Four juniors from Florida A&M University were waiting to get into their friend’s apartment building late Saturday night when a white man claiming to live in the building allegedly accosted them before pulling out a gun, according to police and a now-viral social media video.

One of the students, Isaiah Butterfield, captured part of the 10-minute confrontation on video and posted it on Twitter, where it has since been retweeted nearly 6,000 times.

The clip shows a white man wearing a baseball cap claiming to be a resident of the building and then getting into a verbal altercation with the group of black students, before pulling a gun out in an apparent effort to stop them from getting in an elevator.

Social media users and local outlets identified the man as Don Crandall, a manager at the Baymont Inn & Suites by Wyndham Hotels. On Tuesday, the Pax Hotel Group, which owns the inn, posted a statement on Instagram confirming that its general manager was involved, condemned his actions, and said that he had been fired.

"Our team has gone ahead and took the actions necessary," the group said, adding that it does not "stand behind the actions of our former general manager...we would like to apologize to those affected by the actions of our former employee."

In a message to residents Monday night, the apartment complex's management said Crandall is not a resident of the building, Stadium Centre, which is marketed as off-campus housing to college students in Tallahassee.

“Firearms are prohibited on our property and we take this matter very seriously,” the management said in the message, which Butterfield sent to BuzzFeed News. “Moreover, we are firmly committed to creating a diverse residential community that is inclusive and welcoming to all.”

In an interview, Butterfield described the encounter, which he said occurred while he and three friends — Stephen Brooks, Joshua Cosby, and Fitzroy Rhoden — were waiting at the garage entrance to the apartment building. Another friend, Zavian Flowers, had just moved into the building and was throwing a party, Butterfield said.

As they waited for Flowers to let them in, Crandall walked past them and through the door.

“Then he turned and he said, ‘You aren’t getting in here if you don't have a key,’” Butterfield said. “We were shook because we hadn’t said anything to him. We were just standing there and then he closed the door and locked it.”

According to the junior, Crandall, who is white, came back a few moments later and began harassing the students again. The encounter then caught the attention of another man — whom Butterfield identified as “Chad” — who intervened on the students’ behalf.



“He came at us for no reason and that’s when Chad walked up and I started recording,” Butterfield said. “Chad stood up for us and pushed back on the guy and said we could come in with him.”