Just blocks from the deadly Univ. of Virginia shooting, student from Colorado Springs recalls her experience
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- The impacts of the University of Virginia (UVA) on-campus shooting are being felt here in Southern Colorado.
Dana Duggan, a Colorado Springs resident, is the mother of a UVA student who says for hours she didn't know if her daughter was safe or not.
Duggan received a text from her daughter Ariana Arenson around 11 p.m. Sunday night about a shooter on campus.
"Of course, I was in a panic as any parent would be and immediately started looking for news," said Duggan.
Arenson has attended the University of Virginia for the past three years. During her time there, her mom says a situation like this had never happened.
"I looked on the map to see you know because they had said it was in this one garage and on campus and I saw it wasn't that far from where she lived, so you know you worry. You just hope for the best and it's just tragic all the way around."
After a few hours, Duggan was finally able to reach her daughter.
Arenson was okay but had been in lockdown on campus with her friends for five hours.
"It's just indescribable that feeling of helplessness and how much concern spikes up throughout your body and immediately you're just kind of frozen. And then you calm down and realize there is nothing you can do but cross your fingers and hope for everyone," said Duggan.
Her daughter plans to stay on campus for the next few days helping others cope with the tragic shooting.
"And boy gosh, I just hope we can find a solution so we can stop the frequency of it so that people don't have to endure this because it's just tragically sad," added Duggan.
Classes are now canceled at UVA until Thanksgiving break. The university says it will evaluate the situation and determine when classes will resume.
