US college shootout: Sikh student, family recall horror

'The gunman, at first, pointed a gun on one student's forehead and asked the rest to stand in line, before pulling out a handgun.'

The father of a Sikh student, who was injured in the shootout at a college in Northern California that left seven dead, narrates the nightmare.

A Sikh student was among the victims of Monday shooting that killed seven people and injured three at Oikos University, a religious college in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The shooting occurred at about 10:30 am, when a former nursing student who was absent for several months suddenly showed up in the class and asked students to line up against a wall before shooting them. The police have arrested 43-year-old One Goh of Oakland in connection with the shooting.

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The victims were rushed to the Alameda County Medical Center's Highland Hospital and five people have been admitted, Oikos University spokeswoman told rediff.com.

Dawinder Kaur, 19, a US Army reservist from Santa Clara, was shot in the right arm near the elbow while helping another injured student. Kaur is a nursing student.

"My daughter called and said daddy I've been shot," said Balbir Singh, Kaur's father. "We just rushed to the university, but at first the police did not allow us to meet her. I have never driven like I did while rushing to the college," he recalled.

The gunman, at first, pointed a gun on one student's forehead and asked the rest to stand in line, before pulling out a handgun, Singh said as he recalled what his daughter had narrated to him.

Kaur has been discharged from the hospital, but is in great pain. "She is in shock and completely terrified," said Singh. He said Kaur will graduate in the June. She will be taking up a job as a nurse at the US Army in a few months.

Community activist Satnam Singh Chahal expressing concern over the shooting said, "The shooting incident in Oakland University is very shocking and unfortunate. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and friends and the entire community affected by this senseless act of violence."

He added, "The governor of California (Jerry Brown) should ensure the safety of school and college students. There should be a complete control of guns in California."

Oikos University is a nonprofit Christian school founded in 2004 and offers classes in music, religion, Asian medicine and nursing.