‘This Can’t Be Real’

Jeff Merkel
I was cutting through the Law School Building to get to my 3:30 "Democracy in Developing Nations" class. I had to get there early to pick up some notes from a professor for an independent study class.

As soon as I stepped outside there was a crowd of students running from Cole [Hall]. I took my iPod out and heard them scream, "Shooter, shooter, shooter!" 

I said OK and turned around and went inside the law building went into the first classroom, right inside the door and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, and I don't know whether this is real or not, but I am hearing a lot of people saying, 'Shooter.' Turn off your lights and get into the corner." I told them, "I have to work for the paper and I have to go."

I left the building and took off. My wife said that I called her. I don't remember calling her but I told her, "There's been a shooting, I'm OK, but I'm going to cover it."

I started running into other student journalists. I started talking to police because I feel I am better suited to talk to police because I have worked with a lot of guys who have become police so I feel cocky.

I saw police tending to a guy with a head wound and I started looking around, talking to anybody that I could. As I was talking to one of the guys inside the hall, I was walking him over to the police officers and [told them], "This guy was trampled on the way out, but it doesn't look like [he's] hurt beyond a lump in my head," but he was in shock.