Florida State University’s dining coordinator, one of two people who died Thursday when a gunman opened fire on campus, was remembered Friday at an emotional campus vigil as a dedicated member of the community.
Robert Morales “… didn’t just do the job. He lived the job,” said Kyle Clark, the university’s vice president. “He was dedicated to the mission of service and care for the Florida State University community,” Clark said at a vigil honoring the victims Friday. “He made our dining experience feel like home for every student, especially those from South Florida.”
Tiru Chabba, a 45-year-old father of two, was identified as the other victim by attorneys representing his family. Chabba, a resident of Greenville, South Carolina, was an employee at Aramark, a Philadelphia-based food service and facilities management company, the attorneys said.
In a matter of minutes, Morales and Chabba died and six people were injured before police were able to take the shooter into custody.
Here’s what we know about the two victims who lost their lives in the sixth mass shooting in Florida and the 81st in the United States in 2025, and how they will be remembered by loved ones and their communities:
Morales was dedicated to serving others
As reports of the shooting emerged, Ricardo Morales chronicled his journey to find answers about his brother’s whereabouts.
“My Brother works on campus at FSU. Waiting on a call back,” Ricardo Morales wrote Thursday on X, followed by a series of posts about his brother.
Nearly nine hours later, Morales learned his beloved brother, Robert Morales – a Florida State University employee – was one of two men killed in Thursday’s shooting at the university in Tallahassee.
“Today we lost my younger Brother,” Ricardo Morales wrote in a post accompanied by family photos. “He loved his job at FSU and his beautiful Wife and Daughter. I’m glad you were in my Life.”
Robert Morales, a Florida State graduate, was a dining coordinator at the university for almost a decade, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Morales was a dedicated employee who would often surprise administrators and staff with homemade Cuban meals and pastries, “reminding us that food is a love language, and food unites us all,” Clark said.
Clark highlighted Morales’ caring nature, including one instance where Morales worked directly worked with chefs to ensure a student with severe allergies was provided safe and nourishing meals.
Art Smith, a celebrity chef who had previously worked alongside Morales, said he’ll remember him as a jolly man who always greeted others with a smile.
“He was a lovely and joyful man,” Smith told CNN. “Full of joy and energy, very sweet.”
He previously served as an assistant football coach at Leon High School, just a mile down the road from the Florida State campus. On Friday, the high school’s athletic department said Morales’ loss is “deeply felt by all.”
“His commitment to the game and to shaping the lives of his players extended far beyond the field,” the high school’s athletic department wrote in a statement. “He was a trusted coach, a respected colleague, and a cherished friend to many.”
Chabba was a loving father and devoted husband
Chabba’s wife and two children are grieving his immense loss, though it was supposed to be a celebratory time for the family as Easter approaches.
“Tiru Chabba’s family is going through the unimaginable now,” attorney Bakari Sellers said in a statement.
“Instead of hiding Easter eggs and visiting with friends and family, they’re living a nightmare where this loving father and devoted husband was stolen from them in an act of senseless and preventable violence,” Sellers said.
Aramark said it is “heartbroken” Chabba was killed in a “senseless act of violence.”
“We are absolutely shaken by the news and our deepest sympathies are with the family and our entire Aramark community,” the company said in a statement.
Clark, who was visibly emotional during the vigil, said “these two individuals were more than just names.”
“They were deeply loved, and their absences leave a void that cannot be filled,” he said.
On Friday, Chabba’s attorneys said they would work to “ensure that all those who bear responsibility for this senseless act of violence are held to account.”
“We ask you to keep his family in your thoughts and prayers as we fight to ensure they see justice that honors the memories of Mr. Chabba and all the victims of Thursday’s shooting,” Sellers said.
CNN’s Devon Sayers, David Williams, Julianna Bragg, Alaa Elassar, Christina Zdanowicz and Sarah Dewberry contributed to this report.
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