The world has been rocked to its core in light of a recent shooting that took place at Florida State University. One of the videos that surfaced online since the shooting shows chilling footage of students hiding while someone claiming to be the police tried to gain entry into the classroom.
The video, posted on Reddit hours after the shooting, appeared to have been taken by one of the students crouched under a desk in the classroom. Several other students were captured hiding under tables while a teacher stood before the class.
The door to the classroom was locked, but an unknown person outside repeatedly banged on it. The individual can be heard saying they were the police and pleading that they should be let into the classroom. “Police! C’mon, man, please open up!” the person yelled.
Although one student could be heard saying the door should be opened, no one made a move to do so. The students hid while the teacher used hand motions, urging everyone to crouch.
When the clip of the scary incident went viral, many users commended the teacher for staying calm, and others pointed out that keeping the door closed was the best decision.
One user commented, “As a teacher, I have had literal nightmares of this. I cannot commend enough the teacher in that room, seemingly staying calm and keeping the students as calm as possible, too. My heart would be racing too much to stand there as composed as they are.”
Another user remarked, “That one idiot in the back saying open it. Thank god they didn’t listen to him.” This Redditor responded, “Regardless of whether those were the shooters or the police, we’re not opening the door in 2025.”
One individual expressed sadness at the incident, remarking that “our society is so broken.” Another agreed that while the incident was terrifying, it was “just another day in the USA.” Other individuals also pointed out that the person begging to be let into the classroom sounded too young to be a police officer.
The gunman responsible for the shooting has since been identified as 20-year-old FSU student Phoenix Ikner, who is the son of a police officer. His mother, Jessica Ikner, a veteran Leon County Sheriff’s deputy, kept one of her service weapons after the force upgraded. Unfortunately, Phoenix gained access to the weapon and used it to kill two people and injure six others in the shooting.
According to the BBC, the alleged gunman was shot by the police and transferred to a hospital. The identities of his victims are still unknown, although it has been confirmed that the deceased were not students at FSU.
