Florida State shooting live updates: 2 dead, sheriff’s deputy’s son in custody

Gov. Ron DeSantis sent well-wishes to the people injured in the FSU shooting, saying in a video on social media that he and his wife are mourning the two people who were killed.

He vowed to bring the shooter to justice "to the fullest extent of the law."

"We are all Seminoles today," DeSantis said. "We stand by to help in any way that we can. God bless you and God bless Florida State University."

The suspect in the FSU shooting espoused white supremacist views and was removed from a political club, the group's president, Reid Seybold, said.

Seybold said he was part of a club with the suspect at Tallahassee State College, which they both attended before they transferred to FSU. He was president of a club called "political round table," where the suspect was asked not to return after repeated issues with his rhetoric.

"Basically our only rule was no Nazis — colloquially speaking — and he espoused so much white supremacist rhetoric, and far-right rhetoric, as well, to the point where we had to exercise that rule," Seybold said.

Seybold, now a senior at FSU, was in the Bellamy Building near the Student Union when he and others heard gunshots.

"I was texting everybody I love, letting them know that I love them," Seybold told them. "I was, I was getting ready to die."

McKenzie Heeter, a junior at FSU, described the moment she saw a gunman open fire outside the student union.

Officials have named a 20-year-old man, who is the son of a deputy, as the suspect in the campus shooting, which killed two people and sent at least six others to the hospital.

FSU President Richard McCullough addressed university students, faculty and staff members after the "tragic and senseless act of violence" on campus today.

"We are heartbroken. We are grieving with the families, friends and loved ones of those who were lost," McCullough said in a statement. "We are holding close those who are injured, and we are standing by everyone who is hurting."

He said the focus was "taking care of people." That means not only students and faculty members, but everyone in the FSU community who is feeling shaken.

"There will be more updates in the days ahead, and more time to reflect and heal. But now, we mourn together," McCullough added. "We lean on one another. And we remember who we are. We are Florida State."

University of Florida President Kent Fuchs posted on X that he and the entire Gator community send "our most caring thoughts and deepest sympathies to the Florida State University family."

"Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected by the shootings and their loved ones," Fuchs wrote.

The two schools are well-known rivals, sitting about 150 miles apart, and their teams regularly face off in sports. The official UF account also posted on X earlier today, clarifying misinformation that the shooting was on its Gainesville campus.

"Please keep the FSU community in your thoughts and use caution when reporting on this incident," the school wrote.

Students and staff members at FSU sheltered in place today as the campus went into lockdown.

One photo shows chairs and desks stacked in front of a classroom door. The stack most likely was assembled to serve as blockade to keep the shooter at bay.

Sam Swartz, an FSU senior, said he was studying with a group in the student union when he heard eight to 10 gunshots.

"People upstairs were screaming and running around, and we didn't think of anything other, because college — things happen," he said. "But then about a minute later, we heard gunshots."

"Everyone was like: 'This is this is something serious,'" he added.

Swartz, 22, said his study group evacuated the common area in the basement, which he said is a popular spot where students work between classes.

The suspect is the 20-year-old son of a sheriff's deputy and had access to one of her weapons, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil said.

He was identified as Phoenix Ikner.

McNeil said it was not a surprise that the suspect had access to weapons as he was a member of the sheriff's office's citizen advisory or Youth Advisory Council. Officials said that the suspect's mother bought one of her former service weapons and that it was her personal property at the time of the shooting.

"This event is tragic in more ways than you people in the audience could ever fathom from a law enforcement perspective," McNeil said. "But I will tell you this, we will make sure that we do everything we can to prosecute and make sure that we send a message to folks that this will never be tolerated here in Leon County and, I dare say, across this state and across this nation."

Two people were killed in today's shooting at Florida State University, FSU Police Chief Jason Trumbower said.

The deceased, who were not named, were not students.

Six other people were injured, five of whom who were hospitalized. Trumbower said the shooter was also being treated at the hospital.

A student described “taking cover” and hearing gunfire during a shooting at Florida State University. “There was students running and screaming,” the student said. 

FSU freshman Maya Cabal had just clocked in to her shift at the campus gym when she heard the code for active threat over the staff's walkie talkies, she told NBC News.

