WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Just a day after that deadly mass shooting at Florida State University, the reality of the situation is sinking in for students and their parents.
WPTV's Michael Hoffman is listening to the concerns of one parent whose daughter was forced to barricade herself in a classroom with other students as shots rang out on campus.
WATCH: Mother says daughter managed to keep 'everybody strong' during shooting
It’s the texts that no parent ever wants to get: “Hey, there’s an active shooter" or “We’re locked down in our classroom.”
But those were the texts that Adrienne Williams says her daughter, Skylar, a junior at Florida State University, was frantically sending while inside her barricaded anatomy classroom.
“I was so nervous,” said Williams. "It was so stressful and heartbreaking, and not being able to be there for her. She said that one of her friends was leaving Student Union, and she was running, and she got trampled and she got bruises and scratches.”
But through all the chaos, she says Skylar somehow kept her cool.
“She's like, ‘Mom, you'd be so proud of me,’” said Williams. “I was keeping everybody strong and giving them positive reinforcement. And that's just my daughter. That's just Skylar. Anyone that knows her, she's always smiling, she's always happy. She's always making everybody feel so good. She was making the professor feel good, giving her hugs, telling her everything's going to be okay. And I was just so pleased to hear that.”
Less than 24 hours after the deadly shooting, students are still processing what happened.
“She said, ‘Mom, it's like a ghost town,’” recalled Williams. “She's like, ‘everybody just wanted to leave. We're all scared.’”
State
Local FSU parent: 'None of us are doing well'
Williams says her daughter left campus and is spending Easter weekend with her boyfriend’s family in Georgia.
“What was that feeling like, once you knew for a fact that she was out of danger?” asked Hoffman.
“I just, I started crying,” said Williams. “You know, when she FaceTimed me from her place that she's staying there, it was such a relief to be able to FaceTime with her and see her. I just, you know, I wish I could just hold her and grab her right in that moment.”
Thankfully Skylar wasn’t hurt, and is heartbroken for those caught in the crossfire. Adrienne is still at a loss, asking why this keeps happening, and demanding that something has got to change.
