PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The horror that was Thursday afternoon won’t soon be forgotten by those who work in Oakland.

“Yesterday was a little bit scary because there were rumors there was another shooter, and we didn’t know if he was at Presby or at WPIC,” said Vera Iouochmanov, a UPMC employee.

“Chaotic,” added Lisa Mathews, another UPMC employee. “We were locked down for hours; our fire doors were closed.”

But today, aside from an increased police presence at the main entrance of Western Psych, all the police and ambulances were gone.

The day after the shootings, it was back to work, but things are different.

“It’s a very somber day here at UPMC,” said Adrienne Weiss, a UPMC employee. “It’s very, very difficult to think that someone in our, the UPMC family, has perished and others have been wounded.”

Weiss, like many others, was thinking of those lost and hurt and how blessed or maybe lucky she was that she has a routine. She knows now more than ever life sometimes is about timing.

“I park over at University Center and walk up and go through Western Psych’s lobby, and down through an elevator, and over to Scaife Hall,” said Weiss. “It could have been me if he’d come earlier in the day. I’d always say hi to that receptionist. It’s rough.”

But Weiss, like many others in Oakland, said that life must and will go on, only now with the hope that something was learned from the tragedy.

“If you have a family member, you’ve got to get them help,” she said. “We can’t have shooting sprees like this. Life is very fragile; any day can be your last. You have to take it as it comes, and live it as be you can.”

RELATED LINKS:
STORY: Victim Worked As Therapist At Western Psych (3/9/12)
STORY: Sources: Western Psych Shooter Had No ID (3/8/12)
LINK: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
VIDEO: Western Psych Shooting Press Conference
PHOTO GALLERY: Shooting At Western Psych Leaves 2 Dead, Several Injured
MORE: Other Related Stories