‘I Was Getting Ready To Die!’ Survivor Gets Emotional On NBC Anchor Over FSU Mass Shooting

A Florida State University mass shooting survivor named Reid Seybold got emotional as he told NBC’s Hallie Jackson that he was “getting ready to die” as the shooter rampaged at the school.

News broke Thursday afternoon of a mass shooting at FSU that killed two and injured five others. Suspect Phoenix Ikner was taken into custody and charged with the shooting.

President Donald Trump reacted to the shooting by immediately defending guns, telling reporters “these things are terrible. But the gun doesn’t do the shooting. The people do.”

On Thursday’s edition of NBC News NOW’s Hallie Jackson NOW, Seybold revealed to Jackson he knew the suspect, and that he was a member of the Florida chapter of Trump ally Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA.

Elsewhere in the interview, Seybold choked up as he related the harrowing experience of being locked down during the shooting:

HALLIE JACKSON: Can you tell us where you were when this shooting began?

REID SEYBOLD: For sure, so I was in the Bellamy building, which is catty-corner to the student union. We– all of 90 seconds away.

HALLIE JACKSON: And what happened?

REID SEYBOLD: So two people came in talking about a shooter on campus. And so we immediately locked down. We weren’t even supposed to be there for class that day, but we had all come in to work on a group project.

And so when they came in, we locked down immediately locked both doors, turned off the lights, got under our desks. And we had heard some gunshots.

We had also heard our door attempted to be opened a number of times. The first one we had initially thought was the shooter when we were in there, but now seeing that he was taken down at the Student Union, we don’t believe it was him.

HALLIE JACKSON: Do you think it was maybe law enforcement jiggling the handle perhaps?

REID SEYBOLD: Well, the law enforcement, we know that was the second two times, but it could have been law enforcement. It could have also been someone trying to flee for safety. We really don’t know.

HALLIE JACKSON: You were locked down in that room for about an hour. What was going through your mind at that point, Reed?

REID SEYBOLD: Yes, ma’am. So, uh, you know, I, I really just didn’t know what was, was, was happening initially for the, originally I thought it could have been a prank.

Um, and then, uh that was quickly dispoused. Um. And so I, I was, I was texting everybody I loved, letting know that I loved them. Um, I w– I was getting ready to die, um, which was harrowing.

HALLIE JACKSON: And still emotional for you now, I can tell.

Watch above via NBC News NOW’s Hallie Jackson NOW.