When John Russell Houser opened fire July 23 about 20 minutes into a showing of “Trainwreck” at The Grand 16 movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana, construction management senior Lucas Knepper and biology senior Emily Mann were about six seats away.
Knepper, who was sitting in the back of the theater, said he did not know what happened after the initial shots and turned to look at the projector behind him.
“I was looking back and I saw the shooter standing up, and then he fired the next six shots,” Knepper said.
The image of Houser shooting played in Knepper’s head for two weeks following the event.
Knepper said there was chaos in the theater. He saw the exit congesting with fleeing moviegoers, and said he knew he would be one of the last people to exit — making him an easy target.
Mann dropped to the ground to crawl her way out. Being more than 6 feet tall, Knepper said he knew that was not an option for him. He jumped the half wall at the edge of the stairs, hurting his arm in the 18-foot drop but making it to safety with Mann.
For a few days following the shooting, Knepper said his phone died multiple times a day from people texting and
calling him. Everyone in Knepper’s neighborhood bought a “Lafayette Strong” sign to show their support.
University of Louisiana-Lafayette elementary education junior Heather Hamilton, who was in the theater’s front row two months ago, said she does not think she will go back to a movie theater.
When UL-Lafayette scored its first touchdown against Northwestern State University on Sept. 12, Hamilton said she was made uneasy by the loud “bang” noise of a celebratory cannon in the stadium.
Sporting a “Lafayette” necklace, Hamilton said she thinks the way the city responded to the tragedy is great.
Joni Hamilton, Heather’s mother, said she believes the shooting brought the community together.
“When they say Lafayette strong, I think they mean it,” Joni said. “We’re stronger, we can get over this.”
Two days after the shooting, which UL-Lafayette alumna Chelsi Huffman watched unfold from a restaurant behind the theater, she said she saw a traffic jam on a Lafayette Street.
As Huffman passed the cars, she realized it was a line of people waiting to pick up “Lafayette Strong” signs from Pixus Digital Printing. The signs sold for $10 each, with proceeds going to the victims’ families.
“I wasn’t sure whether to feel sad about the entire situation or blessed to be a part of such a beautifully strong community,” Huffman said.
Jamie Simmons, a UL-Lafayette alumna who taught third-grade Louisiana history, said she believes the response is due to how close-knit the Acadiana community is.
Simmons was a friend of one of the victims, but instead of letting the tragedy take a toll on her, Simmons said she is happy with how the aftermath played out.
She said she believes Houser’s intentions were to hurt the community, but he instead ended up uniting it.