A tragic shooting occurred at Florida State University (FSU) on Thursday, where a 20-year-old gunman fatally shot two individuals and injured four others before being wounded by police and taken into custody. Authorities identified the suspect as Phoenix Ikner, the son of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy.
Police stated that Ikner had access to his mother’s former service weapon, now her personal handgun, which was found at the scene. “Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons,” Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil said during a press briefing.
According to officials, Ikner was believed to be a student at FSU in Tallahassee. However, the two individuals who were killed were not students. Details about the four injured victims remain undisclosed. The shooter was shot by law enforcement after he refused to comply with surrender orders.
The incident took place around 11:50 a.m. near the student union building. Students and faculty were ordered to shelter in place while police secured the area. FSU’s main campus has a student population of over 42,000.
Eyewitness accounts painted a chaotic scene. Student Max Jenkins recounted seeing the suspect fire multiple shots near the building, including one at a maintenance worker. “He saw the maintenance guy who was waving everybody and turned and shot that way,” Jenkins said. He also mentioned a golf cart nearby with a bullet hole.
Chris Pento, who was touring the campus with his children, described the terrifying moment gunfire erupted during lunch at the student union. “It was surreal, people started running. She just got trampled,” he said, referring to his daughter.
Authorities also suspect the gunman brought a shotgun onto campus, though it’s unclear whether it was used.
This marks the second shooting incident at FSU in the past 11 years. In 2014, a gunman opened fire in the university’s main library, injuring two students and a staff member. The event adds to a troubling pattern of gun violence on U.S. college campuses.
Some of the most deadly campus shootings in recent years include the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, which claimed 32 lives, and shootings at Michigan State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2023.
