We're joined Now by Claire papulius a sophomore who was inside Berkey Hall where the gunfire broke out and her mom Natalie who was on the phone with her during part of this incident good morning to both of you we're glad you're with us glad to see you okay Claire but can you take us through what you experienced last night.
Um yeah because it was very memorable in a traumatic way very like I'm still very shaking up um last night um I had my um ih211c class which is um it's like an integral studies class it's kind of about like the historical significance of Cuba and history and.
Just it's like very interesting class I love history and it's usually from Seven um to 8 50. and um the classroom's not huge um there's probably like 20-ish 30 people maybe in there and I usually sit on about the third or fourth row smack dab in the middle um and I always sit right next to the.
Same um girl when I go to that class every single day um and when I was in class it was around and I just say eight almost 8 20 it felt like a little before then um was sitting and my professor was.
Lecturing and then I heard like it was either folk three or four like really I could hear gunshots like directly behind my head and I could see the smoke like gunpowder or something from the weapon firing and then I could smell and immediately I dropped to the floor with all my classmates and someone was yelling that there was a shooter and.
Everybody needed to get down on the ground and at that moment I um thought that I was gonna die I was so scared um I didn't cry which is surprising for me um I just like kind of kept quiet and I called my mom and Mom what did you hear on the phone I I heard like three gunshots and screaming and we jumped in.
Our car and drove up there um and after um I heard those gunshots um my classmates in the back of the classroom started to scream for help and my other classmates jumped into action and trying to help everyone if it weren't for my class and it's helping everyone I don't think that we would.
Have all made it because immediately someone was like we need to break open this window we need to break open this window so they immediately immediately after he was done like firing and the kids in the back were screaming for help um I saw a boy and he like had his shirt off and he was running to see if he.
Could go and close the door because the shooter he came in through the back door there's a door here and there's a door here and he came through the back and he just started attacking people and um I will never forget the screams of my classmates as they were like screaming in pain for help.
And after they got the window open they started to guide people through and it's a weird window because the bottom is like a small rectangle and it's about this big and it only kind of opens like one way it kind of tilts down but the top was like a larger pane but there it's way harder to crawl over it because it's like way high up.
And I was really scared and people were crawling through the window and I'd say I was like one of the like either first-ish kind of people or like maybe like in the middle to climb out the window but there was a boy in my class and he was waiting outside the window and he was catching people and hugging people down and I'm so grateful that he.
Was there to help people out of the window so they wouldn't fall and they could run away and as soon as I felt like fell out of the window I kind of like hit the ground a little and then I didn't have my laptop and I didn't have my textbook I just grabbed my backpack and my phone and I remember I just ran for my life I didn't know where the guy.
Was I assume he was somewhere in the vicinity I just kind of looked around and just ran and um that's what my other classmates did as well when they were acting they just kind of ran in all sorts of directions and my boyfriend uh Cameron he's also a sophomore at Michigan State and he usually comes and.
Picks me up from that class so he'll usually come and sit in the lobby at 8 30. um he didn't um because his roommate was actually sick and he was helping him so I think if my boyfriend was there um he would have definitely gotten injured.
Um for sure so I almost think that was like I don't know like a miracle or something that he was not there when the shooter entered the building that is that is one of the most harrowing Tales we're so happy to see you here Claire when when he walked in the classroom did he say anything or did you just hear the gunshots first just heard the gunshots.
And everybody dropped and I thought I was trying to process what what was happening and I kind of was like disassociating I felt super spaced out my heart dropped and my chest just tightened and I just was like so scared until they got that window open and then like a wave of relief like float over me as everyone was like helping each other.
Like exit the classroom and then my Brave classmates in the back that were helping those who were injured um that must have been very very scary for them I cannot imagine not just they could okay as you you said it yourself it's a traumatizing event what you have witnessed just hours ago and to be reunited with your mom Natalie I I can.
Only imagine how what a mother feels when you get a call like that I know you raced to be with her how are you guys doing what was that reunion like when you got to put your arms around it was my worst nightmare getting that phone call and when I stood up to head for the car I felt like my legs were.
Going to give out because I couldn't believe what I was hearing on the phone and yeah we were happy that she was safe I mean um I feel like she literally like dodged a bullet um Natalie you're incredibly incredibly Brave we're in awe of what you endured and that you're sitting here with us.
Today you raised a great daughter Natalie thank you Claire we're sending you our love um and thank you for sharing your story it's important really important not easy but important I just want to say thank you thank you guys thank you thank you oh my gosh you know this happens so often that.
Sometimes I think you can become numb to it but not when you hear a young girl like that describe and you think about what they went through and you think of the families who don't get to be reunited this morning so yeah she's very brave to come and tell her story it's important that she did hey thanks for watching don't miss the.
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I’ve heard so many of these survivor reports from a form of college shootings, but right here is the one which made me burst into tears. Because her mom used to be on the cell phone along with her, and what a element to be a search for of. I thank the broadcast community and these two smartly-behaved females for sharing this with us
Some gentle hero’s
when she outlined the gunshots with ultimate imagery, hear to find scent…. I shook