Jeff Burlew

Democrat senior writer

2:50 p.m. update

Jason Derfuss could have been killed — becoming the first victim of suspected Florida State gunman Myron May — were it not for the books he'd just checked out from Strozier Library.

Derfuss, a 21-year-old senior from Orlando, went to the library a little after 9 p.m. to do some research and check out books for a paper due the next day in his class on Christian tradition. Shortly before 12:30 a.m., he stacked the books together in his already stuffed backpack, put it around both shoulders and walked out of the library, passing a "normal-looking" person near the front steps on his way out.

Then he heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire — a loud bang — behind him. He turned and saw the gunman fire two more shots at another person at point-blank range and watched the victim "crumple to the ground" outside the library on Landis Green.

That's when Derfuss, his adrenaline pumping, ran as fast as he could away from the library, toward his car in a nearby parking lot. He drove away, passing police cars and other first responders heading to the scene.

"That fight-or-flight mechanic — it's not something that you can choose," Derfuss said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. "It's just something that is visceral — it kicks in when you need it to, and you have no say in the matter. And so when mine kicked in, it was, 'I have no weapon, this guy is armed, run for your life.' And that's what I did. I was terrified, and there was nothing else in my mind except survive, survive, survive."

Derfuss, who's majoring in humanities and set to graduate in three weeks, said he couldn't make out the faces of either the shooter or the person who was shot in the darkness of the night. He said it appeared the shooter fired into the victim's torso.

"I basically saw one shape approach another, and the muzzle flash went off," he said. "It was very bright and very loud. And I just saw the second shape crumple to the ground. There was no resistance, there was no breaking of the fall. It was sickly to watch because they just fell to the ground."

He said it was difficult at first to process what was happening.

"I didn't really want to accept it at the time — that a gunshot was going off behind me — but I knew what it was," he said. "And so I turned around very slowly and saw the gunman take two more shots at another person, and that's when I ran for my life."

He said he never heard the gunman or his victim utter a word.

"He was silent the whole time," Derfuss said.

Derfuss got in his car and headed down Tennessee Street, calling his dad along the way. His father told him to call 911, which he did, telling police everything he'd seen outside the library.

It would be a few more hours before Derfuss would realize how close he came to possibly losing his life.

A little after 3 a.m., Derfuss dumped the contents of his backpack on the floor of his Tallahassee home and noticed the "mangled" covers of a couple of the books, including a copy of "John Wyclif (Great Medieval Thinkers)," about the 14-century philosopher.

His roommate looked through the backpack and found the slug. The bullet had gone entirely through the Wyclif book and partially through another.

"It was difficult to wrap my mind around, that I had been the first person that he shot," Derfuss said. "I thought all three of the shots had been targeted at the same person. It was humbling to know that my life was in God's hands right there and he graciously spared me."

Derfuss, who turned the books, the backpack and the slug over to Tallahassee police, said he's been told over and over the books shouldn't have stopped the bullet.

"I honestly think that this was a direct intervention by God," said Derfuss, who attends CrossWay Church in Tallahassee every Sunday.

He said his first question after realizing the gunman had shot at him was, "Why me?"

"But I realize it didn't really matter why me — because people just do that with no rhyme or reason. And I'm actually thankful it was me because I feel like anybody else in that situation wouldn't have been protected by those books."

He said he considers himself "beyond lucky."

"You can literally die at any moment and never see it coming," he said. "I'm 21 — I thought I was invincible. And now I feel small."

Morning update

Jason Derfuss, a 21-year-old senior at Florida State, was leaving Strozier Library about 12:25 a.m. when he heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot just behind him.

It was dark outside — but Derfuss could see what appeared to be a "normal-looking" student wearing a dark hoodie walk up to another student and fire two more shots from a handgun, at point-blank range. He couldn't make out faces or the gender of the victim, but he saw the student collapse to the ground on Landis Green just outside the library.

"I saw him point the gun at another student," Derfuss said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. "The gun went off two times and the student who was shot ... just gave out and crumpled to the ground."

Derfuss didn't hear the shooter or the victim utter a word.

"He was silent the whole time," Derfuss said of the shooter.

Terrified, Derfuss said he ran away, toward his car in a nearby parking lot.

"I immediately turned around and sprinted to my car," he said. "I got in my car. I drove off. And as I drove off, I called my dad, who calmed me down. And he told me to call 911, so I did."

Derfuss gave a statement to police, then went to his off-campus home he shared with three other FSU students.

He had no idea at this point that the shooter's first gunshot had been aimed at him.

Derfuss had gone to the library about 9:15 p.m. that night to check out books he needed for a paper due the next day for his Christian Tradition class and do some last-minute research. He checked out a few books, including "John Wyclif (Great Medieval Thinkers)," about the 14-century philosopher, and stacked them in his backpack.

About 3:15 a.m., he dumped the contents of his backpack on the floor and saw that the books had been "mangled." One of his roommates went through the backpack and found the slug. It had gone entirely through the Wyclif book and partially through a second.

He was stunned, realizing the first bullet the shooter fired had apparently been intended for him.

"It was hard to wrap my mind around," he said. "I've been told multiple times that those books shouldn't have stopped the bullet. And I honestly think this was a direct intervention by God."

Check back with Tallahassee.com for more on this story.