Students still dealing with trauma after Coffee House Apartments shooting

PULLMAN, Wash. (Murrow News 8) – After coming back from winter break, many WSU students are excited to get back to their independent lives and homes, but not all of them share this feeling.

“Coming back made me anxious and scared,” said WSU student, Jazlyn
Santiaguel.

Santiaguel is one of many residents living at the Coffee House Apartments.

On December 15, 2023, there was a shooting there. The shooter had threatened to shoot his roommates and kill everyone in the building but was shot by a member of Whitman County Regional SWAT team during a standoff.

As residents of the coffee house apartments return from the break, many are faced with a difficult situation.

“To go back, it was just too much. Like it gives me a lot of anxiety. I just hear like a lot of bangs. It just scares me,” said Santiaguel.

The standoff took place on the third floor which was directly two floors above where Santiaguel lived and could hear all the gunshots.

Currently, Santiaguel is in the process of getting out of her lease, reaching out to resources such as the dean of students, Coug Housing, and WSU  Veteran Affairs.

I tried to get in contact with them to see how they were helping students, however the offices had no openings due to the overwhelming amount of students who also needed help.

“I’m kind of just stuck in the lease trying to figure it out,” said Santiaguel.

Santiaguel is still paying for her rent every month even though she no longer stays in her apartment. She says she was told the only way she can get out of her lease is by getting deployed on active duty or by subleasing her apartment, which is unlikely due to what happened.