TALLAHASSEE — Three students were shot early Thursday at a Florida State University library before campus police killed the gunman, Tallahassee police said.
Officers confronted the gunman, whose name has not been released, and ordered him to drop his weapon. But he fired at them and they unleashed a volley of shots, Tallahassee Police spokesman Dave Northway said.
Two of the victims were transported to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, a Level 2 trauma center, police said. One is in critical condition; the other is stable. A third who was grazed by a bullet was treated and released at the scene.
The victims' families have been notified, police said. But their names have not be released.
"You never think something like this is going to happen to you until you have to react in that situation when someone is screaming there is a gun in the building. I ran for my life," said Allison Kope, a freshman from Cocoa Beach, Fla. "I ran right out the back door. My laptop and everything is still in there. It was shock. It was just instinct. You don't think about anything else, you just go."
The incident at Strozier Library started shortly around 12:30 a.m. ET. About 300 to 400 students were inside the campus' main library, which is open 24 hours on weekdays, when the shooter entered with a handgun and opened fire.
By Susie Madrak
— November 20, 2014
