NORFOLK, Va. — Old Dominion University student Zachary Mulder had just finished his morning class at Constant Hall and settled in at the nearby Webb Student Center with a book and a cup of coffee when a shooting happened back at Constant Hall.
Around 10:45 a.m. Thursday, roughly 30 people came rushing through the front doors of the Webb Student Center, screaming "shooter" and "gun."
"My heart dropped," Mulder said. "I didn't really know what was going on. I just knew I had to leave immediately."
Mulder, who started at ODU in January, said he grabbed everything he could and ran straight out the back door.
"It was fight or flight," he said. "I just ran."
The first-semester student said he never heard gunshots or saw the shooter, but the fear was immediate and overwhelming.
"It was terrifying," Mulder said.
What made the moment even more unsettling for Mulder was the realization that his next scheduled class was back in Constant Hall, the very building where the shooting took place.
The university sent students an active threat alert via email, advising them to follow safety procedures, shelter in place and lock their doors.
Now safe, Mulder said the adrenaline is still flowing.
"I'm just happy to be alive," he said. "You never thought it would happen."
The university said two people were injured in the shooting and now the suspected gunman is dead.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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