Florida shooting LIVE: Shooter opens fire at State University as people 'covered in blood'

1 day ago 5

Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.

Students have been urged to take shelter as emergency services respond.

By Charlie Bradley, Assistant Features Editor, Jon King, News Reporter

18:43, Thu, Apr 17, 2025 | UPDATED: 18:44, Thu, Apr 17, 2025

Police at the scene of a university shooting in Florida live

Students took shelter as a shooter opened fire at Florida State University (Image: X)

A shooter has opened fire at Florida State University as students take shelter while police respond.

The shooting occurred on the campus in Tallahassee.

The school has urged students to take shelter after it was reported that the shooter was in the student union area.

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Suspect is in custody

A suspect is in custody and multiple victims reported in shooting at Florida State University, the Associated Press has just reported.

Map shows scene of shooting

The map below shows where the shooting happened.

Students hid in bowling alley

Communications student, Ryan Cedergren, 21, said he and about 30 others hid in a bowling alley in the lower level of the student union after seeing students running from a nearby bar.

He said: "In that moment, it was survival."

Mr Cedergren said after about 15 minutes of hiding, university police guided the students out of the student union and he saw a person getting emergency treatment on the lawn.

FBI is at the scene

The FBI is at the campus, according to a spokesperson for the bureau.

Agents from Tallahassee and Jacksonville are at the scene or en route, a FBI spokesperson said.

10 mins ago18:35 Jon King

Four in hospital - media reports

NBC News has reported that four people have been hospitalised.

11 mins ago18:34 Jon King

'Prayers are with FSU' - Ron DeSantis says

Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis has posted on X: "Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding."

14 mins ago18:31 Jon King

Hundreds of students fled campus

Hundreds of students have been seen streaming away from the direction of the student union.

Stunned students were glued to their phones and some were visibly emotional.

Junior Joshua Sirmans, 20, was in the university’s main library when he said alarms began going off warning of an active shooter.

He said police officers escorted him and other students out of the library with their hands over their heads.

16 mins ago18:29 Jon King

What do we know so far?

An active shooter was reported at Florida State University's campus in Tallahassee, according to the school's alert system.

A nearby hospital has said it is treating people affected by the shooting.

Sarah Cannon, a spokesperson with Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, said the hospital cannot yet confirm the number of people in its care and said the details are still unfolding.

Police were at the scene or on their way around noon (US time).

Students and staff were instructed to continue to seek shelter and await further instructions.

17 mins ago18:28 Jon King