(CNN) -- Florida State University students huddled together in the aisles of a packed campus library early Thursday after a gunman opened fire, injuring three.
Two of the shooting victims were taken to Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. One was in critical condition; the other was stable, the hospital said.
The third victim was treated and released at the scene.
All three are students.
Witness describes being in FSU library 'Dangerous incident' at FSU
Campus officers later shot the gunman to death after they asked him to drop his handgun, and he opened fire at them, authorities said.
"This is an isolated incident and one person acting alone," Tallahassee police Chief Michael DeLeo said later. "There's no indication of any further threat to anybody."
"Obviously everyone wants to know why," DeLeo added. "That's the hard answer we're going to continue to investigate."
Officials would not say whether the gunman was a student. The five officers involved in the shooting were placed on routine paid administrative leave.
Gunfire at 'packed' library
The shooting started shortly after midnight either inside or near the library at the school in Tallahassee. The library is open 24 hours.
"The library was packed," said Mary Coburn, the vice president of student affairs. About 300-400 students were inside, studying for final exams.
"If there's any positive news we can take from this occurrence is that the victim count was not greater," said the city's Mayor-elect Andrew Gillum.
The school sent out a text to students, warning them to take refuge and stay away from windows.
"FSU alert dangerous situation main campus-Tallahassee," it read. "Seek shelter immediately, away from doors and windows."
Students shoved tables and book shelves against doors to barricade themselves.
'The entire campus is empty'
A cell phone video posted online -- purportedly from inside the library -- showed students sitting in library aisle listening intently to a voice over the loudspeakers.
"There has been a shooting in the library," the voice says. "Stay where you are. We will be coming to each floor and clearing and taking care of anybody."
Perry Kostidakis, a sports editor for the campus newspaper, told CNN the library was surrounded for a time.
"The entire campus is empty; I've seen one or two people come up and look at the scene. Everyone who is in a campus building is under lockdown right now. Policemen are still surrounding the library."
'It was very scary'
Graduate student Alex Lauren said students were escorted from the library to the first floor of a nearby building, where they continued hearing gunshots. They were told to wait for a bus to take them away from campus as armed police stood nearby.
"It was very scary ... I'm more heartbroken more than anything else," she said. "It's sad, my heart goes out to the people affected."
Florida State is one of the top research universities in the nation. It has about 40,000 students spread out in various campuses in the city, and is also considered one of the nation's top-ranked football teams.
As the incident unfolded, anxious students sent tweets and text messages to loved ones.
"There's a man with a gun in the library," Samantha Sillick said in a text to her father. "I love you."
In the aftermath of the shooting, FSU canceled all Thursday classes and testing, the school's Twitter account said.
"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," University President John Thrasher said.

Florida State is one of the top research universities in the nation. It has about 40,000 students spread out in various campuses in the city, and is also considered one of the nation's top-ranked football teams.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

Florida State is one of the top research universities in the nation. It has about 40,000 students spread out in various campuses in the city, and is also considered one of the nation's top-ranked football teams.

Because that last bit there is SOOOOOOOO important to what's actually going on? Unless it was a football player doing the shooting, the state of Felon State's football team has no fething bearing whatsoever to ANYTHING in the current event.

 cincydooley wrote:

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

Florida State is one of the top research universities in the nation. It has about 40,000 students spread out in various campuses in the city, and is also considered one of the nation's top-ranked football teams.

Because that last bit there is SOOOOOOOO important to what's actually going on? Unless it was a football player doing the shooting, the state of Felon State's football team has no fething bearing whatsoever to ANYTHING in the current event.

If it was a member of the football team, It would somehow be the victims fault they got in the way of his bullets.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

Florida State is one of the top research universities in the nation. It has about 40,000 students spread out in various campuses in the city, and is also considered one of the nation's top-ranked football teams.

Because that last bit there is SOOOOOOOO important to what's actually going on? Unless it was a football player doing the shooting, the state of Felon State's football team has no fething bearing whatsoever to ANYTHING in the current event.

