It was a student's brave 911 call that may have helped thwart a mass murder attack at the University of Central Florida on Monday morning in Orlando, police said.
Police say 30-year-old
James Oliver Seevakumaran, who shot himself before any students were harmed, was heavily armed with two guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a backpack full of improvised explosive devices.
It was one of Seevakumaran's roommates who alerted police to the threat of a gunman. The unidentified male reportedly hid in the bathroom and dialed 911 after Seevakumaran pointed a gun at him, according to UCF Police Chief Richard Beary.
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Around the same time the call was placed, Seevakumaran reportedly pulled a fire alarm, apparently to get students outside in a concentrated area where he could attack, police said. More than 500 students made their way outside, but Seevakumaran shot himself as authorities closed in.
It took police just three minutes to arrive to the scene, Beary told
FoxNews.com.
"His timeline got off," he said. "We think the rapid response of law enforcement may have changed his ability to think quickly on his feet."
Seevakumaran's three roommates said the business major was anti-social but never seemed violent, police said. The university claims he had never been seen by school counselors or disciplined. He was reportedly in the process of being evicted from his dormitory because he had not enrolled for the current semester, a school spokesman told FoxNews.com.
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"It could have been a very bad day here for everybody. All things considered, I think we were very blessed here at the University of Central Florida," Beary said. "One shooting is bad enough. Multiples would have been unthinkable. So, anybody armed with this type of weapon and ammunition could have hurt a lot of people here, particularly in a crowded area as people were evacuating."
Police have not yet identified a motive.
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