A suspect is dead after going on a rampage at Ohio State University Monday morning, injuring at least eight people.
A
federal law enforcement official told CNN that there was only one
attacker, who mainly used a knife and a car in the attack - countering
earlier reports that there was a shooting.
But
exactly what happened at the campus remains unclear since the Columbus
Post-Dispatch is reporting that there were two attackers - one armed
with a gun, and the other with a knife.
The
chaos started around 10am, when a fire alarm was pulled at Watts Hall,
home to the Materials Science and Engineering program. Witnesses say
that as they were evacuating the building when a man driving a car mowed
down the crowds of innocent bystanders.
The
attacker then reportedly got out of the car and started stabbing and
slashing victims. The witness said that the knife-wielding man remained
silent throughout the attack but had a 'crazed' look on his face. A
responding officer shot the suspect dead.
After the incident at Watts Hall, the law enforcement focus shifted to a nearby parking garage.
SWAT
teams stormed the building just before 11am and minutes later two men,
one black and one white, were led out in handcuffs. It's unclear
whether they are suspects in the attack.
Just after 11:30am, the university lifted the shelter in place, but cancelled classes for the rest of the day.
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An assailant was killed on Monday after going on a rampage at the Ohio State University. Above, a body is seen on the campus
Two men
were led out from a parking garage in handcuffs during the rampage on
Monday. It's unclear if they are suspects or persons of interest
So
far, at least eight people have been transported to the hospital. One
is in critical condition and the rest are in stable condition. Four of
the victims were transported to OSU's Wexner Medical Center, while the
remaining were taken to other area hospitals.
Students
were instructed to 'run, hide and fight' in a tweet posted by the
school's office of emergency management just before 10am.
'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.
A high-ranking faculty member who spoke to NBC 4 Columbus said that one of his colleagues was in Watts Hall at the time and was slashed in the leg with a machete.
An active shooter situation was reported around 10am Monday after an incident at Watts Hall (pictured above)
SWAT teams later stormed the above parking garage. Shortly after, two other men were taken out of the garage in handcuffs
The school's Office of Emergency Management published this tweet shortly before 10am
Students were told to take shelter
inside buildings while the active shooter situation was underway.
Pictured are some who barricaded the door to their room closed with a
pile of chairs
Another
student told the station that his girlfriend was in the building when
gunshots rang out, and that she sought shelter in a bathroom. She has
since been safely evacuated from the building, and taken to a nearby
hospital for tear gas exposure.
There
was also a report that several students were hit by a car outside the
building, which may or may not have been driven by the shooter.
Several
witness reports say that a fire alarm went off in Watts Hall Monday
morning, and that people were evacuating from the building when a car
plowed through the crowds.
Police officers are seen sprinting after there were reports of an active shooter on the Ohio State University campus
OSU sophomore Wyatt Crosher, 19, was across the street when he says he heard gunshots Monday morning.
He told CNN:
'My roommate and I heard about three or four gunshots from across the
street, and soon after we heard a bunch of police and ambulances pull up
across the street.'
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