Florida State University shooting: Police arrest suspect, victims being treated

Tallahassee (Florida): A suspect has been taken into police custody and multiple victims were reported in a shooting 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.

A nearby hospital says it is treating people affected by the shooting. One person is in critical condition, a spokesperson for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said. The other patients are in serious condition, the spokesperson said.

Ambulances, fire trucks and patrol vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies raced toward the campus midday Thursday after the university issued an active shooter alert near the student union.

“Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding,” Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on X.

President Donald Trump 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.”

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.”

Hundreds of students streamed away from the direction of the student union. Students were glued to their phones, some visibly emotional.

Junior Joshua Sirmans, 20, was in the university’s main library when he said alarms began going off warning of an active shooter. Sirmans said law enforcement officers escorted him and other students out of the library with their hands over their heads.

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,” he said.

After about 15 minutes of hiding, university police escorted the students out of the union and he saw a person getting emergency treatment on the lawn, he said.

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.

Students and faculty were instructed to continue to seek shelter and await further instructions.

“Lock and stay away from all doors and windows and be prepared to take additional protective measures,” the alert said.

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.

AP