What We Know About The Mass Shooting At Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida

Last week, a 20-year-old shot and killed two adults and wounded five others on Florida State University’s campus. A 6th victim was wounded while running away, but not by gunfire. 

This shooting is yet another tragic reminder of the devastating consequences of lawmakers’ refusal to enact commonsense gun safety laws. In Florida, instead of centering legislation to keep communities safe from the threat of gun violence, some legislators are hellbent on rolling back laws passed in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Right now, lawmakers are pushing a bill that would lower the age to purchase a firearm back down from 21 to 18. When lawmakers prioritize the gun lobby over the safety of their constituents, it’s their communities — schools, neighborhoods, and families — that continue to pay the price.

What We Know About the 20-Year-Old Shooter

The shooter has been identified as a 20-year-old student at Florida State University. He was apprehended at the scene and hospitalized for a gunshot wound. The shooter is the stepson of a Leon County Deputy Sheriff, and at least one of the firearms used in the shooting belongs to the deputy. Reports say the shooter had a history of white supremacist ideology and right-wing extremism. The shooter served on the Leon County Sheriff’s youth advisory council, and reportedly had access to at least one of his stepmom’s weapons. 

What We Know About the Firearm Used

At least one of the firearms used in the shooting belongs to the shooter’s stepmom, a Leon County Deputy Sheriff. The shooter had access to a handgun used, purchased by his stepmother for her personal use from the department after she was given a new service handgun

Police also recovered an AR-15 rifle in the shooter’s car and a shotgun in the student union. It has not yet been announced if those firearms were used.

Remembering the Victims

Robert Morales, 57, was the longtime Dining Coordinator at Florida State University. Robert was also the special teams coach for Leon High School’s football program. Described by loved ones as having “a big heart,” Morales’ death is a devastating loss to his family, friends, and community.

Tiru Chabba, 45, was an Aramark employee on campus for his job as a campus vendor. He was a beloved husband and father of two.

Five other victims were shot and wounded. One other person was wounded, not by gunfire, while fleeing from gunshots. 

What We Know About Florida’s Weak Gun Laws

For decades, Florida had a reputation for having dangerously weak gun safety laws. However, following the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, lawmakers came together to pass bipartisan gun safety legislation. Since this legislation was passed, extremist lawmakers have continuously attempted to roll back gun safety progress.

This legislative session, lawmakers in the House voted to pass a bill that would lower the age to purchase a firearm from 21 back down to 18. This minimum age to purchase was created as part of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act. The shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was just 18 years old when he legally bought the firearm he used a year later to murder 17 people and injure 17 more. People aged 18 to 20 are three times more likely to commit gun homicides than those 21 and older. The shooter at FSU was 20. 

Florida currently has a narrow child access prevention (CAP) law that prohibits gun owners from leaving a loaded firearm in any place where the owner knows that a person under the age of 16 is likely to access it, unless it is securely stored. The law only applies if a person under 16 actually gains access to the loaded, unsecured firearm and then possesses or displays the firearm in a public place or in a threatening manner. Since the shooter at FSU was 20 years old, the shooter’s mother had no obligation under state law to secure her firearms. Raising the age in the state’s CAP law to 21 would ensure that people who are too young to purchase firearms under Florida state law would not be able to access firearms without permission either. 

Secure storage laws play a crucial role in reducing the risk of gun violence. Roughly three-quarters of school shooters acquired the firearm used from the home of a parent or close relative. Storing firearms securely protects children and adults by preventing unintentional shootings, gun suicides, and gun theft. 

What We Know About Mass Shootings in America

This is the 18th shooting on a college/university campus this year, and the first mass shooting on a college campus in 2025, according to Everytown’s Gunfire on School Grounds database.

 This shooting is the 81st mass shooting of 2025, according to GunViolenceArchive.

What We Don’t Know: Questions to Ask

• How did the shooter acquire his stepmom’s firearm used in the shooting?
• How did the shooter obtain the AR-15 found in his car and the shotgun found in the student union? 

If you’re interested in talking to a policy expert or a volunteer with the Students Demand Action or Moms Demand Action Chapters in Florida in the wake of the mass shooting at FSU, please reach out to [email protected].