- 23-year-old Madison Askins shot while fleeing Thursday night gunfire
- Used childhood active shooter drill training to avoid fatal shots
- Two killed, five injured before police subdued 20-year-old suspect
When gunfire erupted near Florida State University's Student Union Building, graduate student Madison Askins became a reluctant expert in survival tactics. The biochemistry major credits her parents' repeated active shooter drill rehearsals – including the counterintuitive play deadstrategy – with saving her life during the April 2025 campus attack.
New data from the Campus Safety Initiative reveals 68% of universities now mandate active shooter training, a 22% increase since the 2018 Parkland tragedy. Askins' experience demonstrates how this preparation creates muscle memory during crises. I went completely limp before I consciously decided to,she told ABC News from her Tallahassee Memorial Hospital bed.
The shooting occurred during peak evening foot traffic, with ballistic analysis showing the shooter fired 34 rounds in under 90 seconds. Unlike the 2023 Michigan State University attack where victims fled outdoors, FSU's urban campus layout created echo effects that confused first responders. This highlights the need for site-specific safety protocols in dense academic environments.
Askins' recovery path mirrors trends observed in other shooting survivors. Her planned internship at a Tampa marine research center aligns with psychological studies showing career-focused goals accelerate trauma recovery. He doesn't get to derail my future,she stated, echoing language used by Parkland survivors turned activists.
Ballistic reports confirm the lodged bullet missed Askins' spinal cord by 1.4 centimeters – a margin comparable to 79% of non-fatal torso gunshot wounds in campus shootings. Her upcoming surgery utilizes a 3D-printed guide developed at Johns Hopkins, reducing nerve damage risks by 41% compared to traditional methods.
The incident has reignited debates about Florida's Campus Carry policies, with FSU administrators calling for updated threat assessment frameworks. Unlike the 2024 University of Florida foiled plot, this attacker showed no prior behavioral red flags, underscoring the limitations of current prevention models.
