This morning, Ohio State University reported an active shooter on its campus. Reportedly, nine people were injured and the gunman is dead.
First reports of gunshots came from Watts Hall, which is home to the school’s Materials Science and Engineering program, at around 10 a.m.
Students/bystanders have been moved back from the scene toward Arps Hall pic.twitter.com/c9NnyGPLqF
— The Lantern (@TheLantern) November 28, 2016
It’s believed there was likely more than one shooter on the Columbus, Ohio, campus, which educates more than 58,000 students. Just before 11 a.m. authorities confirmed that one suspect was dead. Two men, one Black and one White, were also brought out of the building in handcuffs.
Of the nine people who were transported to the hospital, one is in critical condition and the rest in stable condition. Four of the victims were transported to OSU’s Wexner Medical Center.
Buckeye Alert: Active Shooter on campus. Run Hide Fight. Watts Hall. 19th and College.
— OSU Emergency Mngmnt (@OSU_EMFP) November 28, 2016
In the wake of campus shootings over the past decade, students have a protocol to follow.
In a tweet posted by the school’s office of emergency management just before 10 a.m., students were instructed to “run hide fight.”
“Run, hide, fight” is standard protocol for active shooter situations. It means: Run, evacuate if possible; hide, get silently out of view; or fight, as a last resort, take action to disrupt or incapacitate the shooter if your life is in imminent danger.
Students piled chairs against a door to barricade themselves.
Strangely enough, a faculty member was reportedly slashed in the leg with a machete and another student hit by a car.
Classes were canceled for the rest of the day. Students are preparing for final exams, which begin on Dec. 9.
In addition to local authorities, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is on the ground in Columbus, spokesman Dave Coulson tells the media.
Update: The shots were fired by law enforcement. The deceased suspect was actually a knifeman. His name is Abdul Razak Ali Artan.
