Student shoots at Florida State University : 2 dead

The Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee was in lockdown on Thursday after a gunman opened fire, killing two people and injuring four others.

FSU Police Chief Jason Trumbower said the two deceased people were not students but that the gunman was. Five people, including the suspected gunman, were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds, Trumbower said.

Some 44,000 people are enrolled in FSU, according to data from 2024. The university canceled all classes and events for Thursday and called off sporting events until Sunday, in the wake of the attack.

The shooting started at about 11:50 a.m. local time (1550 GMT). Police said that the suspect was the 20-year-old son of a local county sheriff, who has been on the force for 18 years, and had allegedly used his mother's gun in the attack.

"Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene," Sheriff Walt McNeil told reporters. He also said the suspect had taken part in police training programs, "So it's not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons."

Emergency services including ambulances, fire trucks and patrol vehicles from multiple agencies were deployed after the university issued an active shooter alert at midday. By mid-afternoon, the university's alert system announced that authorities had "neutralized the threat."

Witnesses reported scenes of chaos as people ran for cover after gunfire was heard near the student union. "Everyone just started running out of the student union," a witness named Wayne told local news station WCTV. "About a minute later, we heard about eight to 10 gunshots."

Some students and parents who were in the student union building at the time hid in the downstairs bowling alley and in a freight elevator.

"It's a horrible thing. It's horrible that things like this take place," US President Donald Trump said after being briefed on the attack.