Hordes of students and staff packed into their cars and followed suite, after nearly three hours in emergency lockdown.
One student, who did not provide his name, shared what his experience was like:
“So I was at the Rec Center, like I was hitting the gym, and we were told that we have to evacuate the building, like we have to evacuate the center, because there was some news about, like a gunman who was roaming around, and we were told just to evacuate.”
He says the students in the gym were separated into groups and were told to shelter in the locker rooms. Soon after, rumors started spreading that there were five gunmen on campus, and four had been caught.
Another student told WHQR that they were told something similar by a WPD officer. However, neither student was sure whether the information was correct or not.
At 9:48 p.m., UNCW sent out a text alert giving the all-clear, stating there was no active attacker on campus. While many of the students were shaken up, some students, like this one, felt supported:
“Honestly, I do not know how to say but I guess UNCW did a good job, and I feel safe. I was feeling safe inside. I wasn't scared at all. They were pretty clear about the instructions, and they were supportive, I would say,” he said.
