Dehedre ran across the street and was let into a safe area in a nearby secure area, where he sat listening to the police scanner and texting in his work group chat, making sure his coworkers were secure.

James Madison sophomore Brody Bowen was also inside the Union when shots were fired. Bowen was at a University Activities Board, or UAB, meeting in the basement when he heard running footsteps on the floor above. The group went into lockdown, barricading the doors and turning off the lights.

A few minutes later, police cleared parts of the building and moved Bowen’s group to a safe area.

“I’m surprisingly numb about it,” Bowen said. “It might hit me later, but I guess I kinda froze. Andrew (the UAB advisor) really did take control of the situation, he deserves kudos for that … I’m just numb right now.”

St. John's Ambulance Operator Lynn Weber described confusion amongst first responders. Saying that police are spread thin across the large campus “chasing down everything, bogus or real.”

“There’s so many rumors going around right now,” Weber said. “It’s crazy … everybody’s calling in everything.”