FSU student shot by gunman reveals horror moment she played dead

A graduate student at Florida State University, who was shot by the gunman when they opened fire at the campus Student Union on Thursday, revealed that she was forced to play dead after being struck by a bullet. Madison Askins, 23, told ABC News that she and a friend were walking when she heard gunshots.

According to Askins, she and her friend "took off running," but "unfortunately, I fell." Talking with the news outlet, Askins said that her friend tried to help her up, but the woman told her friend that she had been shot in the buttocks.

Askins said that her friend managed to get to safety, which, according to her, was "valid." It was reported that, as she lay wounded, the grad student said she remained calm and thought about what her parents had told her to do during an active shooter, which was to play dead.

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"I released all the muscles in my body, closed my eyes and held my breath," she said. "And I would take short breaths in between when I needed to."

"At one point I did think [the gunman] had walked away, so I was going to shift over to grab my phone to share my last 'I love you's' with my family," she added. Wiping away tears, she added, "I wanted to call my dad, tell him I loved him."

According to Askins, she heard the gunman, who was later identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, approach her and reload his weapon. She said she heard him calmly say, "Keep running."

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It was then that Askins knew she had made the right choice to play dead. "I know for certain if I was moving, he would've shot me again," she said.

During the whole ordeal, it was reported that Askins never entertained the idea of dying. "I knew I just needed to stay calm," she said.

According to Askins, she continued to play dead until she was rescued by an officer. "She packed my wound for me and she kept an eye on the surrounding area," Askins said. "I knew everything was over when we had multiple officers come over and they told me they got him. I was able to breathe."

Officials reported that two people were killed during the shooter's rampage and six others were wounded. According to officials, all the wounded are expected to survive.

According to Askins, she is expected to be in the hospital for a few more days. It was reported that she still has the bullet lodged in her vertebrae and will have it removed in a later surgery.

However, Askins says that she's not going to let her stay in the hospital prevent her from doing any studies. "I'm glad to be with my family, glad to keep moving forward. I've got an internship lined up. I'm so ready to go for it," she said.

I'm not gonna let it tear me down," she added. "No, he doesn’t get that." It was reported that Ikner, who is the son of a deputy, was shot by police, but is expected to survive.