Two people died and six others were injured at Florida State University ( FSU) in Tallahassee on Thursday after a 20-year-old man opened fire near the student union, according to law enforcement officials. The suspect, Phoenix Ikner, was later identified as a student and the son of a local sheriff’s deputy.
Here’s what we know about the shooting and the person behind it.
What happened at FSU?
Gunfire broke out around 11:50 a.m. near the student union building at FSU, a public university with more than 43,000 students. This happened just eight days before the last day of classes for the spring semester.
Law enforcement said the attacker used a handgun. He was also carrying a shotgun, though it’s unclear if he used it.
Police from the university responded quickly. When the gunman refused to follow their instructions, they shot and injured him. He was taken to hospital, where he invoked his right to remain silent, said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence E. Revell.
The university sent out an alert asking everyone to shelter in place. This was lifted at 3:20 p.m. Students hid in the basement, some in tears, messaging loved ones about the terrifying situation. Police used a code word, “Seminole”, to identify themselves while checking classrooms.
Following the shooting, the university cancelled Friday classes and business operations, and all student athletics were suspended for the weekend.
Two people killed, six injured
Officials confirmed that two people were killed but did not share their names. They mentioned that the victims were not students. Among the six injured, at least some were students. University President Richard McCullough visited them in hospital.
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said the six patients were all in fair condition by Thursday evening.
Who is Phoenix Ikner?
According to a New York Times report, Sheriff Walter McNeil of Leon County confirmed that Phoenix Ikner was the gunman. His mother is a sheriff’s deputy, and the handgun he used belonged to her. It had been her service weapon, which she had purchased for personal use, something deputies are allowed to do.
The sheriff’s office website listed a person who appeared to be Ikner’s mother as a school resource officer at a Tallahassee middle school. Sheriff McNeil said she had served for over 18 years and described her record as “exceptional.”
He added that Ikner had been a “long-standing member” of the department’s youth advisory council, which involves young people in community activities. Ikner also took part in training programmes with the sheriff’s department.
“So he has been steeped in the Leon County sheriff’s family,” McNeil said. He described the incident as “tragic” and promised tough action.
“We will do everything possible to prosecute the suspect and make sure that we send a message to folks that this will never be tolerated here in Leon County.”
For some, a second school shooting
Some students at FSU had already lived through gun violence. A few of them were survivors of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Joshua Gallagher, now an FSU law student, shared his thoughts on X: “Then I'm in the FSU Law Library,” he wrote, referring to the moment the alarm went off.
“No matter your politics, we need to meet, and something has to change.”
Ilana Badiner, 21, was in eighth grade at a nearby school during the Parkland shooting. Now a communications major at FSU, she said, “It’s terrible that this keeps happening. This is crazy that it’s happened twice to me. Like, what are the odds?”
Inputs from NYT
Here’s what we know about the shooting and the person behind it.
What happened at FSU?
Gunfire broke out around 11:50 a.m. near the student union building at FSU, a public university with more than 43,000 students. This happened just eight days before the last day of classes for the spring semester.
Law enforcement said the attacker used a handgun. He was also carrying a shotgun, though it’s unclear if he used it.
Police from the university responded quickly. When the gunman refused to follow their instructions, they shot and injured him. He was taken to hospital, where he invoked his right to remain silent, said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence E. Revell.
The university sent out an alert asking everyone to shelter in place. This was lifted at 3:20 p.m. Students hid in the basement, some in tears, messaging loved ones about the terrifying situation. Police used a code word, “Seminole”, to identify themselves while checking classrooms.
Following the shooting, the university cancelled Friday classes and business operations, and all student athletics were suspended for the weekend.
Two people killed, six injured
Officials confirmed that two people were killed but did not share their names. They mentioned that the victims were not students. Among the six injured, at least some were students. University President Richard McCullough visited them in hospital.
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said the six patients were all in fair condition by Thursday evening.
Who is Phoenix Ikner?
According to a New York Times report, Sheriff Walter McNeil of Leon County confirmed that Phoenix Ikner was the gunman. His mother is a sheriff’s deputy, and the handgun he used belonged to her. It had been her service weapon, which she had purchased for personal use, something deputies are allowed to do.
The sheriff’s office website listed a person who appeared to be Ikner’s mother as a school resource officer at a Tallahassee middle school. Sheriff McNeil said she had served for over 18 years and described her record as “exceptional.”
He added that Ikner had been a “long-standing member” of the department’s youth advisory council, which involves young people in community activities. Ikner also took part in training programmes with the sheriff’s department.
“So he has been steeped in the Leon County sheriff’s family,” McNeil said. He described the incident as “tragic” and promised tough action.
“We will do everything possible to prosecute the suspect and make sure that we send a message to folks that this will never be tolerated here in Leon County.”
For some, a second school shooting
Some students at FSU had already lived through gun violence. A few of them were survivors of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Joshua Gallagher, now an FSU law student, shared his thoughts on X: “Then I'm in the FSU Law Library,” he wrote, referring to the moment the alarm went off.
“No matter your politics, we need to meet, and something has to change.”
Ilana Badiner, 21, was in eighth grade at a nearby school during the Parkland shooting. Now a communications major at FSU, she said, “It’s terrible that this keeps happening. This is crazy that it’s happened twice to me. Like, what are the odds?”
Inputs from NYT
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