People who survived emergency school events share their experiences - (r/AskReddit)

our slash asked reddit people who have survived school shootings what was it like serious I was in the room when one student shot another at our high school then ran out of the building this was the 80s so there was no lockdown procedure we all just left the building and various states off shock I never felt threatened so it really didn't affect me too badly the victim lived in the shooter spent several years in the Indiana youth center with Mike Tyson and one of my best friends from high school that's a bizarre sentence for you coming up on the ninth anniversary of a shooting that took place at my high school when I was a senior a student that had been suspended earlier in the day returned to the school with his dad's handgun went into the office of the vice principal that had suspended him and opened fire he struck and killed the vice-principal and critically injured the head principal who was responding to the sound of gunfire the student fled the school and took his own life in a parking lot not far from the campus I was in class at the time and an announcement came over the intercom that we were in a Code Red lockdown some students teachers say they remember the announcement saying that it was not a drill but I'm not really certain if that was included or not my class locked the door turned off the lights and huddled in a corner but I don't remember a feeling of fear or that the room was tense we had had a couple of code yellows earlier in the year for small fights in the hallways and code yellow red drills weren't uncommon so the class felt more inconvenienced by the fact that we were just about to break for our lunch wimba announcement was made than anything else as we sat for longer without any update a realization definitely began to come over the class that something more serious had happened and we were all on our phones looking to get some idea of what was going on this was before Twitter was super popular and there was a ton of confusion and misinformation going around from texts that people were getting from other students in the building and from family friends who are now watching the story develop on the news we eventually received word that the school was going to be taken out of the Code Red and students faculty would be released room by room and escorted out of the building by an armed police officer we waited what felt like hours we'd missed lunch in the room was restless and finally received the knock on our door to indicate we were leaving the officer walked us out the back of the school and through a parking lot at led to a church that labored the school I met up with my parents and went home to watch my school on the news later that evening I went to dinner with some friends to just spend time with one another and we got word while we were there that our vice-principal had passed from her injuries we finished our meal and silence paid our check and went to the school for a candlelight vigil there had to have been four hundred plus people with candles and homemade signs and people just took turns praying and speaking to the crowd nothing planned or officially organized just an opportunity for people to hurt together it sounds cliche when people say I never thought it would happen here but that really is the only response that makes sense after something like that happens I remember an intense sadness in the days that followed and cried more than I ever had before or since when I think back about that day I like to remember the kindness of the community at the candlelight vigil and the posters of support from neighboring schools that lined the main hallway of the building for the next month I was around for Elliot Rogers shooting at UCSB there are a few things that I remember being surprising the sense of humor this was not everyone but I remember a couple people making finger gun gestures at each other I think this is because the event lasted a while and spread over the Isla Vista area so there was a general discomfort wherever you were I think people were coping with the stress however you could gallows humor basically the awkwardness of trying to console someone who just saw their friends shot or we're shot of themselves if you have ever been in a social situation where you didn't know what to say add in the fact that whatever you say might permanently affect the life of the person you are talking to your school is now famous for this although this was during a time that school shootings weren't super common so that might be changing I was at UCLA during the shooting in 2016 it was only a disgruntled grad student shooting his advisor and then himself but we didn't know that at the time everyone was assuming it was a mass I was walking back to my apartment just off campus when the notification went out that there were reports of gunshots and to get inside because campus was locking down I finished walking home and turned on the news with some friends I had other friends who were hiding in classrooms the craziest part was the amount of misinformation going around on social media and in various group messages I was a part of there were reports of more people shot and multiple shooters in a coordinated attack around various parts of campus and such I'm not sure how much of that was fabricated maliciously and how much started with someone seeing a plainclothes officer with a gun or something in the story snowballing from there I called my mom off to well and she started crying she said she hadn't called me sooner because she didn't want my phone to ring in case I was in hiding I was a student at Virginia Tech during the 2007 massacre I wasn't directly in the fire or anything just a student in the dorms it was very surreal that morning my friends and I sat into the dorms watching the news evolve on campus it started off saying one or two injured at that point we didn't make too much of the situation I remember the newscaster saying at one point that the new updates was over 20 fatalities the final count was 32 and we all just froze we assumed it was an error it was not as the day evolved we reached out to our friends to make sure they were okay but cell service was very spotty I had a very uneasy feeling that a somewhat peripheral friend of mine was in danger and tried to text her it turns out she was shot but survived another of our friends was shot and killed the next few days of a strange classes were canceled and many left the campus President Bush came to speak to us but I'm sure even he felt helpless with not much to contribute eventually they canceled the remainder of classes and exams for the semester and we left for the year the summer was difficult at my summer job people kept trying to talk to me about the shooting both co-workers and customers I don't know why but I felt okay discussing