The Norman Transcript

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October 2, 2005

Bombing 'scary' for students

Transcript Staff Writer

There was a hazy almost gray overcast in Norman Sunday ? the kind of day when a loud noise could have been explained as a result of the weather. For Will Bond, he would have preferred it that way.

"We heard it," Bond, 19, said of the device that police suspect Joel Henry Hinrichs III, 21, detonated Saturday, killing himself. The University of Oklahoma sophomore was watching Saturday's OU-Kansas State football game at his brother's house near Campus Corner. "It was pretty loud, at first we thought it was thunder. I still don't know what exactly happened."

Bond isn't the only one with questions as several agencies are conducting investigations into the explosion. According to reports, Hinrichs, an OU engineering student, died sometime around 7:30 p.m. while sitting on a bench in front of the George Lynn Cross Botany/Microbiology building about 100 yards from more than 84,000 fans gathered at the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for the football game. While OU President David Boren has declared the campus safe for classes today, students like Bond are still wrestling with the initial shock.

"It was kind of scary at first," Bond explained of his reaction. "I didn't know how big the bomb was or if it was an isolated area. What if he did that during a class change? It scares you."

Junior Devin Harper, 20, was at his parents' house for the weekend and wasn't aware of the bomb until Sunday. With the phrase "suicide bomber" used to describe the blast, Harper didn't know if it meant one or many.

"I didn't know what to think," he said. "I didn't want to think suicide bomber, but it did cross my mind ... all kinds of things ran through my mind."

Junior Kevin Miller, 20, watched the game at his apartment and didn't know anything about the bomb until the end of the broadcast. While waiting for the television reports, he used his computer to find more information on the Internet. And like Harper, the idea of a suicide bomber didn't sit well with him.

"It's a little scary when you hear it as a suicide bomb," he said. "It makes you think he was trying to kill other people. This was close to home, and it was amazing no one got hurt."

As classes resume today, no one would blame if students were hesitant to walk around on campus, especially near the stadium. A little shaken they might be, but it's not enough to keep them home.

"Regardless of what happened, I've never felt threatened," Harper said. "I think it was a rash act of an individual. Nothing is going to affect my day-to-day life."

Tony Pennington 366-3541 schools@normantranscript.com

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