Everyone was ushered into the locker rooms, where they stayed until the university provided buses to get to the campus civic center, Cabal recalled. She described the situation as "unacceptable" and urged for more policies to be put in place to prevent such violence.

"I just think that this happens way too much in America," Cabal said. "We need to do something about it. It just can't keep happening. Like, no one should just think that they're going to school in a normal day, then ... their lives are in danger because there are not enough regulations in place."

Matthew Ontari, a sophomore, was in a building across from the student union when gunshots rang out, and sheltered in place alongside other students for around an hour before police evacuated them. He said it was "insane" to him that guns are so easily accessed in the U.S. when other countries make it much more difficult to possess guns.

"This is the only country where this regularly happens," Ontari said. "And every time it happens, we hear there's nothing that can be done about it."

Tallahassee police said in a post on X that the FSU campus "has been secured."

"Multiple law enforcement agencies remain on site for the ongoing investigation," the department wrote. "The Student Union & surrounding area are still considered an active crime scene. Individuals should not return to the area for any reason."

Police added that "busing is underway to help students reach the reunification point at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center."

Authorities will brief the public at 4:30 pm.

The university confirmed that the campus was safe through its emergency alert system, saying that law enforcement has "neutralized" the threat. The university also urged students to avoid the student union building, but said individuals are free to move about other areas of the campus.

Students are allowed to go back to their residence halls but should "otherwise stay indoors" to allow officials, first responders and campus staff to do their jobs, FSU told students in its latest update.

"The Student Union and the surrounding area is still considered an active crime scene," the university said. "Individuals should avoid the area. Students should not return to the Student Union to retrieve personal property at this time."

Students who need assistance are encouraged to go to the Donald L. Tucker Center, where the university is providing counseling, health care and other support services.

The father of 14-year-old daughter Jaime Guttenberg, who was murdered in the 2018 Parkland high school shooting, said in a post on X that "America is broken."

"As a father, all I ever wanted after the Parkland shooting was to help our children be safe," Fred Guttenberg said. "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."

Guttenberg added that some of Parkland survivors are current students at FSU.

Multiple videos shared on social media show officers tending to people near the FSU student union where the shooting reportedly originated.

Other videos show students evacuating classrooms after the lockdown was announced, and one more captures the moment officers carry someone away outside of Strozier Library while others run past.

McKenzie Heeter, a junior at FSU, described seeing the gunman in the campus shooting at FSU this afternoon as she was outside the student union.

“I was leaving the union with my food. There’s a road next to it and I was walking and this guy pulls up in an orange Hummer, and he gets out with a rifle and shoots in my direction. There were a couple other kids near me,” Heeter said. “I think he was shooting and he missed. So he goes back into his car and grabs a pistol, then he turns and shoots the lady in front of him. That’s when I just started running.”

Heeter said she heard about 15 rounds fired for about 20 to 30 seconds. She said she then called the police at 11:57 a.m. to report the shooting. 

She described the shooter as a “normal college dude" who was wearing an orange T-shirt and khaki shorts. She described him as white with light hair.

At first Heeter said she thought he brought out a BB gun, but when she heard him fire it she knew it was real. 

"When he turned back around with the pistol, I saw him shoot the lady like right in front of him. She was probably like 5 feet in front of him with the pistol," Heeter said. She said the woman was in purple scrubs and didn't appear to be a student or faculty.

"It was just me and like three other people that noticed at first, but we were walking in the opposite direction away from the union, so we started running. I just told everybody that I could see, stay away from campus," she recalled. "I ran back to my apartment as fast as I could."

There has been at least one fatality as a result of the shooting incident on Florida State University’s campus, a senior Florida law enforcement official briefed on the matter told NBC News.

The Tallahassee Police Department confirmed earlier today that one person was in custody in connection to the shooting.

Florida State University student Ryan Cedergren described the moment he saw people “running” during a shooting at the school. Multiple people have been hospitalized and students and staff were urged to take shelter. 

At least six people are receiving treatment at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, a hospital spokesperson confirmed to NBC News.

The spokesperson added that one of the patients was in critical condition while the other five were in serious condition.

President Donald Trump confirmed to reporters in the Oval Office that he was aware of the active shooter situation and said he was "fully briefed" as to where things stand at the moment.