it with fellow VT students but nobody else including my other friends and family I eventually quit that job and got a new one not telling anyone I was a VT student returning to school felt surreal we did a lot of school spirit activities and football games we are Virginia Tech etc but it was definitely a different atmosphere I felt very uncomfortable in lecture halls and whenever my mind went blank I imagined a shooter coming in on killing us that feeling still persists sometimes in large groups I'll start thinking about a mass murder occurring the day I'll always say is the day I grew from a child to an adult I changed in ways both positive and negative I made new bonds with my fellow classmates but felt isolated from some other people it was definitely the defining experience of my young adulthood for a long time I didn't want to talk about these experiences with anyone now I try and speak more openly about it because I am trying to advocate for a better future I was in the Arapahoe High School shooting in 2013 the kid got kicked off the Speech and Debate team and decided to get revenge on the teacher he bought a shotgun and went into the school on Friday the 13th he fired two shots right off my hallway and killed a girl who died after being in a coma for a couple of weeks then he went to the library started a fire and killed himself I was in my science class right off the hallway we were in the middle of a test and I being the [ __ ] student I was just wanted out I was about to ask to go to the bathroom when I decided uh kit I'll finish the test then go home five minutes later there was a gunshot the first thing that crossed my mind was that a janitor was removing one of those giant ass wooden doors and accidentally dropped it slapping it against the ground students looked back and forth nervously then a second shot went off my teacher went out into the hallway and a minute later returned to the room and told us to get into lockdown I guess he saw the smoke in the stairwell and saw what happened in that hallway before long we were all crammed into the corners behind the big lab tables I was sitting in the middle of the classroom so I was one of the last kids to get to a spot so I was basically sitting out in the middle the room hiding behind the trash can the whole time my teacher a massive slab of muscle was upright right next to one of the two doors ready to duck up anyone that might walk in we were in lockdown a good three minutes before the announcement even happened we sat there for what felt like hours before the fire alarm went off I'm assuming this was the fire started in the library then even longer and we began hearing voices down the hallway my teacher looked right to me in the middle of the room with a nervous look in his eyes finally cops SWAT showed up they tried the door and my teacher jumped and looked at me again who was giving a violent not and a thumbs up they cleared the hallway before asking us to open the door we all got packed down upon exiting and set out in the cold on the track field for a couple of hours before being bussed off to a local church I remember texting my parents and sister that I love them and funnily enough I remember making jokes to my mom cause I bet she was more scared than I was which was pretty ducking scared for the rest of the month we had a long winter break when we all got back things seemed really cool everyone was closer to each other and supportive as the year went on things went back to normal the usual bullying and other [ __ ] so I went to online school ask any questions you have edit being in Colorado where there was Columbine and Aurora I now don't like going places with big crowds especially protests or anything of the sort also before you click this link do me a favor and don't remember the shooters name don't look at his picture don't give him that honor he was troubled and I feel bad for him Denver Post comlink edit - I remember afterwards while we were waiting to be bused off everyone was speculating who it was they were speculating this one kid I knew and got along with pretty well he was a weird kid but lots of fun I remember thinking it was shitty all the sudden everyone wasn't surprised that might be him because of the way he was treated after school was back on everyone was suddenly nice to this kid they knew it was because they didn't want to be the next target to the high school kids that might be reading this you know that one quiet awkward kid that sits in your class don't be nice to him because you're afraid of what he'll do if he snaps be nice to him because we all need that in our life after all we're all stuck on this rock hurdling through space so just be ducking and pleasant to one another start a conversation ask about hobbies be a good person edit 3 think of a person right now any person now send that person a text how are you doing lately now listen to what they have to say and offer support be there for the people you know survivor of the SHS shooting here I was 9 at the time and in 4th grade I was in the gym and we were just going through the normal routine that says the gym teacher explaining the activity and us participating I remember it was rope climbing that day and I was so excited all the sudden we heard a loud bang noise and everyone looked towards the door at first we shrugged it off as the janitor dropping something in the hallway but after the 2nd and 3rd bangs we were ushered into the corner and told to be very quiet while my teacher ran and locked the doors we were confused but unbothered at first but the longer it went on the more worried we became the loudspeaker crackled on and we heard muffled voices and muffled banks then silence yes later I was told it was our principal and the office staff trying to warn us but were killed by now where were all silently sobbing and holding hands I remember being very scared but not entirely sure of what of course a school shooting was not the first thing on our minds eventually my teacher told us to crawl across the floor and into a supply closet where we sat terrified until SWAT and police officers opened the doors and helped us out we went out one of the back doors and walked the drive to the fire house where our parents picked us up and took us home that experience has changed me forever and while the effects I had initially nightmares anxiety et Cie have lessened I still feel them I and many others suffer from PTSD and I don't think a day goes by where I don't think about it while I did not know one who passed personally I have seen the toll it took on my community and feel for their families and friends deeply r.i.p angels you are loved I went to school next to a school shooting it was our sister school so everyone from school kinda knew everyone from school be the morning it happened I remember watching all the teachers in our back hallway gather around and