In the early afternoon of April 17, 2025, I received what to date has been the worst message ever sent to me. It was my daughter, a senior at Florida State University, texting that she was running from campus because there was an active shooter nearby. My husband and I immediately turned on the news to learn that the police were on the scene and that some students were staying in classrooms or hiding while others were fleeing.
I am grateful that my daughter thought to run when they heard the gun shots from her classroom, as did her boyfriend, who was very close to where the shooting started. They somehow found one another and kept running until they were at a friend’s house off campus, where they proceeded to try to check in with all of their friends. Thankfully none of their friends were injured or hurt, but the gunman did kill two people and injured seven others.
I know that my daughter is still on ready alert when she hears sirens or what sounds like gunfire. I know the parents have it easy in comparison, but I had also hoped never to have that kind of scare again.
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