On the night of Nov. 13, 2022, a chilling message was posted on the University of Virginia (UVA) Emergency Management's Twitter page: "UVA Alert: ACTIVE ATTACKER firearm reported in area of Culbreth Road. RUN HIDE FIGHT"
The tweet is real:
It was sent out in response to a shooting in which three of the university's football players, D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr., and Devin Chandler, were killed, prompting a campus-wide lockdown that lasted 12 hours. Two others were injured. Authorities arrested Christopher Jones, a UVA student and former player, on suspicion of murder.
The phrase "RUN HIDE FIGHT" is a recommended course of action, in that order, if you find yourself in an active shooter situation, according to some officials. A training video created by the FBI recommends that if it's possible, first try to run away from the attacker. If running isn't an option, hiding and silencing phones, and coming up with a defense plan, is the next option. As a last resort, if those two methods aren't possible, fight the attacker, the video instructs.
"You're fighting for your life," the video's voice over states. "Don't fight fair."