Shooting at Florida State University Leaves Two Dead, Several Wounded

  • The gunman was identified as Phoenix Ikner, son of a police officer.
  • The suspect gained access to his mother’s former service weapon.
  • This incident is the second shooting at FSU in 11 years.

In an incident at Florida State University on Thursday, the son of a deputy sheriff killed two individuals and injured four others. The shooter was then shot by law enforcement and taken to a hospital, according to authorities.

Law enforcement officials believe the perpetrator, whose father is a Leon County sheriff’s deputy, acted alone. The motivation behind the shooting remains unknown. The suspect had access to his mother’s handgun, previously used as her service weapon. She had purchased the firearm from the department, and it was now her personal property, officials stated.

Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil mentioned at a press briefing that the suspect had unfortunately gained access to one of his mother’s weapons, which was discovered at the scene.

The 20-year-old suspect, identified as Phoenix Ikner, was believed to be a student at FSU, located in Tallahassee, the state capital, according to Jason Trumbower, police chief at the university. The two fatalities were not students. Trumbower did not release specifics regarding the four individuals who sustained gunshot wounds.

Responding officers shot the gunman after he disregarded commands to surrender, after which he was taken into custody, authorities confirmed. The injured victims, including the gunman, were transported to a medical facility for treatment of their gunshot wounds.

Shootings at schools and universities in the US have become increasingly common. Thursday’s event marked the second shooting at FSU in the past 11 years. Back in 2014, a graduate student opened fire in the university’s main library, injuring two students and one employee while numerous students were studying for exams.

The shooting occurred around 11:50 a.m. local time (1550 GMT) near the student union on the FSU campus. Students and staff were instructed to seek shelter as police responded. The main campus has over 42,000 students.

Max Jenkins, a student, reported that he saw the shooter exit the student union and fire four or five shots outside.

Jenkins recounted in a video on the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper website that the shooter saw a maintenance worker waving at everyone, likely heard him, and then turned and fired in that direction. He also noted a golf cart with a bullet hole.

Chris Pento, who was touring the university with his children, was having lunch in the student union when the shooting began.

Pento told a local TV station that it was a surreal experience as people started running. His daughter was trampled in the chaos.

Authorities also believe that the suspect brought a shotgun to the campus, in addition to the handgun, though it remains uncertain if the shotgun was used during the shooting.

Significant mass shootings at colleges and universities in recent years include the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre in Blacksburg, Virginia, where 32 people died and 23 were injured.

In 2023, there were two mass shootings at colleges: one at Michigan State University, which resulted in the deaths of three students and injuries to at least five others, and another at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where three faculty members were killed before the suspect was killed in a shootout with law enforcement.