Two Florida State University students shared their terrifying experience during Thursday’s deadly campus shooting. The students recounted how the gunman told them to “keep running” as he opened fire at the Tallahassee institution. The two victims of the attack were identified as Robert Morales, an FSU dining coordinator, and Tiru Chabba, a regional vice president at Aramark Collegiate Hospitality.
Madison Askins, an FSU graduate student, described how she was shot in the buttocks as she ran away and decided to play dead to survive. She recalled the gunman standing over her and telling her to keep running. The shooter, identified as Phoenix Ikner, used his stepmother’s service weapon to carry out the attack.
Another student, Sage Toussaint, was inside the student union when the shooting occurred. She ran for safety and later found out that her friend had been shot. They both hid in a bathroom at the campus recreation facility, where they stayed on lockdown until SWAT team members cleared the area.
Askins reflected on the emotional trauma of the experience, while Toussaint expressed her hope to return to campus despite the incident. The campus community mourned the loss of the two victims and came together for a vigil. FSU President Richard McCullough condemned the tragedy and expressed the collective grief felt by the community. Following the shooting, authorities identified Ikner as the suspect and began investigating the motive behind the attack.
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