omesh hiraman

St. John's University went on lockdown today after a man carrying a rifle was apprehended. No shots were fired and no injuries were reported. The man has been identified as 22-year-old freshman Omesh Hiraman.

Police say Hiraman walked onto the Queens campus today wearing a Halloween mask and carrying a .40 caliber rifle. Campus cops apprehended Hiaman and turned him over to NYPD.

Hiraman has a history of psychiatric problems and sources say he may not have taken his medication.

The university took extra precautions and advised all students to stay in classrooms and buildings. Security guards were posted in the buildings and all facilities were searched. Students were notified via text messages and cell phones.
A Tucson teenager is among the thousands of students evacuated from St. John's University in Queens, New York, Wednesday, amid fears of an armed man on campus.

Mickey Martinez, 18, is a freshman at St. John's. He captured cell phone video, and maintained cell phone contact with his family in Tucson all afternoon, as the campus went on lockdown.

New York and campus police responded to the university after receiving reports of a suspicious man carrying a rifle in his bag, and wearing a Halloween mask. Martinez says the armed man was inside his building, as police searched for him.

"Our teacher went and locked the door, and basically we all moved to one half of the classroom," Martinez said. "The situation started to become more real, that I could have been in danger."

At his Tucson home, Martinez's mother tried not to imagine the worst. "You think of last year at Virginia Tech University," said Andrea Leyva. "That certainly comes to mind."

Leyva missed work, and stayed home all day to maintain phone contact with her son, and watched the images on national news.

"As a mother, you do everything you can to keep your kids protected," she said. "And so, to have that helpless feeling is just the worst feeling that you can have, and especially being so far away, you just feel so helpless."

Despite the scare, the day ended with no gunshots and no injuries.

Police arrested Omesh Hiraman, 22, a student at the university. Authorities are still investigating why he brought a rifle to campus.