Tallahassee, Florida (CNN) -- Gunshots rattled a peaceful, packed Florida State University library early Thursday, with three people getting hurt as hundreds of students huddled between bookshelves before police encountered and killed the gunman outside.
"There has been a shooting in the library, stay where you are," said a man speaking over the loudspeaker, as captured in a cell phone video posted online. "We will be coming to each floor and clearing it, and taking care of anybody."
FSU alumnus identified as shooter FSU shooter feared 'being targeted' Witness describes being in FSU library
One of the injured people is in critical condition at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, the hospital said. It identified another patient as Nathan Scott, who was shot in the leg and is in good condition. The third victim, grazed by a bullet, was treated and released at the scene.
Officers from the Florida State and Tallahassee police departments responded within three to five minutes of the first reports of gunfire, according to Mayor-elect Andrew Gillum.
Once there, they found the shooter outside Strozier Library and asked him to drop his handgun.
"The suspect did not comply with the commands, and actually shot at one of the officers," Tallahassee police spokesman David Northway said. "They returned fire, and the subject was killed."
The gunman was identified by authorities as Myron May, a 2005 graduate of FSU. He graduated from Texas Tech University's law school in 2009, and practiced law in both Texas and New Mexico, according to Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo. May moved back into the area a few weeks ago.
The school canceled all classes and exams Thursday in the wake of the shooting, offering counseling services to those directly and indirectly affected.
Meanwhile, investigators are surveying the scene and interviewing witnesses -- trying to determine exactly what happened and for what reason. DeLeo, the police chief, hedged when asked whether May had fired at officers, saying investigators still have more witnesses to interview. He said is appears none of the victims were targeted for any specific reason.
"Mr. May had a written journal and videos where he expressed fears of being targeted and that he wanted to bring attention to this issue of targeting," DeLeo told reporters. "A preliminary review of these documents and videos demonstrate that Mr. May was in a state of crisis."

 Hordini wrote:
It's interesting he actually engaged the police briefly, unlike the typical school/university shooter.

 CptJake wrote:


This isn't a 'typical school/university shooter' anyway. The time alone rules that out.

 cincydooley wrote:


Really sad that he wasn't able to get the help he needed.

such as various "big brother is watching me" groups on FB

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The gunman who shot three people at Florida State University's library early Thursday before being killed by police was a former student, a law enforcement official told CBS News.

There is also indication, according to police records in New Mexico that he was mentally distressed.

Officials said the shooter was Myron May, 31, CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton reports. Police officials later confirmed the name to the media.

May was fatally shot early Thursday after he shot three people at FSU's Strozier Library. Two are hospitalized and one has been released. One of the victims was identified as Nathan Scott, a library employee. He was shot in the leg but is listed in good condition. The names of the other two victims have not been released.

At a Thursday afternoon press conference, Tallahassee police chief Michael DeLeo said May graduated from Florida State in 2005 and Texas Tech Law School in 2009. He had recently moved back into the area about three weeks ago.

Officials know of no motive May would have had behind the shooting, but DeLeo said May had journals and videos saying he feared being targeted and wanted to bring attention to it. There was no indication that the three people who were shot were specifically sought out.

"We have no information saying anyone was targeted for a specific reason," said DeLeo.

However, last month an ex-girlfriend called police on May saying he was harassing her. The woman said May, who was living in Las Cruces, N.M., had developed a severe mental disorder, according to a police report, believing cops were after him, bugging his phone and putting cameras in his car and home.

She said May had been diagnosed with ADHD and was taking prescription medication for it; but the affliction had worsened over the prior few weeks. Police attempted to check on May at his home but he was not there. Future police checks on May were pending, according to the report.

In an earlier incident in September, May complained to police that he thought he was being watched and that he believed surveillance cameras were in his residence and that he constantly heard voices coming through the walls talking about his activities. But he did not provide any evidence of the voices to the responding officer.

DeLeo said May moved back into the Tallahassee area about three weeks ago.

Abigail Taunton, who runs a foster home in the Florida Panhandle, told The Associated Press that May had recently been staying at a guest house she owns. She said police interviewed her husband, David, after the shooting.

"He's just a boy our kids grew up with that we let stay in one of our guest houses for a while," she said. "He's moving back home from Texas and we were trying to help him get on his feet.

"It's horrifying."

Josh Nieves, 20, a music student from Fort Myers, left, and Tim Kehl, 19, a junior finance student from Tallahassee, kneel at the fountain in front of the library and pray at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla., Nov. 20, 2014.

