Four juniors from Florida A&M University were waiting to get into their friend’s apartment Saturday night when a white man aggressively approached them before pulling out a gun.
Buzzfeed reports that one of the students, Isaiah Butterfield, captured part of the 10-minute confrontation on video and posted it on Twitter.
zay on Twitter
These are the kind of people that are burning Nike products , we are sick of the discrimination never thought I’d have a personal experience with racism like this, this man pulled a gun on us because we were walking up to my friends apartment w/o a key https://t.co/TlMFQjoM1N
The clip shows the FAMU students trying to get into their friend’s residence while the white man wearing a baseball cap stood in the doorway and started a verbal altercation before pulling his gun out in the elevator.
WTXL and social media identified the man as Don Crandall, a general manager of The Baymont by Wyndham of Tallahassee Central. The Pax Hotel Group, which owns the Inn, released a statement on Instagram confirming the hotel’s general manager was involved in the incident, and the company both condemned his actions and fired him.
“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.”
Thank you for being patient with us at this time.
408 Likes, 233 Comments – Baymont Tallahassee (@baymonttallahassee) on Instagram: “Thank you for being patient with us at this time.”
The apartment complex management also released a statement Monday night explaining that Crandall is not a resident of the building and that it is marketed as off-campus housing for college students.
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.
Tallahassee Police confirmed to Buzzfeed News that the students called the police before 2 p.m. the next day and an investigation is in progress.
