Active shooter reported on Tallahassee 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.

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.”

“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.