A group of 10th graders from Drew Charter School in Atlanta were visiting the campus of Florida State University on Thursday, April 17, when a lone shooter killed two people and injured six.
The shooter has been apprehended and identified as Phoenix Inner, 20-year-old son of a sheriff’s deputy.
The Drew Charter group hid for hours, according to WSBTV. Gunshots broke out around noon near the student union, when the university issued emergency alerts and went into lockdown until after the three o’clock hour.
In a statement, Head of School Peter McKnight said all of the Drew Charter students and staff remained accounted for and safe during the lockdown. The group of teachers and students left campus last night to drive straight back to Atlanta.
“Let us remain Drew strong as we uplift those from our Drew community currently in Florida. We are keeping them at the center of our thoughts at this time. Our hearts also go out to all of those on FSU’s campus impacted by this situation,” McKnight wrote.
Dear Drew Families:
We wanted to inform you of a situation that occurred earlier today. Around noon, during our tenth-graders’ college visit to Florida State University (FSU), FSU activated its Active Shooter lockdown protocol in response to an active shooter on campus. During the lockdown, our students sheltered in place. Throughout the situation, all of our students and staff remained accounted for and safe. The shelter-in-place has now been lifted. A suspect has been apprehended and taken into custody.
Our Drew students and chaperones are preparing to depart from the university campus. Drew administrators are finalizing bus plans for our students and chaperones to return to Atlanta this evening.
We have shared this information with our staff, Senior Academy students, and the families of students on the trip. We will continue to keep the families of those on the trip apprised of new updates.
Let us remain Drew strong as we uplift those from our Drew community currently in Florida. We are keeping them at the center of our thoughts at this time. Our hearts also go out to all of those on FSU’s campus impacted by this situation.
For the Love of Drew,
Peter McKnight
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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