When a gunman opened fire near the Student Union at Florida University on Thursday, killing two and wounds six, for the student Robbie Alhadef, the tragedy in his campus in Talahasi returned him to another school shooting.
Alhadef’s sister, 14-year-old Alice, was one of the 17 people killed during the 2018 high school slaughter in South Florida.
Alhadef told ABC News Live that she was really close to Alice, who was a freshman on the track to play football at college when she was shot on Valentine’s Day.
Photo: Family reunites outside the Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, after shooting, February 14, 2018
On Thursday, Alhadef said he was going to his apartment when friends started sending him text messages about the shooting.
“I immediately ran into my apartment because I was scared of the whole situation,” he said.
More: FSU shooting Last: A police search for a motive in attacking a campus in which they killed 2 wounded 6
Alhadef said he had taken off for at least two weeks to school after his sister was killed. As a result of the shooting on Thursday, he said that his friends were “horrified” to return to class.
“Many of the people I am friend with are from Parkland and many go to FSU,” he said. “This is the second time it happened – and no one I know wants to return to school.”
Photo: A student kneels on a memorial near the shooting site at the Student University of Florida State University on April 18, 2025 in Talahasi, Florida. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrilo/Getty Images)
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“You could be killed, you’ll just learn,” he added.
“I thought that would never be repeated,” Alhadef said, “but it continues to happen – and something has to change.”
Photo: Robbie Alhadef, who is a student of FSU and brother of the victim of Parkland Alice Alhadef, speaks with ABC News, April 18, 2025 (ABC News)
Manuel Oliver, whose 17-year-old son Joaquin was killed in Parkland, told ABC News Live: “I don’t understand how anyone might be surprised,” from another school shooting, “if we didn’t do anything to stop it.”
“We will continue to fight – these types of events strengthen us to do more, different things, because whatever we try is not enough,” said Oliver, who has become a defender of the control of the weapon.
“You don’t want to be me … so you get better,” he said. “It is better to choose better leaders and ask and demand the safety of your children.”
Photo: Students hold a vigil close to the shooting site near the Student Center of the State University of Florida, April 17, 2025 in Talahasi, Florida. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrilo/Getty Images)
Fred Gutenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter Jaime was killed in Parkland, said some of the former Haime classmates were in the FSU Student Union when the shooting broke out.
“As a father, everything I ever wanted after the shooting in Parkland was to help our children be safe,” writes Gutenberg, who has become a supporter of the pistol reform, on social media. “Unfortunately, because of many people who refuse to do the right things to reduce violence with a gun, I’m not surprised by what happened today.”
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The suspect in the shooting on Thursday, the 20-year-old student of FSU Phoenix Ikner, has been shot by officers and is expected to survive, authorities said.
The motive is unknown.
The six victims are expected to survive, hospital officials said.
Police did not identify the two killed, but said they were not students.
FSU canceled classes and sports events over the weekend. The vigil is set for Friday at 5:00 pm
FSU student survives after losing a sister in Parkland: “Something needs to change” originally appeared on abcnews.go.com