A student who survived the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School lived through her second school shooting on Thursday when a gunman opened fire at Florida State University.
Stephanie Horowitz, a master's student at FSU, was teaching a bowling course when gunfire erupted on campus. Two people were killed and six others injured in the shooting, which sent students fleeing for safety.
"I never thought it would happen to me for the first time, and here we are," Horowitz told CBS Mornings. "Unfortunately, this is America for you."
When students inside the campus bowling alley noticed people running past the glass doors, Horowitz instantly recognized the signs. "I came out from behind my desk and saw belongings left behind, and because of my past experience, I knew exactly what that meant," she said.
Without waiting for confirmation, Horowitz began directing nearly 30 students into a back room to shelter in place — using her trauma-born instincts to lead them to safety.
"You looked out into that room and you knew there was an emergency," she recalled. "No movement. Dead silence. Laptops, opened bags on the floor. I knew what that meant."
The suspected gunman, identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner — an FSU student and stepson of a Leon County sheriff's deputy — was shot by police and taken into custody.
"I was responsible for almost 30 students because I was the instructor," she said. "So I was looking out for their best interests and keeping them safe, and soon, I'll be able to process things myself."
Horowitz admitted that she spent years recovering from the psychological toll of the Parkland massacre that left 17 of her classmates dead when she was just 15-years-old.
"I was able to walk around campus and feel safe," Horowitz said. "And here we are yet again. That was taken from me for a second time."
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