TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – As the community continues to pick up the pieces nearly 24 hours after a mass shooting, questions remain about what led up to the gunfire.
Perry Street opened back up Sunday afternoon and most Tallahassee Police officers left the area after a shooting that left 12 people injured. But now, investigators are asking for the public’s help as they continue searching for answers.
FAMU student Destiny Walden said she was thankful her group left the area when they did.
“I’m thanking god we had left when we did because, like I said, we could tell something was about to happen,” Walden said. “I’m definitely praying for the families who got injured; it’s definitely sad.”
Many families, students and alumni were forced to run through the crowded street of vendors when the shots rang out. By Sunday, vendors were returning to pick up what had been left behind while pastors and church leaders came together to pray for the community and area.
Elder at Unity Baptist Church, Jarvis Jones, said the situation was tragic.
“The things that transpired last night was tragic; it was something that I did not expect but to have Pastor Ray go ahead and call a time of prayer, I wanted to go ahead and get involved so that we could cover this area, university, and the police department in prayer as well,” Jones said.
Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor said the shooting left him with an empty feeling, something he says he has never seen or heard of happening before. But even after this tragedy, Proctor says he believes they can move forward and learn from this.
“This is but one day in the life of a university that’s almost 140 years old and one day is not going to change the trajectory of the good, the positive and the powerful,” Proctor said. “I’m not saying that there’s anything that we could have done better to prevent last evening but I am saying now that we’re cognizant it’s been lifted to a high level of public awareness, it’s something that’s a top priority.”
Proctor says he plans to hold a town hall this week with county leaders and others to discuss safety in the area, hear from the public and talk about what can be done moving forward to help prevent another tragedy like this.
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