Three victims shot in the mass shooting at Florida State University have now been released from the hospital, a Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare hospital spokesperson tells CBS News, and two other injured victims are expected to be released later Monday.
Two men who were working on campus were killed during the attack on Thursday — Robert Morales, 57, and Tiru Chabba, 45.
A close friend of Morales, Adolph Toussaint, remembers Morales as a generous, loyal friend. Toussaint said he and Morales coached football together at Leon High School in Tallahassee, but it was a battle off the field that brought them closer: They both had kidney disease.
“He was always there when you needed him,” Toussaint said as tears ran down his face. “He was always a phone call away.”
For years, they waited on donors for new kidneys, supporting each other through it all.
“We both received kidneys, he got his first,” Toussaint said. “Even when he got his kidney, he was still with me. It was like, we’re still in this journey.”
Morales was a longtime employee in the university’s dining services department. Toussaint told CBS News his friend even gave free meals to students in need at his restaurant. Morales was one of the original founders of Gordos Cuban Cuisine, a popular Tallahassee restaurant.
“He always took care of them, without question,” Toussaint said.
Toussaint said Morales began managing dining services at FSU a few years ago.
“He loved his job. He loved the people he worked with, because what he was doing was using his mind and using his heart for the students out there,” Toussaint said. “He was a mentor to many, he supported many … It’s just a hard thing to comprehend why.”
Toussaint said Morales’ death has changed him.
“It’s changed my outlook on just being a human, you know?” Toussaint said. “I’m going to try to do what Robert did, right? I’m going to embrace the ones that I love.”
Morales leaves behind a wife and daughter.
University officers responded on Thursday to calls about the attack within four minutes.
The fast response is something graduate student Madison Askins says she’s grateful for. After she was shot from behind, she played dead as the gunman reloaded.
“The minute that the lovely officer touched me is the minute I opened my eyes,” Askins said. “That was when I knew it was going to be OK.”
She was moved out of the ICU over the weekend, and has been up and walking.
FSU President Richard McCullough said the university is offering counseling support for students and is still evaluating potential options to financially support victims.
“It’s important for us to make sure that we take care of our students and they’re not financially stressed about these things,” McCullough said.
Police said the suspect — 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner — allegedly used a handgun belonging to his stepmom, who is a Leon County sheriff’s deputy. She’s now on personal leave.
The Leon County sheriff said during a news conference after the shooting that it was not a surprise the suspect had access to weapons in the home, and that he was active in the department’s training programs.
Police said the alleged shooter is still hospitalized in “good condition” and will be criminally charged once he’s released. Police said the suspect sustained significant injuries in a shootout with officers who responded to the attack.
When asked what she’d say to the person who shot her, Askins said, “He doesn’t deserve any more of my time.”
