Witnesses recall chaos and terror during deadly shooting at Florida State University

A sense of shock and sorrow grips the Florida State University community after a deadly shooting spree on campus left two people dead and several others wounded.

(CNN)- A sense of shock and sorrow grips the Florida State University (FSU) community after a deadly shooting spree on campus left two people dead and several others wounded. Students and staff are sharing harrowing accounts of the violence that unfolded near the Student Union on Thursday. FSU student McKenzie Heeter described walking across the green space when she spotted a man standing near an orange Hummer. She says he appeared calm but scowling — then fired a gun in her direction.

“He let off a shot, kind of in our direction,” Heeter recalled. Moments later, she says he retrieved a smaller firearm from the vehicle and shot a woman wearing purple scrubs in the back. “That’s when I realized there was no target, and that it was anybody he could see,” Heeter said. “And I took off.” As she ran to her apartment, she heard multiple gunshots behind her. “It still honestly hasn’t really settled… that those guns were real, and people died,” she added.

Another student said he helped barricade a classroom door to keep others safe. Nearby, Father Luke Farabaugh, a local priest, opened his church to shelter people during the chaos. Later, he ventured outside to assist the wounded — and came upon a tragic sight. “I had the realization that, you know, even if this isn’t my kid, this is somebody’s kid,” Farabaugh said, visibly emotional.

Surgeons at a nearby hospital rushed to operate on the injured. Dr. Brett Howard, an FSU alumnus, was among them. “I’ve seen my share of trauma,” he said. “But a mass event like this, right outside at our own university, really hits close to home.”