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Shooting At Ohio State University Has Students Sheltering In Place — REPORT

by Alana Romain

Local news outlets in Ohio reported a shooting at Ohio State University that began on campus Monday morning. Not much is currently known, though the Columbus Fire Department has confirmed that a number of people have been injured, according to CNN. The active shooter was reportedly located at Watts Hall on 19th Street and College Street, according to tweets from the university.

Update: OSU's Emergency Management and Fire Prevention Twitter account reported that the shelter in place had been lifted at around 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time. At that time, the local fire department said that nine people had been injured; one of those people was in critical condition. The suspect is reportedly dead, according to a local NBC affiliate. The suspect reportedly used a car to run down pedestrians and then attacked some of them with a knife, according to NPR. All classes are canceled for the rest of the day, according to the OSU emergency management account.

CNN reported that Watts Hall is the materials science and engineering building on OSU's campus. According to Fox News, OSU's student newspaper, The Lantern, tweeted that at least one person was feared dead. The tweet read:

There's at least one body bag present in front of Koffolt Labs. OSU police still advising to take shelter. Situation not under control.

The New York Times reported that eight people were taken to the hospital, according to reports from fire department officials. At least one of those people was reported as being in critical condition. At around 11 a.m. Eastern Time, an NBC affiliate in Ohio reported that the suspect was dead and a ninth victim was being treated at the scene, according to The Hill.

Photos and videos of the scene outside of the university showed dozens of first responders attempting to get to Watts Hall and the main campus:

Students shared photos of their classrooms and the places they were sheltering on Twitter. One photo from ABC News shows that students had barricaded the door to their classroom with a stack of chairs:

Sophomore Wyatt Crosher told CNN that he and his roommate heard gunshots from across the street:

My roommate and I heard about three or four gunshots from across the street, and soon after we heard a bunch of police and ambulances pull up across the street. We can't see the building where the shooting happened because of a dorm blocking our view. It truly sounded like gunshots, and really soon after we heard a bunch of sirens. We can see the police cars from our dorm.

At about 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time, OSU's Emergency Management and Fire Prevention Twitter account reported that the shelter in place had been lifted but that Watts Hall and the area around 19th and College was still closed:

Facebook activated its Safety Check feature for the shooting, calling the incident "The Violent Incident in Columbus, Ohio," according to ABC News.

The identification or motivation of the shooter is still unknown. For now, Twitter users and those with loved ones in or around Ohio State are just sending their support and prayers to those affected.

This story is developing...