‘Three Heart-Stopping Hours’: Students Recall Moments Mass Shooting Erupted During FSU Visit

ByPasarextra

A cohort of tenth-grade students from an Atlanta charter school were visiting Florida State University’s campus when a shooting occurred at the university’s student union.


Pupils from Drew Charter School

got back home late Thursday night and had a conversation with

Channel 2’s Courtney Francisco

about the terrifying situation.

Melvin Hodges’ child was among the Drew Charter students who were at Florida State University for a college visit when a shooting spree began on campus.

“Just feeling relief. Nobody wants to be in a situation where their child is out there and they aren’t sure if they’re going to return safely or not,” Melvin Hodges stated.

The students informed Francisco that the shooting began around midday while they were in the cafeteria.

“Asante Hodges stated, ‘We had to go into hiding, and it’s just… this isn’t fair. I am incredibly angry about it. We do not deserve this,’ she expressed.”

They stayed hidden under lockdown for three hours until the police announced it was safe to exit.


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During our time inside, it was challenging to understand what was happening since clearly the media wasn’t well-informed, and we couldn’t access most details ourselves,” stated Noah Sallee, a student at Drew Charter School. “All we could gather was from those running out with updates.

Parents back home agreed.

“It felt like an eternity,” Melvin Hodges stated.

Drew Charter dispatched letters notifying them that both the students and staff were collectively under lockdown.

Another message informed the parents that everyone was safe and indicated their return via bus to Atlanta.

The moment we boarded the bus, it felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from our shoulders, and we instantly felt much better,” said Asante Hodges.

However, he mentioned that true solace arrived when he could embrace his father.

Families at Drew Charter are keeping those at FSU who didn’t return home Thursday night in their thoughts.

“It’s certainly unfortunate that their journey was overshadowed by such an issue,” Melvin Hodges stated.


Channel 2 Action News

I also found out on Thursday that Georgia Tech’s softball team was heading to Tallahassee to face FSU over the weekend.

Mike Flynn, who serves as the associate athletic director, verified this information.

The team was en route.

when the shooting happened, uncertain how far they were from campus.

The Florida State athletics department shared a cancellation announcement on their social media platforms.

Georgia Tech shared an image stating, “The Georgia Tech Athletics program extends its sincerest sympathies to the Florida State community.”