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Parkland survivor and educator Brittany Sinitch reflects on the 2025 FSU shooting—reigniting painful memories and renewing urgent calls for change. |
FSU Shooting Reopens Painful Memories for Parkland Survivor Brittany Sinitch: “I Was Teaching…”
For Florida educator Brittany Sinitch, the recent shooting at Florida State University (FSU) was more than just another headline. It was a deeply personal and painful reminder of past trauma. Sinitch, an FSU alumna and survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, has now lived through two of Florida’s most tragic mass shootings.
“I was a student at Florida State University in 2014,” Sinitch recalled in an emotional Instagram post."I had just returned home from the library when messages started pouring in—some from friends who were hiding behind bookshelves—as a shooting unfolded on campus."
Another Shooting at FSU: A New Chapter in Florida’s Gun Violence Epidemic
Now, in 2025, FSU has been rocked by another tragedy. This time, the suspect is 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, a student and the son of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy. Armed with his mother’s service weapon, Ikner reportedly killed two people and injured six others near FSU’s student union before being shot and hospitalized.
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Ikner acted alone in this Florida campus shooting. The incident has once again exposed the fragile state of school safety and gun control policies.
Sinitch, like many Americans grappling with repeated mass shootings, expressed heartbreak and anger. “It feels like betrayal. How is this still happening?” she wrote. “We want change. We need it. No one should live through this more than once.”
From Parkland to FSU: Survivors Confront an Unrelenting Cycle of Violence
Jayden D’Onofrio, another FSU student, recalled the moment they received a chilling text: an active shooter was on campus, and their friend was hiding in the library. They ran to help without hesitation.
“It’s one of the maximum gut-wrenching feelings—to now no longer recognize in case your pals will make it,” D’Onofrio advised CNN. Their connection to Parkland is tragically familiar: they were in 7th grade when the Parkland massacre occurred just 15 minutes from their school. Since then, lockdown drills became a monthly reality.
Students Take Cover as FSU Campus Goes on Lockdown
As emergency alerts went out, FSU students scrambled for safety. Inside classrooms, students pushed desks against doors and crouched under tables. Many sent what they feared could be final messages to loved ones.
Senior Sam Swartz recalled relying on school shooter training from high school. In the student union basement, he and others created a makeshift barricade with trash cans and plywood. “Delay the shooter—that’s what we were taught,” he explained.
Another student, Will Schatz, fled after seeing others sprinting to exits. Holden Mamula, a political science major, was in class when sirens began wailing. He texted his parents and prepared to run.
“You never think it’ll be your school until it is,” Mamula said. “And then it becomes real—trauma you’ll never forget.”
A Scene of Chaos: Gunfire, Screams, and Fleeing Students
Videos from the scene show students hiding behind bushes, scrambling to escape gunfire. One student, McKenzie Heeter, saw a man pull out a large gun and fire indiscriminately. “He shot a woman in purple scrubs in the back. That’s when I ran,” she said.
Heeter sprinted a mile back to her apartment while continuous gunshots echoed behind her. “There was no target—it was anyone he could see.”
As the gunfire raged, students abandoned shoes, backpacks, and laptops on the lawn. Emergency responders rushed in as the university's atmosphere of learning and laughter turned into a war zone.
Seeking Refuge in a Church as Fear Grips the Community
Across the street from the chaos, students fled into the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More. Father Luke Farabaugh had just heard gunshots when terrified students poured into the church. “It was a fear I’ve never seen before,” he said. “We were thrust into a life-and-death situation.”
Hours later, students were escorted out with their hands raised, some collapsing into tears. “You come to college for an education, not to survive a mass shooting,” said FSU student Garrett Harvey.
D’Onofrio, who helped a friend escape the attack, added, “This isn’t normal. And yet it keeps happening.”
FSU’s Tragic History with Campus Shootings
This isn’t the first time Florida State University has experienced such horror. In 2014, a gunman opened fire inside the Strozier Library, injuring three students. One was left paralyzed. The shooter, an FSU graduate, was killed by police.
The recent shooting adds to the growing toll of mass shootings in America. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the U.S. has already seen over 80 mass shootings in 2025 alone.
As students returned to campus to retrieve belongings, yellow evidence markers dotted the grass near the student union—grim reminders of yet another campus-turned-crime scene.
A Holy Week Marked by Grief
That evening, a somber mass was held at the same church where many had fled for safety. Father Farabaugh reflected, “This Holy Week will be different. We were all unexpectedly called into service today.”
Conclusion: Florida’s Call for Change in Wake of FSU Shooting
As the FSU community and survivors like Brittany Sinitch mourn yet again, the larger issue looms: gun violence in schools is a national crisis. Voices from FSU, Parkland, and beyond are united in their plea for real change.
“This can’t keep happening,” D’Onofrio said. “It’s past time for action. Our lives depend on it.”
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