Gunfire erupted at Ohio State University on Monday morning, leaving at least seven people injured — one critically — and sparking an alert from police that ordered students to “run, hide, fight,” according to reports.
The suspected shooter was shot, WBNS-TV reported, citing local authorities.
Those injured, including two in stable condition, were rushed to three area hospitals.
A photo was shared on Twitter showing what appears to be a person sprawled on the ground.
The injured victims from the campus were rushed to three area hospitals.
“Buckeye Alert: Active Shooter on campus. Run Hide Fight. Watts Hall. 19th and College,” the school’s police and fire department tweeted at 9:56 a.m. — a message which was retweeted by OSU’s main Twitter account.
“Buckeye Alert: Continue to shelter in place. Avoid area of College. More information to follow.”
“Run, hide, fight” is standard protocol for active-shooter situations. It means: Evacuate if possible; get silently out of view; or, as a last resort, take action to disrupt or incapacitate the shooter if your life is in imminent danger.
A Columbus police dispatcher declined to comment on the reports, but police vehicles and firefighters were seen at the scene.
The corner of 19th Avenue and College Road in Columbus is about 0.7 miles east of Ohio Stadium.
OSU student Wyatt Crosher told CNN he took shelter in his dorm across the street.
“We did hear like three or four things that would sound like gunshots, then we heard sirens, so we assume they were gunshots,” Crosher said. “It’s very scary. We don’t know much. We just know there was an active shooter across the street.”
News of the shooting spread quickly on social media, where Twitter user Ben Slayton posted the photo of a person on the ground.
“The police shot the person in my picture so I’m assuming it was a shooter. Police said that he had a knife,” he wrote under the handle @_bennybeatz.
Senior Mike O’Connell said he did not hear shots, but got the alerts.
“I just had a class over here an hour ago,” he told the Columbus Dispatch. “This is insane. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
A Facebook user said her son, an OSU student, texted her about the incident.
“He’s safe! He said he was walking and heard gun shot about 1,500 feet away from him!” Rayetta Raymond wrote. “He ran as fast as he can and a lot of people running all over the place! Scary for him and myself as a Mom… very scary! But I’m thankful that my son is safe!!”
OSU’s main campus in Columbus is one of the largest in the US. The university has more than 65,000 students enrolled across the state.
The school has been in a celebratory mood after its football Buckeyes beat the University of Michigan 30-27 in double OT on Saturday — OSU’s fifth straight victory over the Wolverines.
