A shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee (the state capital) left two people dead and seven injured, including the shooter, who were taken to hospitals on Thursday. Authorities announced this.
In a press conference, Tallahassee Police confirmed that two people were killed in the shooting and that the victims were not university students. The university also confirmed that six more people were injured.
Phoenix Eichner, a 20-year-old student at the university, was identified as the suspected shooter. He is in a hospital injured after a confrontation with authorities.
The university, which has more than 40,000 students, issued an active shooter alert just after noon on Thursday, activating its active shooter response team. Three and a half hours later, the academic institution declared the campus safe.
In a phone call to NBC News, Daniella Streety, a student at the university, stated, “I saw a student being taken away on what looked like a stretcher and kept on the street until an ambulance could pick him up.”
“Right in front of me is a building about 50 feet from the window… There was also an injured student there, and they had to carry him in a desk chair to the street and then take him away by ambulance,” the student added.
President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the shooting “is a disgrace and it’s horrible that this kind of thing happens.”
Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, warned in a message on X that authorities were “actively” responding to the situation and that he was praying for the victims.
Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, meanwhile, called the incident “terrifying and every parent’s worst nightmare.” All schools and colleges in Leon County, where the state capital is located, are closed for the day, according to school officials.
Later, the university reiterated its request to those in the area to “continue to shelter in place” because “police responded to an active shooter call at the Student Union.” Finally, at 3:18 p.m., FSU released a new statement informing that “law enforcement has neutralized the threat.”
“Please avoid the Student Union, Bellamy, HCB Classroom Building, Rovetta A&B, Moore Auditorium, Shaw, Pepper, Hecht House, and Carraway, as they are still considered active crime scenes. People may freely move around other areas of campus. If you have witnessed anything of value, please call 850-891-4987,” the statement concluded.
“Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare staff are receiving and treating patients” from the reported shooting at the university, a representative from the health center said. “At this time, details are still being uncovered, and we have no specific information to share,” she explained.
“However, we want to assure the community that our teams are fully mobilized and prepared to provide maximum care and support to all those affected.”
This afternoon’s shooting is not the first on campus. In November 2014, a former university student shot an employee and two students at Strozier Library. The shooter was shot and killed by responding officers.
