MADISON, Wis. – After hours of waiting at the unification site, parents met with their children at SSM Dean Medical Group.

“I was getting ready for lunch and it was basically lunchtime already.” “I just heard shouting and there was a teacher called Mrs Slater and she said, ‘My leg!’ Help! Help!’” said Nora Gottschalk.

Nora is eight years old and is in second grade at Abundant Life Christian School. She said she heard excitement from the shooting before she imposed the lockdown.

“I was really scared and really sad,” Nora said.

Nora continued to recount what she saw, including a moment when one of her classmates took a life-changing risk of closing a curtain and hiding his classmates.

“He risked his life to close the black curtain,” Nora said.

She said this boy’s name was Noah and he came out from under the table where all the children were hiding to close the curtain. She said that Noah was alive and okay.

While Nora and her classmates were in lockdown, her father found out about the shooting.

“I was on my way to work and had to avoid the ambulance and the police. At the same time, I received a text message from my child’s school saying there was an active shooting,” said Nora’s father, Karl Gottschalk.

Karl was shocked to find out that both his son and daughter were in the building with the shooter. He went to the Unification Center and waited for hours for her to return.

“When I saw 10, 12, 15 ambulances, it really scared me because I thought one of my kids might be the one,” Karl said. “It’s going to take a lot of time and, you know, just a lot of comfort for everyone in the community.”

The family was reunited more than four hours after the shooting was reported. Karl is happy to give his children a popsicle and a warm hug after an unforgettable day.

“We’re all back and we’re going to go home, be safe and hug each other,” Karl said.

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