Two men were killed in a mass shooting at a Florida university, reportedly carried out by the son of a local constable using her old duty pistol, police in the southeastern US state said Thursday.
Five people were injured when the gunman, known as Phoenix Ikner, rampaged through Florida State University, firing at students before being shot by local police.
According to Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell, a sixth individual was injured while fleeing the incident.
As gunfire erupted, the school was locked down, and students were instructed to stay in place as first responders rushed to the scene shortly after the lunchtime shootings.
Ikner, 20, was hospitalised with “serious but non-life-threatening injuries”, Revell said.
Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil informed reporters that Ikner was a university student and the son of an “exceptional” 18-year veteran of his staff.
“Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene.
He added that the suspect was part of the Sheriff’s Office training programmes, meaning “it’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons.”
CNN reported that bystander footage showed a young man wandering on a lawn and shooting at individuals attempting to flee the scene.
Witnesses described mayhem as individuals ran through the wide campus while gunfire sounded out near the student union.
“Everyone just started running out of the student union,” a witness named Wayne told local news station WCTV.
“About a minute later, we heard about eight to 10 gunshots.”
The witness mentioned that he saw one man who appeared to have been shot in the midsection.
“The whole entire thing was just surreal. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Everything was really quiet, then all chaotic.”
According to police, the two people who died were “adult males” and not students.
The university, a public institution with over 40,000 students, suspended all courses and asked students who did not live on campus to leave.
FSU President Richard McCullough stated that the university was trying to help anyone harmed by the attack.
“This is a tragic day for Florida State University,” he said.
“We’re absolutely heartbroken by the violence that occurred on our campus earlier today.”
Student Sam Swartz told the Tallahassee Democrat that he was in the basement of the student union when the shooting began.
“Everyone started freaking out,” Swartz recalled, adding that he had heard approximately ten bullets.
A group of eight people crouched in a hallway, barricaded with trash cans and boards.
“I remember learning to do the best you can to make them take time,” Swartz said, adding that mass shooters are “just trying to get as many people” as they can.
Social media footage showed a group of young adults going through halls with their hands in the air as they exited the facility.
