This is not the text message I was expecting from my favorite Ohio State Buckeye this morning:
10:11 AM "There is an active shooter on campus and someone with a knife but I'm safe at work in a building that's locked down."
My daughter, Maddy, knows me too well. I'm a reporter, after all, and I'm a worrier. So before I had even heard the news about what was happening in Columbus, I had heard from my daughter that she was safe.
I wish the same were true for the entire Ohio State University family.
Lucy's daughter, Maddy Schwarz
One of Maddy's roommates was in a classroom right where the shooter was reported to be.
"So she's okay for now but not in an ideal spot," Maddy texted.
"The lecture hall's also don't lock"
"She said they're all just up against walls and the professor is by the door"
"I'm like shaking I'm really scared"
I can't even imagine how frightened Maddy's roommate was -- along with all the other students on North Campus where the shootings happened. Or how scared that professor was when he decided to stand guard at the door for the sake of his students.
Maddy texted me that friends told her some students were getting hit by cars trying to run away.
She sent me a screen shot of a tweet from another student:
"my roommate just got home – she was in watts. she said they were all outside for a fire drill outside of watts and a kid drove his car INTO A CROWD OF PEOPLE running over kids in her class, he got out of his car with a gun and a knife and my roommate ran
"she just got back to my apartment"
I don't know how much of any of what Maddy was hearing and reading was true. It will be chaotic for a while as police and campus security sort through what happened.
But I do know that college professors should not be expected to use their own bodies as human shields to protect their students.
And no parent should have to worry that someone with a loaded gun could shoot -- or kill -- their children on a college campus.
In fact, parents shouldn't have to worry that someone with a loaded gun could shoot or kill their children anywhere. Period.
There's a lot we can't agree on right now in this country. But surely we can agree on that, can't we?
Lucy May writes about the people, places and issues that define our region – to celebrate what makes the Tri-State great and also shine a spotlight on issues we need to address. To read more stories by Lucy, go to www.wcpo.com/may. To reach her, email lucy.may@wcpo.com. Follow her on Twitter @LucyMayCincy.
