Ohio State University attack: what we know

Ohio State University on Monday morning sent out multiple alerts to students and staff to “Run Hide Fight” and take shelter to avoid an attacker on campus. Police and school officials confirmed that there had been a car-and-knife attack — not a shooting — at the university, which has nearly 60,000 students.

The story is quickly developing, so some details may be wrong and may change. Here’s what we know and what we don’t.

What we know

• Before 10 am on Monday, a car slammed into a group of pedestrians at the Ohio State campus. The suspect then got out of the vehicle and attacked students with a butcher knife, Ohio State and law enforcement officials said at a press conference.
• University police officer Alan Horujko, who was in the area after investigating a nearby gas leak, shot and killed the suspect.
• School officials identified the suspect as Abdul Razak Ali Artan, an Ohio State student. According to the Associated Press, he was born in Somalia and was living in the US as a legal permanent resident.
• Eleven people were injured and sent to local hospitals due to the attack, the AP reported. Eight victims are in stable condition, but one remains in critical condition.
• There are a lot of police in the area, including SWAT. But the scene is secure, according to the school and police.
• Although Ohio State officials originally claimed it was an “Active Shooter” situation, they later clarified that the suspect did not seem to have a gun.
• The Associated Press explained why the school sent out an alert telling people to “Run Hide Fight”: “‘Run, hide, fight’ is standard protocol for active shooter situations. It means: Run, evacuate if possible; hide, get silently out of view; or fight, as a last resort, take action to disrupt or incapacitate the shooter if your life is in imminent danger.”

What we don’t know

• What the attacker’s motives were.

Correction: Based on original reports from Ohio State and media, this article originally noted that the attack was a shooting. Later reports clarified that it was a car-and-knife attack.

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