A command post is in full operation at University of Central Florida, Monday, March 18, 2013, in Orlando, after a person was found dead on campus from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images)
By John Bacon and Natalie DiBlasio, USA TODAY
A former student at the University of Central Florida had amassed
four explosive devices, two guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition
before killing himself in the dorm room from which he was soon to be
evicted, police said Monday.
UCF Police Chief Richard Beary said
writings found in the room indicated that the student, James
Seevakumaran, 30, had planned an attack on the campus.
"We think
the fast response made him change his mind ... and he took his own
life," Beary said. "I think, all things considered, we were very blessed
here at the University of Central Florida."
Beary said
campus police received a fire alarm call at about 12:20 a.m. Monday.
While responding to that call, police received a 911 call from a dorm
resident saying Seevakumaran had pointed a gun at him.
Beary
said the dorm resident closed his door and hid in his bathroom until
police arrived to rescue him. Officers at the scene then found the body
of Seevakumaran.
The explosive devices were found inside a bag in the dorm room,
Beary said. An assault weapon, another gun and the ammunition also were
found.
Beary theorized that Seevakumaran pulled the
fire alarm himself to get students out in the open. But Beary credited
the quick police response with foiling what could have been a mass
killing.
"His timeline got off," Beary said. "We
think the rapid response of law enforcement may have changed his ability
to think quickly on his feet."
The Orange County bomb squad, police and the FBI removed the devices from Tower
1, a residence hall for about 500 students. Students were evacuated and
a parking garage was closed. Both reopened late Monday.
UCF
spokesman Grant Heston said Seevakumaran had not enrolled or paid his
dorm bill for spring semester, and the school was in the process of
evicting him. He said Seevakumaran had never been seen by UCF counseling
and had no issues on his record.
Jasmine Derrick,
19, a freshman from Atlanta, said she was studying for a chemistry exam
in a lounge across from Tower 1 early Monday when a police officer
ordered everyone in the study lounge to evacuate.
"There were police everywhere, students out there half-dressed, no shoes, in the cold," Derrick said. A few hours later, by searching social media and watching the UCF website, she learned the details of what happened.
"Its' terrifying, it's sad," Derrick said. "This is devastating for a parent, to have to bury child."
Simone Hawkins, 19, a freshman psychology major from Chicago,
was unable to return to her dorm room after studying early Monday
morning because Tower II was in lockdown. She said it took two hours
before the school's alert system began providing information to
students.
"I feel like they they should have given us more
information sooner," she said. "The only way people found out anything
was through social media, which can't always be trusted. I just feel it
could have been handled a lot differently."