Josh Nieves, 20, a music student from Fort Myers, left, and Tim Kehl, 19, a junior finance student from Tallahassee, kneel at the fountain in front of the library and pray at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla., Nov. 20, 2014.

Reuters/Bill Cotterell

Records show May was licensed to practice law in Texas and New Mexico. Taunton said he was planning to take the Florida bar exam in February.

Tallahassee police have no criminal record of May, but as a Florida State student in 2002, he was investigated for suspicion of marijuana use by FSU police, authorities said. He was not arrested in that incident.

ap322294998200.jpg
Tallahassee police chief Michael Deleo, left and FSU police chief David Perry talk with the media about a shooting outside the Strozier library, Thursday Nov 20, 2014.
AP / Mark Wallheiser

"We're just all astounded. We had no idea that he would do something like this," Taunton said. "Obviously, he was not in his right mind."

She said she had known him since he was about 13 or 14 and that he ran cross country with her kids and stayed at her house a lot. She said he lived with his grandmother after coming out of a "bad situation" with his parents.

"He was a well-liked, real smart. He was having some financial issues and moved back home and decided he'd come back to Florida to work," she said. "My heart's broken. In a million years I wouldn't have thought he'd do something like this. He was struggling, having decided that what he was doing out there was not good. He had some issues and just decided he'd come home. He was struggling, like we all do, financially and otherwise."

The shooting happened about 12:30 a.m., sending hundreds of students who had been up all night studying for exams scrambling for cover in the book aisles and barricading themselves in with desks. Two students and an university employee were wounded before police killed the gunman in a shootout, authorities said.

Police and FSU officials called the shooting an "isolated incident," but have not released many details, including how far May made it into Strozier Library. FSU's compact campus is located less than a mile from downtown Tallahassee and the state Capitol.

"This person just for whatever reason produced a handgun and then began shooting students in the library," FSU Police Chief David Perry said.

ap688121838719.jpg
Tallahassee police investigate the scene of a shooting outside the Strozier library on the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee, Fla. Thursday Nov 20, 2014.
AP / Mark Wallheiser

Students inside the multistory library heard about half a dozen gunshots. Students began screaming that someone was shooting at them and flipped over chairs in their race to take cover.

"I ran for my life," said Allison Kope, a freshman from Cocoa Beach, who was on the library's first floor. "I ran right out the backdoor. 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."

Other students hid in the book aisles and some barricaded themselves in rooms.

Sarah Evans, a senior 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.

"No one really moved," student Dominique Gamez told CBS News. "It wasn't until the guy was on the floor and he had his hand on his leg and right there everyone just started running ... I wish I would have stayed with the guy and kind of asked him about it, but at the time everything's happening so fast."

"Everyone, including myself, is just taken back by it," student Matthew Paskert told CBS News. "... You hear about it happening, but you never expect it to happen to you or to people you know."

enwerner3.jpg
Myron May
CBS News

A local hospital, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, told CBS News at least two victims were brought there. The hospital said one victim was in critical condition and the other had improved from stable to good condition.

FSU officials said a third student was only grazed by a bullet and was treated at the scene and released.

Tallahassee and Florida State University police confronted the gunman just outside the library that sits in the middle of the campus and ordered him to drop his handgun, but he fired a shot at them and they unleashed a volley of shots, Tallahassee Police spokesman Dave Northway said.

Hours after the shooting, detectives could be seen inspecting the body of May, who was lying face down at the top of an access ramp just outside the library. A baseball cap lay nearby.

The shooting prompted a campus alert that urged students to take shelter and stay away from doors and windows. After the shooting, FSU officials announced classes would be canceled for Thursday.

Daniel Morales, a 19-year-old freshman from Fort Pierce who was in the library during the attack, said that when he first heard someone say "somebody's got a gun. I thought he was joking." But after realizing there was a gunman in the library, Morales and others raced to a back room on the second floor where they barricaded a door with desks.

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. "It makes me definitely a little bit nervous. I was supposed to be in the library. I had a paper to do and I got a little bit lazy and decided not to do it."

Florida State President John Thrasher, who took office earlier this month, said by phone that he was in New York City at the time of the shooting. He said he was scheduled to return to Tallahassee later Thursday.

