Summary: A gunman opened fire in Florida State’s library in the early morning hours on Thursday. Three students were injured and the gunman was later killed by police.
According to Fox News, a gunman opened fire in Florida State University’s Strozier Library Thursday morning, injuring three students. According to police, the shooter was a former student of the university.
The shooter, Myron May, graduated from Florida State and went on to complete a law degree at Texas Tech University. He had recently returned to Florida. David Taunton, whose son ran track in high school with May, allowed May to stay in a guesthouse upon his return. May had lived there for the past three weeks. Taunton said of May, “He was a good a kid as it gets.”
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Apparently, May was back in Florida to study for a final. Taunton said that May had seemed fine until he disappeared Friday night after having dinner with his grandmother. Taunton emailed May to check in with him, and May responded that he was “so sorry” he had not touched base with Taunton, and then said, “I’m all right.”
Taunton admitted that May told him something that “raised worry,” but would not reveal what it was to the media. Taunton has been interviewed by the police.
May entered the library around 12:30 a.m. Several gunshots were heard in a row. FSU Police Chief David Perry said, “This person just for whatever reason produced a handgun and then began shooting students in the library.”
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Sean Young, an FSU student who was on the third floor of the library, said that students ran around him, and that many hid in a private study room that had been rented by a fraternity. “My first instinct was to remain calm and try to keep the people around me calm as well, and just try to cooperate,” he said.
Sarah Evans is another FSU student who was in the library when May began shooting. She heard a male student say that he had been shot, and when she looked over at him, she saw him lying on the ground with blood creeping through his pants leg.
Eventually, May made his way outside and was confronted by campus police at the library entrance. He was ordered to drop his gun, but instead fired at officers. The officers returned fire, killing May. A few hours later, detectives examined May’s body. He was lying facedown at the top of an access ramp, with a grey baseball cap nearby.
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As for the three victims, one was in critical condition, one was stable, and one was treated at the scene of the shooting and released. According to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, as of 10:30 a.m., the condition of the students had not changed.
The school issued a press conference Thursday morning and informed the public that there was no longer any threat on campus. The school is open, but Thursday’s classes are cancelled.
Just past 4:00 a.m., the campus sounded a loud tone, with an announcement following that said, “All clear.” A telephone alert had previously warned people to keep away from their doors and windows, without going into the reason why. Students in dorms and in a second library on campus were on lockdown.
David Sillick, the publisher of the Jacksonville Business Journal, received a text message from his daughter, who was in the library. The text read, “There’s a man with a gun in the library. I love you.” Fortunately, Sillick’s daughter called a few minutes later to say that the police had arrived and that she was safe. Sillick said, “We didn’t know what was happening so I monitored Twitter. A message like that is every parent’s worst fear.”
In a statement issued by the school, President John Thrasher said, “The three students who have been injured are our highest priority followed by the needs of our greater university community. We will do everything possible to assist with their recovery.”
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