University of Michigan students broke classroom window and helped others out after shooting, witness says
Claire Papoulias, a student at Michigan State University.
Michigan State University student Claire Papoulias told CNN that she was inside the classroom where the suspect shot on Monday night, adding that some students were brave enough to break a window and help the rest out. Get out there, helping save lives.
Papoulias, 19, a sophomore psychology student, was attending a Cuban history class at Berkey Hall when the gunman opened fire in his classroom, Papoulias said.
“I smelled and saw gunpowder”
“The teacher was teaching a class and suddenly I heard shots right behind me. The attacker had opened the back door of the class and started shooting my classmates from behind, wounding them. I smelled and saw gunpowder,” Papoulias says.
“Everyone immediately fell to the ground and someone started yelling, ‘Attacker, everyone down!'” he told CNN.
Papoulias remembers that he thought he was going to die, but still did his best to comfort his companions.
“I thought he was going to die. We didn’t know where he had gone. Everyone was huddled on the ground, and I just looked at my teammates and told them that everything was going to be fine,” he explained.
According to Papoulias, the shooter fired three or four shots into his classroom before walking out and leaving the door wide open.
“Someone got up and ran to the door to close it when he left. We then began to barricade ourselves in the classroom while other students tried to break the window to escape,” he explained.
While some students tried to break the window, others tried to help the injured, Papoulias explained.
“A student took off his shirt and tried to stop the bleeding. I heard another student yell, ‘My God, my arm,'” he told CNN.
Once the students were able to break the window, they began jumping out of the first-floor classroom and running to safety, according to Papoulias.
“There was a boy on the other side of the window catching people who were jumping out of the window. He stayed there and risked his life to help people,” Papoulias said.
“If they hadn’t smashed the window and barricaded the door with the table, the attacker would have done a lot more damage and claimed more lives. My classmates helped everyone and they were all in this together,” he said.
Papoulias explained to CNN that he ran directly to his bedroom, where he remained standing until told to leave.
“I started running. I forgot everything I had because it didn’t matter. I was focused on getting out alive. I jumped out the window and ran as fast as I could,” she said.