Sheffield woman trapped inside building during American campus shooting - two dead

Two people have been killed during the shooting, after a gunman is believed to have walked into the UCLA campus in Los Angeles and shot dead at least two people at about 6.30pm UK time tonight (Wednesday).

The incident is currently LIVE and Dr Abby Hackford, aged 25, from Mosborough, is currently working as a neuroscientist at the UCLA campus and is at this moment hiding behind a filing cabinet in the building next door to the shooting.

The building has been placed on lockdown because the gunman is still on the loose and Abby has been texting her concerned parents in Mosborough. She has put her phone on silent and is not making any noise so as not to attract any attention.

Concerned dad Garry Dickinson told The Star this evening: “Me and my wife are in bits. Abby has just texted me to tell me she is very frightened.

“Her husband Josh walked her to the building and then a few minutes later he got home and turned on the TV and saw what was happening.

“As soon as she messaged us, we put the American news channel on. It’s like watching a movie, but our daughter is right in the middle of it.

“The UCLA is an iconic institution. You just don’t expect it.”

He added that there are about 300 police officers and SWAT teams on site.

UPDATE:

The building has been released from lockdown and Abby is now safe.

Garry added: “Abby is a genius and she has followed her dream to go to work at UCLA, so for something like this to happen, I think we’ve been through every emotion tonight.

“We are just glad it seems to have finished and Abby is now safe.

“It has been a really weird evening watching it on TV.”

US authorities confirmed that two men were killed and that a gun was recovered from the scene, along with an apparent suicide note.