FSU Student Recounts Knowing Florida State Mass Shooting Suspect from Political Club

Campus Shooting Experience

• 🎯 Florida State University experienced a mass shooting that resulted in two deaths and six injuries.
• 💡 The suspect, a 20-year-old student, allegedly used his stepmother's former service revolver.
• 😨 The interviewee, an FSU student, was in the Bellamy building's basement when the shooting began and experienced lockdown for an hour.
• 🧠 During the lockdown, students focused on gathering information and comforting each other, feeling a sense of vulnerability due to campus carry restrictions.

Suspect's Past Behavior

• 🗣️ The student knew the alleged gunman from a political club at a former college.
• 🚩 He claims the suspect espoused white supremacist rhetoric, including controversial statements about Rosa Parks.
• 🚫 The suspect was asked to leave the political club due to making other members uncomfortable.
• 🤝 Although initially removed, the suspect was later allowed back into the club, and continued to express similar views.

Reflections on the Event

• ⚠️ The interviewee emphasized that this incident was not necessarily a failure of gun control but a broader failure, while refraining from speculating on the suspect's motive.
• 💬 The suspect reportedly took his removal from the club well and later joined a Turning Point chapter on campus.
• ❓ Despite past rhetoric, the interviewee noted that the suspect seemed fairly normal in passing and that there was no written record of his views from their time in the club, which was a discussion-based group.