Shooting at Ohio State U

Ohio State: Suspect struck pedestrians with car, then stabbed victims

Nine people were injured when a man ran into pedestrians with his car on the Ohio State University campus, then exited the vehicle with a butcher knife and started cutting victims.

Less than a minute after the attack, an OSU police officer shot and killed the suspect. Despite rumors of a second suspect, police and campus officials say there was one person involved in the attack.

The attack happened outside of Watts Hall at W. 19th St. west of College Road. Earlier in the morning, the building had been evacuated because of a report of a gas leak. It's unclear if that was related to the attack or if that's why people were outside at the time of the attack.

OSU President Michael Drake, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, Columbus police Chief Kim Jacobs, the medical director from Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center and the OSU police Chief Craig Stone spoke this afternoon outside the OSU hospital. Officials said nine people were taken to area hospitals.

Wexner Medical Center treated five patients: two were stabbed, two were hit by the car and one who hid after the attack and just arrived. The last victim's injuries were being assessed.

Two victims with lacerations were taken to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center. Two victims who were struck by the car were taken to OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital.

The attack happened at 9:52 a.m. An "active shooter" alert was sent at 9:55 to the campus community urging people to hid in place.

At 11:30 a.m., the university said the scene is secure and that all classes are canceled on campus. The shelter-in-place order was lifted at 11:14 a.m., but more than a dozen buildings remain closed.

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Jefferson Township, who had spoken to OSU president Michael Drake, reported that a car drove into a crowd and most of those affected appeared to have stab wounds.

"The university appear to be secure now, the students appear to be safe," said. "What we don't know is what was the motive," she said.

Columbus Police, Ohio State police and deputies with the Franklin County sheriff's deputies rushed to the scene. Students took to social media to find information, and posted video and pictures to Twitter of the scene.

Police were searching the area, and there was intense police and SWAT activity at a garage at W. Lane Avenue and Tuttle Park Place on campus, just east of St. John Arena. Officers with long guns and two armored vehicles were seen there before the threat was lifted.

Mike O'Connell, a senior from Dublin, said he did not hear shots, but got the alerts.

"I just had a class over here an hour ago," he said. "This is insane. I've never seen anything like this."

Another student said she was in a business class when she received the emergency alert. She said she could see people running outside.

"We're just staying safe, making sure everyone else is safe," the sophomore said.

Peter Anderson, chairman of the department of materials science and engineering, said he arrived at Watts Hall after the attack was over.

He said students told him that someone called in a fluorine leak in the building, which has lab facilities. As required during emergencies, the students congregated in the courtyard outside the building.

He said the attacker drove a car into the courtyard. “It’s where we hold our ice cream socials and when something like this happens,”Anderson said.

One victim was struck so hard that their body flew into the air and landed on a hard surface.

“It sounds very fortunate that bsed on what I heard if this is not a life-threatening injury,” Anderson said.

Anderson said one of his colleagues, professor emeritus William Clark, was slashed in his lower leg by an attacker.

Upper Arlington and Grandview schools had been locked down for a short time while police investigated the incident. That has been lifted in both districts.

The Ohio Department of Transportation had closed the ramp from northbound Route 315 at Lane Avenue, southbound 315 at Medical Center Drive. Both have reopened.

High Street at Lane Avenue also is closed to westbound traffic.

Facebook released a Safety Check feature for the incident, allowing people in the area to mark themselves as unharmed.

Check Dispatch.com for more information as it becomes available.

The dead attacker was believed to be an Ohio State student — a Somali refugee who lived near campus, NBC News reported. It said he was a legal permanent resident of the U.S.