"It's a shame. Horrible thing," Trump said. "Horrible that things like this take place, and we'll have more to say about it later."

All classes and business operations at FSU will be canceled through tomorrow, the university said. Additionally, athletics home events are canceled from now until Sunday.

"Essential employees should check with their supervisors for further reporting instructions," the university said.

Officials have one person custody in connection to the FSU shooting, a spokesperson for the Tallahassee Police Department confirmed to NBC News.

No additional information was provided.

One FSU student, Daniella Streety, said she believes the shots rang out around noon inside the Student Union, the heart of campus bustling with students and faculty at this time of day.

Florida State University student Daniella Streety described the chaos that unfolded after shots rang out on campus this afternoon. 

She remains on lockdown in a campus building and described seeing “nothing but blue lights from the police presence” and long lines of students with their hands raised being evacuated.

“I did see them carry out one student in what looked like on a stretcher and kept them in the road until an ambulance was able to pick them up,” she told NBC News. “Directly across from me there’s a building about 50 feet outside of the window. … There was a student injured there as well and they had to transport them in a desk chair to the road to then be transported via ambulance.”

She said she believes the shots rang out around noon inside the Student Union, the heart of campus bustling with students and faculty at this time of day.

“Actually, a couple of faculty that work in the building I’m in ran up after the sirens went off to take shelter with me. And said they heard the gunshots and were running,” Streety said.

State legislators are seeking more information about the active shooter situation at FSU, Florida House Speaker Danny Perez told NBC News.

"But we are thinking of everyone on campus," Perez said. "Our prayers are with Florida State at this moment."

In a post on X, Perez described the situation on campus as "terrifying and every parent’s worst nightmare."

Today's shooting at Florida State University tragically isn't the first for the campus.

In November 2014, an alumnus of the university shot an employee and two students at Strozier Library. The shooter was fatally shot by responding officers.

"Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote in a post on X.

An alert issued by Florida State University urged students and staff to take shelter after an active shooting was reported near the campus student union. Multiple people have been hospitalized. 

The FBI is responding to the scene at FSU as campus, city and state officials have convened at the school, according to a spokesperson for the bureau.

The FBI has a small office in Tallahassee that operates as a suboffice of its Jacksonville field office. Agents from both locations are on the scene or are en route, a FBI spokesperson says.

FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X that he and his team have been briefed on the situation.

"We will provide full support to local law enforcement as needed," Patel wrote. "Please keep the FSU community in your prayers."

Everyone on campus at FSU is asked to continue to shelter in place as law enforcement works to clear rooms in response to the shooting, according to the latest university alert.

"Continue to shelter in place until law enforcement contacts you," the school said. "Persons in need of immediate emergency assistance should call 9-1-1 or FSUPD at 850-644-1234."

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's office was responding to the active shooting on the FSU campus, he said in a post on X.

In addition to the Tallahassee officials and campus police, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said it was "actively engaged" on the campus and would provide updates as soon as possible.

The staff at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare is "receiving and caring for patients" from the reported shooting at the university, a representative for the hospital said in a statement this afternoon.

"At this time, details are still unfolding, and we do not yet have specific information to share," the representative said. "However, we want to assure the community that our teams are fully mobilized and prepared to provide the highest level of care and support to all those affected."

The hospital went on to say it is in close coordination with public safety officials and will provide updates as they are available.

Florida State has canceled all classes and events for the day.

"Individuals not already on the main campus at this time should avoid coming to the Tallahassee main campus," the school said on its advisory website.

Another alert issued by the university urged anyone in need of immediate assistance to call 911 or the Florida State University Police Department at 850-644-1234.

The Tallahassee Fire Department has responded to the scene at the FSU campus, a department spokesperson said.

The spokesperson could not share details regarding whether anyone was transported off the campus by paramedics.

A student recorded video of a group of people running through traffic as sirens can be heard in the background.

Garrett Harvey, a meteorology student at FSU, wrote that people were running across the street amid reports of a shooting at the student union.

At least four people are being treated at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, a spokesperson for the hospital said.

Details on their injuries and conditions were not provided.

An active shooter has been reported at Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee.

The school sent out an alert urging students to seek shelter as a shooter was reported in the area of the student union. Police were “on scene or on the way,” according to the alert.

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