TALHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) – Tallahassee Memorial Hospital continues to treat victims of a deadly mass shooting at Florida State University, killing two people and causing six injuries.
A member of the hospital staff said the patient suffered injuries to the chest and abdomen. Three patients underwent surgery and two were able to enter the operating room within an hour.
Police are looking for motives in a deadly shooting at FSU
As of 9am on Friday, TMH said two patients are expected to be discharged today. The condition of the three victims has improved, but the other remains “fair” due to symptoms caused by the wound, doctors said.
It is expected that all injured victims will recover in full.
“TMH wants to expand prayer and love to patients and families affected by this tragedy. “We would like to thank the first responders, law enforcement and paramedics who have helped speedy action save lives. The emergency room and trauma team are the best, and dedication to this community is truly not equal.”
“We wanted to thank the medical professionals for taking care of the students who were shot and injured, and we’re just grateful,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “I can’t say enough about Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare Hospital doing an incredible job and partnering with us through this tragedy, and we are all grateful for the amazing work that everyone has done here.
The two deceased victims were identified as foodservice workers, including Aramark employees and campus meal employees.
The campus dining employee, identified as Robert Morales, was from Miami-Dade County. Morales’ family shared a post on X, known as Twitter on Thursday, saying, “Today, we lost our brother. He was one of the victims killed at FSU. He loved FSU and his beautiful wife and daughter.”
No Aramark employees have been identified yet.
“We are heartbroken by confirming that Aramark employees are among those killed in the FSU for their meaningless violence yesterday,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We are absolutely shaken up by the news, and our deepest sympathy lies in our family and our entire Aramark community.”
“We are grateful for the emergency, trauma and the pouring of support into our nursing team. We are honored to be a hospital providing care to these patients,” TMH said.
The defendant shooter, a 20-year-old FSU student identified as Phoenix Echner, was also hospitalized after the shooting. Officials said Ichner was the son of a 18-year veteran of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement released Friday morning, Chief Lawrence Rebel with the Tallahassee Police Department said:
“Our minds are victims, families, students and Florida State community and the massive Florida State community. What happened today was a vicious and mean act of violence. Sadly, the shooting resulted in two adult men being killed and five other victims being injured in the shooting. Non-life-threatening injuries.
The university is staying up all night Friday evening at Langford Green to honor the victims. Resources are available to students from 8am to 5pm at Askew Student Life Center.
At the time of this report, the motivation for filming remains unknown.
