WKOW. Police investigators found a blue spiral notebook belonging to the shooter, 22-year-old Hallie Helms of Baraboo. She wrote about obtaining a gun, suicide and possibly killing others, the report said. An autopsy found her liver had metabolized a psychoactive cannabis. Although guns are not permitted in UW-Platteville dorms, Helms had a legally acquired a Smith & Wesson that was used in the dorm shooting. Helms had studied elementary education and just graduated but was not recommended for teaching licensure because of poor academics. She had been absent for about two weeks at the end of her final semester. Teachers described Helms to police as “very quiet” and having “odd tendencies.” Teachers also said she preferred to work with men when it came to group projects and exercises. Helms’ roommate recalled to police that Helms sometimes posed unusual questions, like “How would you rob a bank?” and “If you were to kill somebody, how would you do it?”
