COLUMBUS, OH—Authorities shot and killed the student who drove his car into a field of pedestrians and stabbed multiple students at Ohio State University on Monday, November 28.
OSU and police have identified the suspect as Abdul Razak Ali Artan. Artan was a Somali refugee who left his country in 2007 with family. He lived in Pakistan and later moved to the United States as a legal permeant resident.
Before the attack at OSU Artan took to Facebook. He disclosed his objections towards the treatment of Muslims and wrote:
”I am sick and tired of seeing my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters being killed and tortured EVERYWHERE … I can’t take it anymore. America! Stop interfering with other countries … [if] you want us Muslims to stop carrying lone wolf attacks.”
The President of the Somali Community Association of Ohio, Hassan Omar, told NBC News we are in a state of shock.
“In Columbus, we live in a very peaceful community. This is gonna affect the life of everybody. We are American and we don’t want somebody to create this problem,” Omar said.
The incident happened around 9:40 a.m. outside of Watts Hall when Artan drove his car over a curb and into pedestrians.
Nicole Kreinbrink witnessed the event as she was walking down the street.
“This car just swerved and ran into a whole group of people,” Kreinbrink told NBC News. “All these people were running and screaming and yelling.”
OSU and early announcements reported an active shooter on campus through Twitter, but Artan actually exited the vehicle with a butcher’s knife and began stabbing people.
Eleven people were sent to local hospitals for treatment.
“There were multiple injuries related to cuts or lacerations most likely […] from the stab wounds,” an official said at a press conference. The official noted there were many people with soft tissue injuries related to being hit with the car.
The OSU Police Department confirmed Officer Alan Horujko shot and killed Artan. Officer Horujko was already on the scene when the attack happened. He contacted dispatch reporting a man had driven his car into pedestrians.
“He engaged the suspect and eliminated the threat,” said OSU Police Chief Craig Stone. Within one minute of attack Officer Horujko shot Artan and stopped the attack at OSU. Horujko has been a member of the OSU Police Department since January 2015.
Sophomore Jacob Bowers, 20, told ABC news, “I saw the police officer take down the stabber. He saved lives today.”
The campus remained on lockdown until police confirmed that there was no other accomplices. Classes were suspended for the rest of the day.
Written By Totianna Weekly
