UVA Shooting: Students Describe Sheltering in Place as Shooting Rampage Begins
Enlarge this image toggle caption KEN BERTOLANIK/NPR KEN BERTOLANIK/NPR
UVA, Virginia — Eight people are dead in a campus shooting in Charlottesville, Va., after violence broke out Wednesday night on a city street corner.
The shooter, James T. Hodgkinson, was killed. His body was found in a field near University City, Va.
Terrified first-year students told NBC’s Dan Abrams, reporting for the network, that police officers and community members had asked them to stay in their dorm rooms as the shooting began.
The students told Abrams that in a moment of panic, they told students who were in the dorms to get out of their rooms and go to their “safety” in the bathroom.
“We wanted to go, but the officers would not let us,” wrote one student, who described a “crazy” feeling of confusion as violence began. “I had lost my phone, and there was no way to contact anyone. All I could do was cry and scream like a little girl. Like a baby.”
“There is no way I can describe what I’m feeling, but I’m glad I can finally express my emotions through this story,” said student Sarah P.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kenneth L. Morgan/AP Kenneth L. Morgan/AP
P., a sophomore, wrote, “The way the officers ordered us to take cover in our safety, it honestly made me feel sick; we could all be killed. That’s one of the most terrifying moments I’ve experienced; I’m really glad I have this story to tell.”
Another student, Sarah M., wrote: “It’s so hard to write this story, as we’re still too numb to know what to say. This past week has been the weirdest and most surreal time of my life, and I’ve had to pull myself out of my own head of it all. You all know what I’m talking about right? The ‘I am so afraid’ feeling like you’re going to die. I honestly do not know how to fully explain this feeling, but it’s just been a very difficult and painful experience for all of us.”
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