Frightened and alone in a dark stairwell, Edward feared the worst as reports of a shooter on the loose trickled out to students Wednesday in an engineering building at the UCLA campus.
He had just finished class and saw panicked students running. So he ran too and hid in the first place he could find in the chemistry and geology building. He tried to go back the way he came but got lost and just kind of ended up there.
"I found a little dark hallway and just stayed there by myself the whole time," he said. "It probably wasn't the best place to hide, but it was dark inside. So if someone was walking by they wouldn't be able to see me."
He texted fellow students and his parents as the campus was placed on lockdown and police swept through buildings trying to find a gunman or gunmen and victims after 10 a.m.
The initial reports of the shooting prompted the university to send a "Bruin Alert" to all students and staff notifying them to avoid the area or shelter in place. Via social media, some students reported hunkering down in restrooms or classrooms, unsure of there was an active shooter wandering the building.
Edward couldn't lock any doors, he texted his parents, but he was trying his best to hide.
"There's nothing much I can do," he texted them. "I'm doing everything that they're telling me to do."
As police began clearing classrooms, students were seen walking from buildings, often with their hands raised and some being subjected to pat-downs as they left.
Edward said he feared the worst whenever he heard a noise.
"I'd just be very alert to make sure no one was coming," he said.
After more than two hours, the campus was given the all clear. Two men were killed in a murder-suicide and there was no threat to anyone else.
"I wasn't sure when it was going to end," he said. "I wasn't sure if I was going to be alone for a couple more hours, just waiting."
