Florida State students react to deadly mass shooting on campus

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A mass shooting occurred Thursday at Florida State University.

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At around noon, FSU sent an alert that there was an active shooter on campus.

The university urged students and faculty to shelter in place and await further instructions while police and multiple agencies swarmed the campus.

Authorities have said two people were killed in the shooting and six people were injured.

The accused gunman, identified by ABC News as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, also suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the incident.

Students have been reacting to the frightening ordeal.

“I heard some gunshots and then, you know, just blacked out after,” said Carolina Sena, a 21-year-old accounting student who was inside the student union when the shooting started. “Everyone was crying and just panicking. We were trying to barricade ourselves in a little corner in the basement, trying to protect ourselves as much as we could.”

Holden Mendez, a 20-year-old student studying political science and international affairs, said he had just left the student union when he heard a series of shots. He ran into a nearby campus building, where he said his previous emergency response training kicked in.

“There was a lot of fear. There was a lot of panic. There was a lot of misinformation that was being spread around. I was doing my best to kind of combat that,” he said. “I told people, ‘Take a deep breath. This building is secure. Everything is going to be ok.’”


About the Author
Eden Checkol headshot

Eden Checkol co-anchors Local 10's 10 p.m. weeknight newscast on WSFL and also reports on WPLG newscasts. She’s a Minnesota native who is thrilled to leave the snow behind and call South Florida home.

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