 LordofHats wrote:

such as various "big brother is watching me" groups on FB

The worst places you can go for medical help; Wikipedia. Faith Healers. Social Media XD

 Frazzled wrote:
There is some controversy about these mind altering drugs, that they are inducing paranoia. If you notice a lot of the spree killers over the last five years have been on them.

 Frazzled wrote:
There is some controversy about these mind altering drugs, that they are inducing paranoia. If you notice a lot of the spree killers over the last five years have been on them.

 CptJake wrote:

 Hordini wrote:
It's interesting he actually engaged the police briefly, unlike the typical school/university shooter.

I don't know, to be successful at suicide by cop you do have to get the cops to cap you. Popping a round in their direction would seem to be a decent way to make that happen.

This isn't a 'typical school/university shooter' anyway. The time alone rules that out.

(CNN) -- The man identified as the gunman who wounded three people at Florida State University's library apparently sent packages to several acquaintances before the shooting, according to one of them.

Agents from the FBI's Houston office have received a package sent by Myron May and determined that it contained nothing hazardous, Special Agent Shauna Dunlap said. Its contents aren't being made public, she said.

Joe Paul of Washington, D.C., said Friday that a postal inspector had also called him to let him know he also had received a package from May. He doesn't know what's inside, except that it's nothing dangerous.

Paul told CNN on Friday that May had asked him and eight others for their mailing addresses in a November 15 Facebook message.

"I really thought it was a wedding invitation or something," he said. "On Wednesday at 9:53 (p.m.), he said y'all should receive your packages Friday. Then I went to sleep and woke up to tragedy."

May, 31, fired shots in FSU's Strozier Library around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, wounding three of the 300 or 400 students inside -- one of them critically, police said.

Cell phone video posted online captured the moments after the shooting, in which students huddled inside the packed library.

Officers who encountered May outside shot him when he refused to drop his weapon, police say.

"The suspect did not comply with the commands and actually shot at one of the officers," Tallahassee police spokesman David Northway said. "They returned fire, and the subject was killed."

Two of the students wounded in the shooting were hospitalized Thursday at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, one in critical condition, according to the hospital. The third shooting victim, who was grazed by a bullet, was treated at the scene and not hospitalized.

Paul's package from May, a 2005 FSU graduate, appears to be in a standard Postal Service Priority Mail envelope, based on a photograph Paul said May sent him as confirmation of its delivery.

It was scheduled to arrive Friday, Paul said. But he is traveling and will not be home.

He has called FSU and Tallahassee police about the package but does not know what will happen to it.

"One of two things will happen," he said. "It will be there when I get back, or someone said the FBI or police may intercept it."

Dunlap said Friday that the Houston package may first go to a lab for analysis, but will eventually go to the Tallahassee Police Department, the lead agency in the investigation of Thursday's shooting.

'Fears of being targeted'
Tallahassee police declined Friday to comment on the packages or what they contain.

Tallahassee police Chief Michael DeLeo, did however, tell reporters Thursday that May had a journal and videos in which he "expressed fears of being targeted and that he wanted to bring attention to this issue of targeting."

A preliminary review of these documents and videos demonstrates "that Mr. May was in a state of crisis," DeLeo said.

In September, May called police in Las Cruces, New Mexico, convinced that someone had placed cameras in his apartment and complaining that he was hearing voices through the walls, according to an incident report provided by the department.

A month later, his ex-girlfriend called police, saying May believed "the police are after him and are bugging his phone and car," according to another incident report.

May worked briefly as a felony prosecutor in Dona Ana, New Mexico, District Attorney Mark D'Antonio said.

"He did his job with distinction and honor," D'Antonio said Thursday.

He abruptly resigned on October 16 in a letter that made no mention of any troubles, D'Antonio said.

Paul, who knew May from their days at FSU and had kept in touch over Facebook, said he doesn't think May would want to hurt him. He hopes that what's inside the package will shed some light on what happened.

"I hope it's the answer to why," he said.

He doesn't know what's inside, except that it's nothing dangerous.

 LordofHats wrote:
Just saying;

He doesn't know what's inside, except that it's nothing dangerous.

How do you know its not dangerous if you don't know what's inside? XD

 LordofHats wrote:
Just saying;

He doesn't know what's inside, except that it's nothing dangerous.

How do you know its not dangerous if you don't know what's inside? XD