TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Multiple victims were reported in a shooting Thursday at Florida State University and a suspect was taken into police custody, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The extent of the victims’ injuries was not immediately known and there were no additional details about the person who was in custody.
The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity.
Police and FBI were on scene at the university.
Here's the latest:
University lifts lockdown
FSU’s alert system announced shortly after 3 p.m. that law enforcement had “neutralized the threat."
Officials are asking students and faculty to avoid the Student Union and several other areas that are still considered an active crime scene. People are otherwise free to move about the campus.
‘It was a bit of a surreal moment’
Jake Nair, a senior at Florida State University, was studying in the library when a police officer dashed out of the building, yelling for everyone to stay in place.
“He ran outside with his gun out,” Nair said. “Not all the students heard him, and some of them ran out the back of the library.”
Nair said an alarm in the library then went off and a recorded message warned students to shelter in place because of an active shooter on campus.
Then about five officers came into the library and escorted the students out with their hands up.
“I think they just wanted to make sure none of us had a weapon on us,” Nair said. “To be honest, it was a bit of a surreal moment. It’s the kind of thing you only see on the news.”
The county medical examiner’s office has no updates at this time
An office employee for the Leon County Medical Examiner’s office declined to release information on whether any deaths had been reported to their office at this time, noting that the investigation is still ongoing.
This isn't the first shooting at FSU
For some Florida State University faculty and staffers who have been on campus for the past dozen years, Thursday’s events brought back memories of another shooting at the school’s main library more than a decade ago.
Three people in 2014 were shot just outside and inside the entrance of Strozier Library in the middle of FSU’s campus. Officers who arrived within two minutes of the first call shot and killed the gunman, 31-year-old Myron May.
Three bullets struck 21-year-old student Farhan “Ronny” Ahmed, including a shot that severely damaged his spine and left him paralyzed from the waist down. The other two victims were library employee Nathan Scott who was shot in the leg and later released from the hospital and a student who was grazed by a bullet.
May, a 2005 FSU graduate and an attorney, reloaded at least once and tried to enter the library, but was blocked by lobby security barriers. Police responded and fired off a barrage of bullets that killed him.
Videos and a journal obtained by police indicate May thought he was being watched and targeted by the government.
Nearby Florida A&M University cancels classes
Florida A&M University, a university minutes away from Florida State University in Tallahassee, announced Thursday afternoon that classes and student activities are canceled for the rest of the day, in response to the shooting.
Employees have the option to work remotely for the rest of the day.
‘We didn’t know — it could get worse, right?’
Chris Pento told Tallahassee TV station WCTV that he was on campus Thursday for a tour with his twins and that they were inside the student union getting lunch when they heard gunshots.
“It was surreal. And people just started running,” he told the TV station.
Pento said he and several others crammed into a service elevator after first encountering locked doors at the end of a hallway.
“That was probably the scariest point because we didn’t know — it could get worse, right?” he said. “The doors opened, and two officers were there, guns drawn.”
He said the officers asked if they’d seen anything and then pointed them to safety.
‘It’s so hard to believe'
Kai McGalla, an FSU sophomore studying finance and Spanish, was taking a test on Excel spreadsheets at a testing center on campus when he started to hear sirens headed to the student union about a 20-minute walk away. The test proctor told them they were being locked down at the center because of the shooting.
“I’m in shock, you know, it’s so hard to believe,” McGalla said by phone while still locked down at the testing center. “The first thing you think of is just, ‘This can’t be true,’ right?”
Florida State cancels all home athletic events through Sunday
The canceled events include three baseball and three softball games.
It’s not immediately clear if FSU teams scheduled for road events will also see their games canceled or postponed.
‘In that moment, it was survival’
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 after seeing students running from a nearby bar.
“In that moment, it was survival,” Cedergren said.
After about 15 minutes of hiding, university police escorted the students out of the union, and Cedergren said he saw a person receiving emergency treatment on the lawn.
Trump has been ‘fully briefed’
The president opened his Oval Office meeting with the Italian prime minister with comments on the shooting at Florida State University.
Trump said he had been “fully briefed.”
“It’s a horrible thing. It’s horrible that things like this take place,” he said.
What to know about FSU
Florida State University is one of Florida’s 12 public universities, with its main campus located in Tallahassee, where the shooting occurred, just minutes from the state Capitol building. About 44,300 students are enrolled in the university, per the school’s 2024 fact sheet.
At least six people have been hospitalized
One person is in critical condition, a spokesperson for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said. The other patients are in serious condition, the spokesperson said.
A suspect has been taken into police custody
A suspect has been taken into police custody and multiple victims were reported in a shooting Thursday at Florida State University, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The extent of the victims’ injuries was not immediately known and there were no additional details about the person who was in custody.
The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity.
By Mike Balsamo
FBI agents are on the scene, officials say
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post that the Justice Department is in touch with FBI agents who are on the scene.
“Our priority is the safety of everyone involved,” Bondi wrote on X. “We will keep updating as we learn more. Praying for all.”
In a social media post, FBI Director Kash Patel said that he and his team had been briefed on the shooting and that agents from the bureau’s Jacksonville field office were at the school. “We will provide full support to local law enforcement as needed,” Patel said. “Please keep the FSU community in your prayers.”
Governor responds to active shooting
“Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding,” Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on X.
Scene on campus
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.
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. Dozens gathered near the music school, waiting for news.
