TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — When a 20-year-old opened fireplace at Florida State College, terrified college students barricaded doorways and fled throughout campus, abandoning chemistry notes and even footwear, in a taking pictures that investigators mentioned killed two males and wounded at the least six others.
By early Friday, memorials of candles and flowers dotted the campus and a school-wide vigil had been scheduled as college students and college tried to start out therapeutic from yesterday’s taking pictures, which despatched shockwaves of worry throughout the campus.
“I heard some gunshots after which, you realize, simply blacked out after,” mentioned Carolina Sena, a 21-year-old accounting pupil who was inside the scholar union when the taking pictures began. “Everybody was crying and simply panicking. We have been making an attempt to barricade ourselves in just a little nook within the basement, making an attempt to guard ourselves as a lot as we might.”
The shooter, recognized by police as Phoenix Ikner, is believed to be a Florida State pupil and the son of a sheriff’s deputy who opened fireplace together with his mom’s former service weapon, investigators mentioned. Authorities haven’t but revealed a motive for the taking pictures, which started round lunchtime Thursday simply outdoors the scholar union.
Officers shortly arrived and shot and wounded the gunman after he refused to adjust to instructions, mentioned Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell.
The 2 males who have been killed weren’t college students, mentioned Florida State College Police Chief Jason Trumbower, including that he wouldn’t launch further details about the victims.
The shooter obtained entry to a weapon that belongs to his mom, who has been with the sheriff’s workplace for over 18 years and has been a mannequin worker, mentioned Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil. Police mentioned they believed Ikner shot the victims utilizing his mom’s former service handgun, which she had saved for private use after the power upgraded to new weapons.
5 individuals who have been wounded have been struck by gunfire, whereas a sixth was harm whereas making an attempt to run away, Revell mentioned in an announcement Thursday night time. They have been all in truthful situation, a spokesperson for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare mentioned.
The shooter was a long-standing member of the sheriff’s workplace’s youth advisory council, the sheriff mentioned.
“He has been steeped within the Leon County Sheriff’s Workplace household, engaged in numerous coaching applications that we’ve,” McNeil mentioned. “So it’s not a shock to us that he had entry to weapons.”
As of Thursday night time, Ikner was within the hospital with “severe however non-life-threatening accidents,” in keeping with Revell.
Witness says the suspect’s shotgun jammed
Ambulances, fireplace vehicles and patrol automobiles from a number of legislation enforcement businesses raced towards the campus simply west of Florida’s capital after the college issued an energetic shooter alert.
Aidan Stickney, a 21-year-old finding out enterprise administration, was operating late to class when he mentioned he noticed a person get out of a automotive with a shotgun and goal at one other man in a white polo shirt.
The gun jammed, Stickney mentioned, and the shooter rushed again to his automotive and emerged with a handgun, opening fireplace on a lady. Stickney ran, warning others as he referred to as 911.
“I obtained fortunate right this moment. I actually did. I actually, actually did,” he mentioned.
Trumbower mentioned investigators haven’t any proof that anybody was shot with the shotgun.
Photographs despatched college students scattering
Holden Mendez, a 20-year-old pupil finding out political science and worldwide affairs, mentioned he had simply left the scholar union when he heard a sequence of pictures. He bumped into a close-by campus constructing, the place he mentioned his earlier emergency response coaching kicked in.
“There was lots of worry. There was lots of panic. There was lots of misinformation that was being unfold round. I used to be doing my finest to form of fight that,” he mentioned. “I instructed individuals, ‘Take a deep breath. This constructing is safe. The whole lot goes to be okay.’”
Andres Perez, 20, was in a classroom close to the scholar union when the alarm sounded for a lockdown. He mentioned his classmates started shifting desks in entrance of the door and law enforcement officials got here to escort them out.
“I at all times hand around in the scholar union,” Perez mentioned. “So the second I discovered that the risk was there, my coronary heart sank and I used to be scared.”
Capturing shocks campus and the nation
President Donald Trump mentioned from the Oval Workplace that he had been absolutely briefed on the taking pictures.
“It’s a horrible factor. It’s horrible that issues like this happen,” he mentioned.
However Trump additionally urged that he wouldn’t be advocating for any new gun laws, saying, “The gun doesn’t do the taking pictures, the individuals do.”
College President Richard McCullough mentioned he was heartbroken by the violence. “Our hearts exit to our college students and the victims of this horrible tragedy,” he mentioned.
One other taking pictures a decade in the past at Florida State
Florida State is one among Florida’s 12 public universities, with its predominant campus in Tallahassee. About 44,000 college students are enrolled within the college, per the college’s 2024 reality sheet.
In 2014, the primary library was the positioning of a taking pictures that wounded three individuals. Officers shot and killed the gunman, 31-year-old Myron Could.
The college canceled courses for the remainder of the week and canceled house athletic occasions by way of Sunday.
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