{ "id": "2014-11-20-fsu-shooting", "slug": "fsu-shooting-2014-11-20", "institution": { "name": "Florida State University", "shortName": "FSU", "state": "FL", "type": "public-r1", "alertSystemName": "FSU Alert", "enrollment": 44000 }, "incident": { "date": "2014-11-20", "type": "active-shooter", "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification", "headline": "Gunman opens fire in Strozier Library during finals week; three people wounded", "headlinePublic": "Gunman opens fire in Strozier Library during finals week; three people wounded", "summary": "At 12:30 a.m. EST during finals week, FSU alumnus [Myron May](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fsu-gunman-killed-after-opening-fire-library-tallahassee-campus-n252271) opened fire in [Strozier Library](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Manning_Strozier_Library) where 300-500 students were studying. FSU's initial alert described it only as a 'Dangerous situation' without specifying the threat type, location within campus, or recommended actions beyond seeking shelter. Three people were wounded -- two students and a library employee -- and all survived, though student [Farhan 'Ronny' Ahmed was left paralyzed](https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/florida-state-university-was-also-scene-of-2014-shooting-that-injured-three/3594547/). Police killed the shooter within minutes, but the all-clear did not come until approximately 4:00 a.m. EST, leaving hundreds of students sheltering for over three hours.", "outcome": "Shooter killed by police; no victims died. Three people wounded (two students and one library staff member), all survived. One student, Farhan 'Ronny' Ahmed, was left paralyzed.", "casualties": { "killed": 0, "injured": 3 }, "resolution": "confirmed-threat" }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestamp": "2014-11-20T00:30:00-05:00", "timestampApprox": "Approximately 12:30 AM EST on November 20, 2014, shortly after shots fired", "channel": "sms", "verbatimText": "FSU Alert Dangerous situation main campus-Tallahassee. Seek shelter immediately, away from doors and windows.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://alerts.fsu.edu/", "sourceDescription": "FSU Alert Archive", "annotations": [ "'Dangerous situation' is remarkably vague for an active shooting in progress", "Does not specify: shooting, weapon type, location within campus, or suspect description", "Specifies 'main campus-Tallahassee' because FSU has multiple campus locations", "'Away from doors and windows' is typically associated with tornado shelter instructions, not shootings", "12:30 a.m. EST on November 20, 2014 timing means many students were asleep while 300-500 others were in the targeted library" ], "characterCount": 109 }, { "sequence": 2, "type": "update", "timestamp": "2014-11-20T00:45:00-05:00", "channel": "sms", "verbatimText": "", "isVerbatimConfirmed": false, "annotations": [] }, { "sequence": 3, "type": "update", "timestamp": "2014-11-20T01:30:00-05:00", "channel": "sms", "verbatimText": "", "isVerbatimConfirmed": false, "annotations": [] }, { "sequence": 4, "type": "all-clear", "timestamp": "2014-11-20T04:00:00-05:00", "channel": "twitter-x", "verbatimText": "**FSU ALERT*** ALL CLEAR - Updates on Strozier Shooting can be found at http://alerts.fsu.edu. Tallahasee Police will be lead agency.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "annotations": [ "Issued approximately 3.5 hours after the shooting, at 4:00 a.m. EST on November 20, 2014", "Students sheltering in the library were finally allowed to leave and go home", "Classes and testing were canceled for the rest of Thursday", "Supervisor rule-0 audit (2026-07-18): removed a stale annotation claiming the all-clear included counseling-services information -- the verbatimText contains no such content (only a URL and the note that Tallahassee Police would be lead agency), so that bullet misdescribed the message and was likely a leftover from an earlier draft.", "Corrected to exact fxtwitter display text." ], "characterCount": 134, "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/FSUAlert/status/535368442535493632", "sourceDescription": "@FSUAlert on X (verbatim)" }, { "sequence": 5, "type": "update", "timestamp": "2014-11-20T08:28:00-05:00", "channel": "twitter-x", "verbatimText": "Strozier Library @fsulibrary will remain closed until further notice as the investigation continues.