A Florida State University student who was seen in a widely circulated video sipping Starbucks during the recent campus tragedy has been identified as 23-year-old Madison Askins. Contrary to early misconceptions about the footage, Askins has come forward to share her harrowing story of survival.
In a statement, Askins said she was running for her life when she fell during the chaos. While attempting to escape, her friend tried to help her up—but was tragically shot in the process.
“At one point, I did think the gunman had walked away,” Askins said in an emotional account. “So I was going to shift over to grab my phone to share my last ‘I love yous’ with my family.”
She explained that she survived by pretending to be dead, lying motionless in hopes the shooter would pass over her.
“I heard the gunman come up next to me, and I heard him reload,” she recalled. “There was a clip at my feet when everything was said and done.”
The incident has shocked the FSU community and sparked renewed conversations about campus safety. University officials have not released the identity of the gunman, and the investigation is ongoing.
Madison Askins is expected to make a full physical recovery, though she and other survivors are now facing the emotional toll of the traumatic event.
