TALLAHASSEE — Hundreds of students gathered for a fourth prayer vigil at FSU since a shooting rocked the campus Thursday morning.
“This is the first time I’ve been back since it happened,” said student Alex Lavene, of Maitland.
The senior was studying for final exams in the library when the panic set in.
“People yelling, ‘Gun, gun, gun, someone’s shooting’, so we ducked for cover,” he said. “I pray this doesn’t happen again to FSU. We have to stay strong.”
Students said the shooting made them second-guess their safety on campus.
"You realize safety is just a feeling. It's not really real,' said student Emma White.
Police said they have a journal and videos that indicate the gunman who shot three students at Florida State University's library on Thursday believed the government had targeted him.
Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo said Thursday that Myron May was armed with a .380 semi-automatic handgun and reloaded at least once. DeLeo said May tried to get past security barriers in the Strozier Library before he was fatally shot by officers.
DeLeo said May and officers exchanged more than 30 shots.
During a news conference on Thursday, FSU President John Thrasher said university operations will return to normal on Friday.
"We're going to get back to normal tomorrow. We're going to get through this with the great (FSU) family that we have," said Thrasher.
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Officials said May graduated from FSU in 2005 before attending and graduating from Texas Tech University's law school in 2009. He worked in law in New Mexico but moved back to the area about three weeks ago.
Thrasher said the library will also resume operations and there will be visible police presence there and throughout campus.
Tallahassee police said May opened fire in and outside the library about 12:30 a.m.
One person was in critical condition at a local hospital. Another, library staffer Nathan Scott, in good condition at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. A third person was treated and released.
Authorities said that after reloading, May walked outside and was confronted by officers. Police said they fatally shot the gunman as hundreds of people inside fled or took cover in panic.
Authorities said they also found additional ammunition in May's pockets.
They said May also had written journals and made videos expressing fears of being "targeted" by the government. A preliminary review of those items shows May was in "a state of crisis," authorities said.
While police did not say if the wounded were shot by the gunman, senior Sarah Evans, from Miami, said she was inside the library and heard a male student say he had been shot. When she looked at him, he was on the ground with blood spreading on his pants leg.
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Channel 9's Anthony DiLorenzo arrived on campus hours after the shooting and talked with several witnesses.
"All of a sudden there was a guy saying, 'There's a guy with a gun. Get out,'" said witness Steven Dawson.
"The library was packed full, and it was terrifying," said witness Steven Donovan.
Witnesses told Channel 9 one of the students was shot in the leg near the library's entrance.
"When these kids heard gunshots, they got out of their shoes so fast they ran out of them," said witness Jessica Davis.
Photos surfacing on social media show furniture inside the library that was used to create a barricade. Other posts suggest one student escaped being shot because the books in his backpack stopped the bullet.
STORY: Student's FB post says library books kept bullet from hitting him
One witness said she would "never forget the look on his face" as she described the reaction of a student who had just been shot.
"He was wounded, lying on the ground. So that's when we really freaked out," she said.
"The initial report indicates that as the officers got to the area, they located the gunman near the entrance to the library and he was challenged by those officers to drop his weapon. Instead of complying with their demands, the gunman turned and fired a shot at the officers and they returned fire, killing the suspect," Tallahassee police spokesman Dave Northway said.
The officers involved were placed on administrative leave pending the result of the investigation, officials said.
"We are Seminole family, and when something like this happens we all reach out to grab hold of each other," said Gov. Rick Scott.
"We are all FSU," said Tallahassee Mayor-elect Andrew Gillum. "We ask at this time for continued prayer, prayer for the immediate victims; prayer for those who had to endure this traumatic experience."
Northway said authorities did not believe there were any other threats related to the incident. Shortly after 4 a.m., a loud tone sounded across the campus followed by an announcement that the campus was "all clear."
At the same time, authorities allowed hundreds of students who had been shepherded into a classroom building next to Strozier Library, a multistory building in the center of the Tallahassee campus, to return to their homes.
Hours after the shooting, detectives could be seen inspecting the body of the suspected gunman, which was lying face down at the top of an access ramp just outside the library. A gray baseball cap lay near his head.
"It just sounded like a gunfight. I don't know. And a bunch of bullets going off at one time, and then it stopped. And a bunch of police sirens and ... pretty intense," said FSU student Alex Lavene.
Students who had been in the library described a chaotic scene where they heard shots, followed by students either barricading themselves in parts of the library or taking cover.
John Ehab, a sophomore from Tampa, said he was on the library's third floor when he heard multiple gunshots.
"Everyone heard them," he said. "People took cover in the book aisles to hide from the gunman in case he came onto the floor."
"You never think something like this is going to happen to you until you have to react in that situation when someone is screaming, 'There is a gun in the building.' I ran for my life," said Allison Kope, a freshman. "I ran right out the back door. My laptop and everything is still in there. It was shock. It was just instinct. You don't think about anything else, you just go."
Freshman Nikolai Hernandez said he was in his dorm room across from the library when he heard five or six rapid gunshots.
"It was a consecutive, 'bop, bop, bop, bop, bop,'" Hernandez said.
Thrasher decided to cancel classes Thursday for the entire campus, although the university itself would remain open.
"The Florida State University community is extremely saddened by the shootings that took place early this morning at Strozier Library, in the very heart of campus, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of all those who have been affected. The three students who have been injured are our highest priority, followed by the needs of our greater university community. We will do everything possible to assist with their recovery," said Thrasher.
"We are increasing security measures and providing a strong law enforcement presence on and around campus today. I have great confidence in the abilities of our local law enforcement agencies to handle this matter. As we try to make sense of what is a senseless incident, the Counseling Center and Employee Assistance will provide counseling and support for FSU faculty, staff and students affected by these events."
As officials processed the scene and searched for a motive, officials said the casualties could have been much worse.
The names of the victims have not been released.
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