A mass shooting on Thursday on the Florida State University (FSU) campus resulted in several people needing treatment in a nearby hospital, a medical centre spokesperson said. Two people are reported dead.
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said in a statement it had received six patients – one in critical condition and the rest in serious condition.
Media reports said there were two deaths. Police said the dead were not students. Reports said five people were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds.
A spokesperson for the Tallahassee police department said that it had one suspect in custody. Police later said the shooter was in hospital.
Ambulances, fire engines and patrol vehicles from law enforcement agencies went toward the campus that sits just west of Florida’s state capital after the university issued a shooter alert at midday on Thursday, saying police were responding near the student union.
“Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding,” the state governor, Ron DeSantis, wrote on X.
The gunfire was reported at the student union building on the FSU campus. Students and faculty members were advised to shelter in place as police responded. More than 42,000 students attend classes at the main campus.
Videos posted on social media showed students being led away from the scene.
Officers took one suspect into custody shortly after the shooting, two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the situation told CNN.
By midafternoon the Florida State University campus had been secured, the Tallahassee police department said. Law enforcement agencies remained on-site for the continuing investigation. The student union and the surrounding area were still considered an active crime scene.
The department is instructing that individuals should not return to the area for any reason.
Earlier, hundreds of students streamed away from the direction of the student union. Students were scrolling on their phones, some visibly emotional, while others hugged each other. Dozens gathered near the music school waiting for news.
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.
Donald Trump opened his Oval Office meeting at the White House with the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, with comments on the shooting, saying he had been fully briefed.
“It’s a horrible thing. It’s horrible that things like this take place,” the US president said.
Fred Guttenberg, the father of 14-year-old daughter Jaime Guttenberg, who was murdered in the 2018 Parkland high school shooting in Florida, said in a post on X: “America is broken.”
He said: “As a father, all I ever wanted after the Parkland shooting was to help our children be safe. Sadly, because of the many people who refuse to do the right things about reducing gun violence, I am not surprised by what happened today.”
Mr Guttenberg also said that many of his daughter’s friends who survived the Parkland shooting were now students at FSU.
University police escorted the students out of the union after about 15 minutes of hiding and he saw a person getting emergency treatment on the lawn, he said.
Student Joshua Sirmans (20) was in the university’s main library when he said alarms began going off warning of a shooter. Law enforcement officers escorted him and other students out of the library with their hands over their heads, he said.
US attorney general Pam Bondi said in a social media post that the justice department was in touch with FBI agents on the scene. Students and faculty members were told 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.
The Leon county school district, where Tallahassee is located, posted on X: “All LCS schools are back to normal operating procedures. Lockout has been lifted district wide.” - The Guardian/Agencies