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/FSUAlert/status/535424434979762176", "sourceDescription": "@FSUAlert on X (verbatim)", "characterCount": 100, "annotations": [ "@FSUAlert midday update that Strozier Library remained closed during the investigation" ] }, { "sequence": 6, "type": "update", "timestamp": "2014-11-20T14:42:00-05:00", "channel": "twitter-x", "verbatimText": "On Friday, November 21, FSU will resume normal operations including holding all classes as scheduled. http://fla.st/63Qr3v.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/FSUAlert/status/535518571330564096", "sourceDescription": "@FSUAlert on X (verbatim)", "characterCount": 123, "annotations": [ "@FSUAlert afternoon notice that normal campus operations including classes would resume Friday, November 21", "Corrected to exact fxtwitter display text." ] } ], "context": "The [FSU Strozier Library shooting](https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/11/20/365402196/florida-state-gunman-shot-dead-by-campus-police) on November 20, 2014 is one of the most frequently cited examples of excessive vagueness in campus alert research. A gunman had opened fire in one of the busiest buildings on campus during finals week, yet the initial alert gave no indication of what the danger was, where specifically it was occurring, or whether it was an active threat versus a resolved incident. The phrase 'away from doors and windows' was an unusual choice for a shooting, more typically associated with tornado sheltering. [Myron May](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fsu-gunman-killed-after-opening-fire-library-tallahassee-campus-n252271), a 31-year-old FSU alumnus and former attorney who had been experiencing mental health issues, was killed by campus police within minutes of opening fire. Despite the rapid police response, the all-clear did not come until approximately 4:00 a.m. EST, leaving hundreds of students sheltering in locked-down buildings for over three hours. FSU's alert system used multiple channels including SMS, email, the university website, computer lab pop-up messages, and emergency blue lights. The incident is notable as one of the earliest documented cases of campus police [neutralizing an active shooter](https://www.cnn.com/2014/11/20/us/fsu-incident/index.html).", "keyFindings": [ "'Dangerous situation' without specifying the threat type is the most-cited example of alert vagueness in campus safety literature", "Library targeting during finals week (300-500 students) maximized potential exposure", "'Away from doors and windows' conflates shooting and tornado shelter instructions", "12:30 a.m. EST on November 20, 2014 timing creates unique delivery challenges; many students asleep, others in the targeted library", "Campus police neutralized the shooter quickly, but the all-clear took over three hours" ], "responseTimeMinutes": null, "sources": [ { "title": "FSU Alert system archive", "url": "https://alerts.fsu.edu/", "type": "official-archive" }, { "title": "Officials Confident in FSU Alert System after Shooting, WCTV", "url": "https://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/FSU-Alert-System-283549671.html", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "Florida State University Gunman Shot Dead By Campus Police, NPR", "url": "https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/11/20/365402196/florida-state-gunman-shot-dead-by-campus-police", "type": "local-media" }, { "title": "3 shot at Florida State University, CNN", "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2014/11/20/us/fsu-incident/index.html", "type": "local-media" }, { "type": "official-social", "title": "@FSUAlert Strozier ALL CLEAR", "url": "https://x.com/FSUAlert/status/535368442535493632" }, { "type": "official-social", "title": "@FSUAlert Strozier remains closed", "url": "https://x.com/FSUAlert/status/535424434979762176" }, { "type": "official-social", "title": "@FSUAlert resume normal operations", "url": "https://x.com/FSUAlert/status/535518571330564096" } ], "confidence": "high", "tags": [ "active-shooter", "vague-language", "dangerous-situation", "library-shooting", "finals-week", "campus-police-response", "extended-lockdown", "multi-channel-alert", "2014" ], "dateAdded": "2026-04-04", "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18", "addedBy": "ingestion" }