COLUMBUS, OH — (CNN) In less than two minutes an attack on the Ohio State University campus ended with the person responsible dead and 11 people injured, school and city officials said Monday.
Eleven people were hospitalized as a result of the attack. Ohio State officials lauded the efforts of Officer Alan Horujko in stopping Abdul Razak Ali Artan before he could injure more people.
Artan, an 18-year-old Ohio State student of Somali descent, rammed his car into a group of pedestrians, Ohio State President Dr. Michael V. Drake said in a news conference Monday.
Horujko shot the knife-wielding man when he failed to comply with orders to put down his weapon, Drake said.
Authorities are still investigating Artan’s motive. When asked if the incident was terror-related or had anything to do with Artan’s connection to the Somali community, Drake cautioned against a rush to judgment.
A US official said Artan was a legal permanent resident.
“We all know when things like this happen that there’s a tendency sometimes for people to put people together and create other kinds of theories. We don’t know anything that would link this to any community. We certainly don’t have any evidence that would say that’s the case,” Drake said.
“What we want to do is really unify together and support each other; do our best to support those who were injured in their recovery, and then allow the investigation to take place.”
How it happened
At 9:52 a.m., the assailant drove over a curb and struck pedestrians near Watts Hall, Ohio State Police Chief Craig Stone said.
Horujko called in the car at 9:52 a.m. A few seconds later, he called in to say he had engaged with the suspect. At 9:53 a.m., he radioed in again to say he had shot the suspect.
“He got out of the vehicle and started using a butcher knife to start cutting pedestrians,” Stone said.
Student Jacob Bower, 20, said he saw the attacker outside between the Koffolt Laboratories and Watts Hall.
“He pulled a large knife and started chasing people around, trying to attack them,” Bower told CNN, adding that he did not see anyone get stabbed.
“Luckily there were so many people, he couldn’t focus on one target,” he said.
It took Horujko three shots to take Artan down, Bower said.
“He waited ’til everyone was clear, and the stabber clearly wasn’t stopping.”
Throughout the attack, the assailant didn’t yell or say anything, Bower said.
“He was completely silent, which was very creepy. Not even when he was shot (by police),” the student said.
“The cop that subdued the guy with the knife saved so many lives today.”
‘Run Hide Fight,’ university says
Earlier, campus officials urged people to shelter in place.
“Buckeye Alert: Active Shooter on campus. Run Hide Fight. Watts Hall. 19th and College,” OSU Emergency Management tweeted Monday morning.
Watts Hall is the university’s materials science and engineering building.
OSU senior Anthony Falzarano, 22, said he was in class at the time.
“We heard a lot of sirens. I was in class and everyone got a text message at the same time for the emergency alert,” he told CNN during the lockdown. “Someone said they heard popping right before we got the alert, but I didn’t hear it. We are in a shelter-in-place right now in the building next door. ”
“The officers are putting on Kevlar vests and have big weapons,” he said. “I can’t see anyone going inside the building — there’s just so many cops here.”
Some students piled chairs against a door to barricade themselves.
“I’m safe in a barricaded room,” Harrison Roth tweeted. “If you’re on campus, get in a room and stay safe.”
Ohio State University’s main campus in Columbus is one of the largest in the United States. The university has more than 65,000 students enrolled across the state.
Students had just returned to class Monday after the Thanksgiving break — and after the OSU football team’s big win Saturday over the school’s biggest rival, University of Michigan.
Michigan’s athletic department tweeted its support for OSU, saying “Stay safe, Buckeyes.”
Students are getting ready for final exams, which begin on December 9.
The incident also comes during the first month of the OSU public safety director’s job. Monica Moll came to the helm on October 31.
The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. (PHOTO: WCMH TV via CNN)
