UPDATE: |Florida university shooting: Sherriff’s deputy’s son kills two and injures five News

The 20-year-old gunman suspected in the incident at Florida State University was ‘the son of a sheriff’s deputy’

Two people were killed and at least five injured in a shooting at a Florida university, police have confirmed on Thursday (April 17).

Authorities also said the 20-year-old gunman suspected in the incident at Florida State University was ‘the son of a sheriff’s deputy’ and ‘the deputy’s service weapon was found at scene’.

Police chief Jason Trumbower said two people were killed and at least five wounded in the shooting. Five people are being treated at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and the shooter is also receiving medical attention.

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Ambulances, fire crews and patrol vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies had raced toward the campus that sits just west of Florida’s state capital after the university issued an active shooter alert at midday.

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.

After about 15 minutes of hiding, university police escorted the students out of the union and he saw a person getting emergency treatment on the lawn, he said. Hundreds of students streamed away from the student union. Some were glued to their phones while others hugged each other.

US President Donald Trump said from the Oval Office that he had been fully briefed on the shooting. “It’s a horrible thing. It’s horrible that things like this takes place,” he said.

Students and faculty across the campus were locked down in classrooms and sheltered in offices and dorm rooms after receiving the warnings.

“I’m in shock, you know, it’s so hard to believe,” said Kai McGalla, a sophomore who spoke by phone while locked down at a campus testing centre. “The first thing you think of is just, ‘This can’t be true’, right?”

Florida State University is one of Florida’s 12 public universities, with its main campus in Tallahassee. About 44,000 students are enrolled in the university, per the school’s 2024 fact sheet.

Back in 2014, the main library was the site of a shooting that wounded three people. Officers shot and killed the gunman, 31-year-old Myron May.

The university cancelled all classes and events for Thursday, advising everyone to avoid coming to the main campus. It also cancelled all home athletic events until Sunday.

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