Two people were killed and at least six others have been hospitalised after a gunman opened fire at Florida State University on Thursday, officials said. A suspect has been taken into custody.
Police said that the victims were not the university students. Some of the injured are in serious condition, according to a spokesperson for the health department.
Ambulances, fire trucks and patrol vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies raced toward the campus after the university issued an active shooter alert midday Thursday, saying police were responding near the student union.
US President Donald Trump said he had been fully briefed on the shooting. "It’s a horrible thing. It’s horrible that things like this take place,” he said, according to Reuters.
Hundreds of students streamed away from the direction of the student union. Students were glued to their phones, some visibly emotional, while others hugged each other. Eyewitnesses recalled the moment when the alarm went off.
Junior Joshua Sirmans, 20, was in the university’s main library when he said alarms began going off warning of an active shooter. Law enforcement officers escorted him and other students out of the library with their hands over their heads, he said.
Ryan Cedergren, a 21-year-old communications student, said he and about 30 others hid in the bowling alley in the lower level of the student union office after seeing students running from a nearby bar. “In that moment, it was survival,” he was quoted as saying by news agency AP.
Florida State University went into lockdown immediately after an active shooter was reported near the Student Union on its Tallahassee campus. More than 42,000 students attend classes at the main campus.
Emergency alerts were issued across campus, with the university urging students, faculty, and staff to shelter in place. “Police are on scene or on the way. Lock and stay away from all doors and windows,” read the university’s initial message. Several follow-up alerts reinforced the directive, asking the FSU community to remain indoors until further notice.
As a precaution, all classes and events scheduled for Thursday were cancelled. University officials urged those not already on the main campus to avoid the area. Individuals requiring emergency assistance were directed to call 911 or contact the Florida State University Police Department
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also responded to the incident, saying on X, “Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding.”
Florida State University, located in Tallahassee near the state Capitol, is one of Florida’s 12 public universities. It has an enrollment of over 44,000 students.
Source: India Today