huddled together I made eye contact with one of them who was visibly very distressed I turned to the kid next to me and said something serious is happening and he laughed and said I was paranoid turns out I wasn't they didn't tell us anything they tried to hide the whole fact but since so many people had connections to the other school we all found out quickly we went on loose lockdown so no going outside which I still find odd but whatever for kids died personally I wasn't in the shooting but I am still a little shaken that previous weekend I met a kid who was very very cute and I was debating getting his number I didn't because I was shy but the morning it happened I was thinking of him and what if we had been texting and blah blah because I'm 14 and had major crushes I came to find out he was one of the kids who died that still kinda haunts me I go to Saugus high school and was at school during the most recent school shooting that happened two or three weeks ago I'll start from the beginning I got to school at probably around 7:10 because I am Mormon so I had a class called seminary basically Bible study and so we ended and I walked to school I walked in and went towards the back of campus ish but I could still see where it took place in the quad I'm just chillin there with my friends when I look over and see some kid walking really quickly towards the middle of the quad and it happened so quickly he was crying I think he ripped his backpack around and I just knew there something was wrong he reached in and shot a girl in front of him I won't say her name but I knew her quite well and she was instantly dead I'm pretty sure at that point I don't remember much I just ran and I ran and I ran and I ran until I collapsed on the sidewalk outside of school and some parent came and helped me scariest moment of my life I knew the kid that was the shooter I knew the girl that died I knew one of the injured I'm still dealing with it today and it has honestly made me so scared a chair fell and I just sat in my room for a couple hours I hope no one ever has to deal with anything like that ever I was in the stem shooting we heard five shots and sat in a corner for a little while then some yelling I heard some guy moaning in pain outside then a bullet can through the wall and scratched my friend we left to another corner than there were two more shots I was texting friends and family and my friend texted me wanna play 8-ball pool the cops removed us there was blood in the halls we stood around in the cold for a couple hours a friend of mine got shot in the leg three times though she's okay now both of them are I hid in a department closet for a few hours with some girls I barely knew because I met them by yelling there's a shooter on campus at them we sobbed and texted our loved ones until police escorted us out of the building after catching the guy to this day I am a lot more anxious and depressed I haven't been able to complete a college class since the event I am scared to be on campus I was at Columbine during the shooting I was in the cafeteria when it started just outside and I thought it was a senior prank at first after I realized it was not I ran and hate I was in there for a couple hours just kinda huddling in a corner with some students and teachers I wasn't really scared it was more an adrenaline rush that lasted for what seemed like days time seemed to go super slow and it was honestly boring it is a weird feeling that I can't describe I was more worried about my friends and gf than myself I was close to a lot of Pippa bombs and gunshots but never really felt like I was going to get hit in any way my parents took it harder than I did especially my mom she was in shock and crying uncontrollably when she picked me up my brother was at the Phaedo middle school that got locked down he didn't want to get stuck at school so he walked home when we got home he was playing video games like nothing happened it forgot to mention that all our stuff including backpacks wallets was in my backpack and cars were kept for months sounds kinda shitty compared to what some people went through but it was a major inconvenience what was crazy was the support and donations we received after all sorts of companies donated new backpacks school supplies books blankets food and more I think I even got a new TI 82 plus a bunch of celebrities would visit as well I'm an adjunct professor at UNC Charlotte where a shooting happened last May it was the last day of classes and I left my students out 30 minutes early and I'm so glad I did because a shooting occurred about 20 minutes later I got one of those emergency alerts on my phone that only said active shooter in building run hide fight I remember thinking what the hell does that mean I realized that I was weren't fully unprepared or trained for this kind of situation I was glued to the TV the rest of the night just wondering what I would have done if I were on campus or if God forbid the shooter was in my building the campus is still recovering from that traumatic experience and I have a totally new awareness of my surroundings egg checking doors for locks closing the blinds on the windows positioning myself near doors it was weird because classes were over so we all just left for the summer and exams were cancelled this doesn't count as a school shooting but there was a point in my middle school in eighth grade where someone brought containers of ethanol there were rumors that he had guns in his locker and he also had locks and chains and he was planning on locking the school in and setting it on fire my friend found out and told on him he was arrested and we were evacuated all the police released weather containers of ethanol were found but they were keeping the chains and locks secret this summer the incident was last year the person who was gonna burn the school down Harriston threatened my friend so much that he shot himself I will never forget my friend's name or the student's name my friend was a good person and didn't tell anyone what was happening until his last few days we had a memorial for him at the school but it still isn't the same without him throw you made it to the end you're ducking beasts I'll cut you a deal smash like and subscribe for more curated content might it's free and that's a great price

Channel: Sir Reddit

Views: 698,833

Rating: 4.9470701 out of 5

Keywords: reddit, askreddit, askreddit funny, top posts, top posts of r/, r/, r/askreddit, reddit top posts, reddit cringe, comedy, reddit compilation, top posts of all time, askreddit question, askreddit top posts, ask reddit, askreddit reading, subreddit, reddit stories, best of r/askreddit, funny reddit, best reddit posts, best of reddit, emkay, ToadFilms, sir reddit, doctor reddit, reddit and chill

Id: Y-284wzGwZU

Length: 20min 4sec (1204 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 11 2019