CHARLOTTE, N.C. — What started as an exciting last day in a Japanese class for Barry Johnson quickly turned into a horrific day he'll never forget.
In the middle of class, a Niner Alert came up on the board telling students to run, hide, or fight -- explaining there was an active shooter on campus.
Moments later, Johnson said he received a call from one of is best friends.
"My fraternity brother was inside the [Kennedy] building, and I was trying to get to him as soon as I could," Johnson said.
Johnson, a Navy veteran, says when his teacher couldn't be found, he ran out of class and hustled across campus to the Kennedy building as he tried reaching his friend.
"He called me and he was pretty scared," Johnson said. "I just wanted to grab him and hold him in my arms."
He said he was running as fast as he could.
"As I was running, I met with an Army vet and I could hear the gunshots going off," Johnson said.
Johnson said the two got about 100 yards away from the Kennedy building before being met by first responders who were swarming the area.
"They told us to get down, put our hands to the sky and get on our knees," he said.
They were quickly told to rush away from the building with their hands up alongside other classmates as officers tried to find the gunman and bring the shooting to a stop.
It's a scene Barry and other students on campus said they'll never forget.
"I'm still trying to piece it together and decompress, you know," he said.