Florida State University police kill 3 gunmen; 3 injured
A least three people were shot early Thursday at Florida State University library before campus police killed the gunman, Tallahassee police said.
Officers confronted the gunman and ordered him to drop his weapon, but he fired one shot at them and they unleashed a volley of shots, Tallahassee Police spokesman Dave Northway said
Nursing supervisor Ian Clark at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, a Level 2 trauma center, confirmed that patients had been brought to the facility with gunshot wounds but declined to elaborate further.
University President John Thrasher described the shootings as an isolated incident but also said police did "an extraordinary job taking quick and decisive action to prevent further tragedy." Officials canceled classes Thursday and made counseling available to students and staff.
The incident at Strozier Library started shortly before 1 a.m. ET.
Daniel Morales, a 19-year-old freshman from Fort Pierce, Fla., said that when he first heard someone say, " 'Somebody's got a gun.' I thought he was joking." But after realizing a gunman was in the library, Morales and others raced to a back room on the second floor where they barricaded a door with desks.
Three freshmen who were in the DeGraff Hall dormitory at the time said they began getting reports from friends locked down in the library.
"We know there are definitely people who saw the shooter," Anthony Coons said.
His friend Max Martin described the surreal scene.
"You hear all these stories on the news, then it happens," Martin said. "This is something you never want to happen."
Nikolai Hernandez, who was in another dorm room nearby, said he heard "consecutive gunshots" that sounded as if they came from an automatic rifle.
"That was confirmed when I went outside and talked to someone who said they say police open fire on a shooter who was armed right on the front steps of the library," the freshman said.
More than 20 emergency vehicles from Tallahassee's police and fire departments, as well as from Leon County Emergency Services, blocked off the area around Landis Green, near the library. Strozier, the campus' main library, is named for a former president of the university and is usually open 24 hours on weekdays.
According to FSView, a Gannett student newspaper, the library was being cleared out by about 3 a.m. Before that, students were on lockdown in Dirac Library and in dorms.
The video below was posted on Facebook by Jessica Davis. An individual can be heard over the intercom saying "There has been a shooting in the library. Stay where you are," and instructing people to call 911 if they have been shot.
Post by facebook.
Florida State University police issued an alert warning its 40,000 students that read: "Dangerous Situation! Main Campus — Tallahassee. Seek shelter immediately, away from doors and windows."
Social media immediately lit up with messages of concern and prayer requests.
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