Fireworks scare students

Students said they felt scared after hearing loud popping noises in the courtyard of Oklahoma United Methodist Hall.

The noise was fireworks set off at about 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 22.

Several students posted their concern on the OCU Facebook page and said they called campus police. Jonathan Flores, dance junior, posted a photo of fireworks wrappers to confirm the source of the noise for other students.

Photo posted by Jonathan Flores, dance junior.

“I didn’t see any of them set off, but I walked into the breezeway and saw the wrappers about five minutes after it happened,” Flores said.

Some students said they were afraid to investigate the noises because they sounded like gunshots.

“I live on the first floor, close to the inside of the courtyard, so it was very loud,” said Jenna McWilliams, music theater junior. “It took a second to fully wake up and realize something was happening outside my window, so I just laid in bed not knowing what to do. I was honestly too scared to move.”

Flores’s Facebook picture confirmed that the noise was fireworks, McWilliams said.

“That kind of fear in the middle of the night can’t be justified by saying, ‘it was only fireworks,’ especially considering what’s been happening in the U.S. lately,” she said.

Teddy Edgar, music theater/vocal performance sophomore, said he called OCUPD when he woke up from the sounds.

“They told me that a few people called freaked out as well and officers had already been deployed,” Edgar said. “They ensured my safety, confirming that it was fireworks, and then I hung up. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t. I kept replaying in my mind the possibility that it could have been a shooter.”

Elaine Weatherby, acting senior, said she bolted upright when the noises woke her up.

“I reached for my phone as quietly as I could and did not move,” she said. “I called my mom, not sure if it would turn into a goodbye phone call.”

Weatherby said her mom stayed on the phone silently while she scrolled through social media, hoping to find an answer to the source of the noise.

“I called my friend, and he said he saw posts about fireworks,” she said. “I heard calls were made to OCUPD, and they must have come soon, as I heard talking outside my window about five minutes after it happened.”

It felt like the sounds were happening for a long time, but it was probably about a minute long, Weatherby said.

“There is no reason for this, especially in a world that has had so many recent gunning issues,” she said. “I suffer from very deep forms of anxiety and OCD, and everyday it is a struggle for me to tell myself that I’m okay, that my space is okay. You can imagine how triggering it is for someone who is sensitive to be suddenly put into this situational attack mind-set, only to learn that it was someone’s nasty idea to expose their firework collection.”

Residence Life officials sent an email to students around 11:30 a.m. Feb. 22 addressing the incident.

“Not only is this against housing and university policy but it fosters an unsafe environment for those living on campus,” the email read. “OCUPD is actively reviewing all camera footage to identify the parties involved. Please understand that although the University may be closed, all housing and university policies remain in effect.”

Daniel Paugh, mass communications senior, took a video outside his window when he heard the noises: 55F50338-3204-4DA3-AE58-C08A6B0BAB67

A similar situation happened when fireworks were set off near Cokesbury Court Apartments on Feb. 16.

“I was walking with my friend when we started hearing what sounded like gun shots,” said Evan Clear, theater and psychology sophomore. “We rushed inside and turned off the lights and hid while my other friend called the police. Luckily, after a little while, we found out they were just fireworks.”

Students can call OCUPD with future safety concerns. The emergency number is 405-208-5911, and the non-emergency number is 405-208-5001.

Contributing: Web Editor Nicole Waltman