A shooting on the Florida State University campus left multiple victims Thursday, and police took a suspect into custody, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The university issued an active shooter alert at midday near the student union.
At least six people have been hospitalized, including one person in critical condition, a spokesperson for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said. The other patients were in serious condition, the spokesperson said. The extent of the victims’ injuries was not immediately known.
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.
Florida State’s alert system announced by midafternoon that law enforcement had “neutralized the threat.”
What happened?
Details of the shooting were still unfolding Thursday afternoon. Officials planned to discuss the shooting at an afternoon news conference.
Some students and frightened parents hid in a bowling alley and crammed into a freight elevator inside the student union after hearing gunshots outside the building.
Hundreds of students streamed away from the direction of the student union. Students were glued to their phones, some visibly emotional.
What is the response to the shooting?
Ambulances, fire trucks and patrol vehicles from several law enforcement agencies rushed toward the campus. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post that the Justice Department was in touch with FBI agents who were on the scene. President Donald Trump said from the Oval Office that he had been “fully briefed.”
“It’s a horrible thing. It’s horrible that things like this take place,” Trump said.
The university instructed students and faculty to seek shelter and await further instructions. Florida State canceled all classes and university events scheduled for Thursday. All athletic events have been called off through Sunday.
“Lock and stay away from all doors and windows and be prepared to take additional protective measures,” the alert said.
A campus lockdown was lifted shortly after 3 p.m. EDT. Students and faculty were told to avoid the Student Union and several other areas that were still considered an active crime scene. People were otherwise free to move about the campus.
Where is Florida State?
Founded in 1851, Florida State is one of Florida’s 12 public universities, with its main campus located in Tallahassee, just minutes from the state Capitol building. About 44,300 students are enrolled in the university, according to the school’s 2024 fact sheet.
The campus is located a few miles (kilometers) from Interstate 10, which crosses the northernmost part of the state from east to west. Tallahassee’s rolling hill country stands in stark contrast to the rest of Florida’s primarily flat landscape.
Florida A&M University is also in Tallahassee, the state's capital city.
Have there been previous shootings at FSU?
For some Florida State University faculty and staffers who have been on campus for many years, Thursday’s campus shooting 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 that permit only students and staff inside. Police responded with 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.
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Associated Press reporters Kate Payne in Tallahassee, David Fischer in Fort Lauderdale, Stephany Matat in West Palm Beach, Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Michael Schneider in Orlando, Mike Balsamo in New York, Eric Tucker and Christopher Megerian in Washington, and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed to this report.
