‘Shoots in my path’: FSU scholar describes seeing gunman open hearth in lethal campus capturing

A junior at Florida State watched a gunman pull as much as campus and start opening hearth close to the coed union in what ended up being a lethal capturing on the Tallahassee college Thursday afternoon.

A minimum of two individuals had been killed and 5 individuals had been taken to native hospitals with gunshot wounds, FSU Police Chief Jason Trumbower mentioned at a Thursday-afternoon information convention.

The 2 individuals killed weren’t college students, Trumbower mentioned, and the gunman was additionally taken to the hospital.

A spokesperson for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare earlier instructed NBC Information the hospital was treating sufferers injured within the capturing.

The gunman started capturing within the space of the coed union at round 11:50 a.m., Trumbower mentioned, including that he shot a number of individuals earlier than FSU police had been in a position to have interaction, neutralize and apprehend him.

Walt McNeil, the Leon County sheriff, recognized the suspect as Phoenix Ikner, 20, the son of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy. He mentioned Ikner was in a position to entry certainly one of her weapons, which matched one of many weapons discovered on the scene.

Ikner is believed to be a scholar at FSU. His motive stays unclear.

Police mentioned the weapon used was a handgun and that the shooter had a shotgun with him, however they haven’t but confirmed that he shot anybody with the shotgun.

McKenzie Heeter, a junior at FSU, described seeing the gunman Thursday afternoon as she was outdoors the coed union.

“I used to be leaving the union with my meals. There’s a street subsequent to it and I used to be strolling and this man pulls up in an orange Hummer, and he will get out with a rifle and shoots in my path. There have been a pair different youngsters close to me,” Heeter mentioned. “I feel he was capturing and he missed. So he goes again into his automotive and grabs a pistol, then he turns and shoots the woman in entrance of him. That’s after I simply began operating.”

Heeter mentioned she heard about 15 rounds fired for about 20 to 30 seconds. She mentioned she then referred to as the police at 11:57 a.m. to report the capturing.

She described the shooter as a “regular school dude” who was carrying an orange T-shirt and khaki shorts. She described him as white with mild hair.

At first, Heeter mentioned she thought he introduced out a BB gun, however when she heard him hearth she knew it was actual.

“When he turned again round with the pistol, I noticed him shoot the woman like proper in entrance of him. She was most likely like 5 ft in entrance of him with the pistol,” Heeter mentioned. She mentioned the lady was in purple scrubs and didn’t look like a scholar or school.

“It was simply me and like three different those that seen at first, however we had been strolling in the other way away from the union, so we began operating. I simply instructed everyone that I may see, keep away from campus,” she recalled. “I ran again to my condominium as quick as I may.”

The campus was initially locked down, with FSU sending out an alert urging college students to take cowl and to lock doorways. College students have since been allowed to return to their residence halls however have been requested to proceed to keep away from the coed union.