Chris Malave said he heard gunshots ringing out “in very rapid succession” from where he was outside the student union on Florida State University’s campus this afternoon.
Malave, a student at the school, said he was getting lunch in the student center when he noticed people starting to run out of the building. He quickly realized there was a shooter and got out too.
Once outside, Malave said he hid in some bushes. That’s when he said he heard the gunshots, though he didn’t see the shooter.
“It was just absolutely horrific and it’s something I’m not going to forget for a very long time,” he told CNN.
A law enforcement source said a shotgun was found in the student union after the shooting, which injured several people.
Malave said he fell and sprained his ankle in the chaos of getting out of the building.
“I saw a lot of students running and then several other of my friends were being sheltered in some of the buildings on campus,” he said, adding that many of them have now been safely evacuated.
Law enforcement has secured the campus after they “neutralized the threat” following a shooting on campus, Florida State University and police said in an update.
“Please avoid the Student Union, Bellamy, HCB Classroom Building, Rovetta A&B, Moore Auditorium, Shaw, Pepper, Hecht House and Carraway as they are still considered an active crime scene. Individuals are free to move about other areas of campus. Individuals who may have witnessed anything of value should call 850-891-4987,” the university said.
It is not immediately clear what the condition of the shooter is although a law enforcement source told CNN that he was shot, although it’s unclear by whom.
The suspect in the Florida State University shooting was shot, though it is not clear who shot him, a law enforcement official said today.
A student at Florida State University said he is still processing what he experienced today after a gunman opened fire on campus.
Joshua Sirmans, a junior at FSU, was on the second floor of a campus library, studying for a final exam when he began to notice people running toward the windows.
“It’s like a little concerning, but I’m still studying at this point. And then you hear, like, the siren go off, and it sounds sort of like a fire alarm, but at the end of it it says ‘active shooter.’ And of course, I just look around. I’m trying to process it,” he told CNN on CNN News Central.
Sirmans said he made his way to a safe area, where he then checked the news and saw “videos of other students shot and bleeding out.”
“It’s just a lot to take in from that moment,” Sirmans said.
Tallahassee Police are tentatively planning to hold a news conference regarding the Florida State University shooting at 4:30 p.m. ET, police said.
There were at least 30 mass shootings in each of the previous five years in Florida, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. The number of mass shootings was up from the previous five years.
See how many mass shootings Florida has had in the past decade:
Florida State University said law enforcement is still “actively clearing rooms on the main campus” after a shooting today.
Hours after the university raised the alert, the administration is still advising those on campus to continue sheltering in place until called by law enforcement. The university has also asked students and staff to “call their loved ones as soon as possible to update them on their status.”
“The Student Union and the surrounding area is still considered an active crime scene. Individuals should avoid the area. Students should not return to the Student Union to retrieve personal property at this time,” FSU said in an update.
Police believe there was only one shooter at Florida State University, three law enforcement officials tell CNN.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is tracing the serial numbers on the guns that were recovered, one of those officials said.
The FBI’s office in Jacksonville is making resources available to state and local police, according to another official.
Florida State University student Raul Pedraza woke up to blaring police sirens warning of a life-threatening emergency.
“So we start freaking out in the rooms here, and then we get a text that there’s an active shooter,” Pedraza told CNN as he was on lockdown in his dorm room.
That’s when Pedraza started to panic and got a sinking feeling in his stomach, he said.
“It was a shaking … a really scary event,” he said.
Another student, Will Schatz, was in the library when suddenly everyone started running.
It wasn’t until he got outside that he heard the gunshots, he said.
“It was really more shock than being able to think about anything,” he told CNN.
Florida State University student Garrett Harvey first noticed students were running across the street, and then police sirens going off.
“I knew there’s something going wrong. So that’s when I decided it was best to shelter in place … close the door,” he said.
Within a minute, the university had issued an active shooter alert, Harvey told CNN today as he waited for law enforcement to arrive.
Because he watched an active shooter video at his orientation, Harvey felt prepared, though that shouldn’t have to be the case, he told CNN.
“You shouldn’t have to think about that when you’re going to school and trying to get your degree,” Harvey said, adding he is graduating in two weeks. “You go to school to get your degree, make friends, you make memories, not to go to school to experience stuff like this.”
Harvey first texted his parents to let them know he was OK. He was later able to make phone calls to friends and family.
Harvey said he and others had moved into a different building when officials broke in and told them they were being evacuated to the school’s civic center.
“A lot of us are relatively calm because we are in a safe spot, but obviously it’s more of a calm fear,” he said. “I’m terrified, but right now I’m in safe spot.”
Harvey said afternoons at the student union, where the shooting was reported, are active and crowded with students buying food or working on activities and assignments.
All classes, events and business operations are canceled at Florida State University through tomorrow, the school said today.
Essential employees were told to check with their supervisors, while athletics events in Tallahassee are canceled throughout the weekend, it said.
Officials and law enforcement are still working to secure the Florida State University campus after a shooting injured several students, Tallahassee City Commissioner Jack Porter said.
“Because it is such a large campus, we’re doing everything we can to secure the campus,” Porter told CNN.
The commissioner said “the whole community is on high alert right now, making sure that every school, every area is a secure as possible.”
Police have taken at least one person into custody, authorities said. Porter said it is not yet confirmed if there was more than one shooter.
Fred Guttenberg, the father of a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting victim, said he is not surprised by the shooting today at Florida State University.
In a post today on X, Guttenberg said his daughter who was killed in the 2018 shooting had friends that attend FSU.
“Incredibly, some of them were just a part of their 2nd school shooting and some of were in the student union today,” 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.”
America is broken. My daughter Jaime was murdered in the Parkland school shooting. Many of her friends who were lucky enough to survive that shooting went on to attend FSU. Incredibly, some of them were just a part of their 2nd school shooting and some of were in the student…
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) April 17, 2025
Remember: Jaime Guttenberg, 14, was one of 17 people killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
A handgun was found on the person police took into custody after a shooting at Florida State University today, according to a law enforcement official.
That official also said a shotgun found in the student union and another gun found in the individual’s car.
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting at Florida State University, he told reporters in the Oval Office Thursday.
“I’ve been briefed on the Florida State University, Tallahassee, active shooting. I guess it’s an active shooter, fully briefed as to where we are right now. It’s a shame. Horrible thing, horrible that things like this take place, and we’ll have more to say about it later,” the president said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN in a statement that the administration is “actively monitoring the situation.”
“The President has been briefed on the shooting at Florida State University and the White House is actively monitoring the situation,” Leavitt said.
A suspect is in custody following a shooting at Florida State University on Thursday, according to two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the situation.
In a post on X, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed the shooting incident at Florida State University.
“Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding,” DeSantis wrote.
Florida Attorney General James Uthemeir posted his office is “responding to the active shooter situation on FSU’s campus.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement posted it is “actively engaged in the incident on FSU’s campus.”
A suspect is in custody following a reported shooting at Florida State University today, according to two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the situation.
At least six people have been injured, CNN affiliate WCTV reported, citing hospital officials. A first responder on the scene gave CNN a similar account.
Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare is “actively receiving and caring for patients” from the shooting, a spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “At this time, details are still unfolding, and we do not yet have specific information to share.”
The extent of those injuries is unclear, according to the law enforcement sources, citing preliminary reports.
“An active shooter has been reported in the area of Student Union,” the university said in a post on X. “Police are on scene or on the way. Continue to seek shelter and await further instructions. Lock and stay away from all doors and windows and be prepared to take additional protective measures.”
