What began as an ordinary Thursday quickly spiraled into chaos at Florida State University, as students, parents, and faculty were thrown into a state of fear and confusion following reports of an active shooter on campus.
“I’m still shaking,” said one mother, echoing the panic felt by thousands after the university went into lockdown. Students rushed to safety, families scrambled for information, and the entire FSU community was left reeling from the terrifying uncertainty of what was happening.
Ava Arenado, a student at FSU, was in the middle of class when the emergency alert hit phones across campus. “One of my classmates got an alert on her phone and announced it to the rest of the class,” she recalled. “My teacher immediately started barricading the door.”
That moment of realization triggered instant panic. Arenado said another student wanted to leave, and within seconds, several classmates ran for their cars. She made a split-second decision to flee too, believing the danger was still distant enough.
“It just didn’t feel real,” Arenado said, still shaken. “I was really just scared for [a classmate’s] safety and mine too.”
Back near the student union—where the initial police response began just after noon—reports of possible gunfire spread fast. Arenado said a friend in that area thought they heard shots, but with no confirmed details, most students were left relying on word-of-mouth and social media, which only added to the confusion.
“Everyone’s really confused,” she said. “It’s really hard to understand what’s real and what’s not.”
For parents watching from afar, the uncertainty was even more painful. Vivian, a mother of two FSU students, got a call from her daughter warning her about the alert. “I immediately thought of my son and asked my daughter to reach out to him,” she said. Both of her children were safe in their off-campus apartments, but close enough to hear the chaos unfolding nearby.
“We’re just waiting for the all clear,” she told CBS News Miami. “They have friends that are still in classrooms hiding.”
Vivian, like many other parents, turned to online chats in a desperate search for facts. But the internet was flooded with speculation and unverified images, including rumors of multiple shooters. “There’s a lot of misinformation going around,” she said. “So not sure what to believe.”
As authorities worked to secure the sprawling campus, FSU officials said police would go room-to-room, using a specific code word to reassure students before having them open the door. Until then, everyone was told to shelter in place.
At least six people were hospitalized, according to sources, though details about their injuries remain unclear. Law enforcement confirmed that one suspect was in custody after being shot in an exchange of gunfire with police.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the FBI, and other agencies responded swiftly to the scene. All classes and campus events were canceled for the rest of the day.
For students like Arenado, the day won’t be easy to forget. “I’ve had a lot of drills,” she said. “But because of how big the school is… I really was scared this was something serious.”
