A tragic shooting unfolded at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee on Thursday when a 20-year-old student, Phoenix Ikner — the son of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy — opened fire, killing two people and injuring four others. Authorities confirmed that the suspect acted alone and was eventually shot and apprehended by police when he refused to surrender.
The incident began around 11:50 a.m. near the university’s student union building, prompting immediate shelter-in-place orders for students and faculty. Police later revealed that Ikner had access to one of his mother’s personal firearms, which had previously been her official service weapon before she purchased it from the sheriff’s department.
Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil expressed sorrow at the press briefing, confirming the weapon used belonged to Ikner’s mother. The two victims who lost their lives were not students at FSU, though officials have not yet disclosed the identities or conditions of the four others injured.
Authorities also found a shotgun in Ikner’s possession, but it is unclear if it was used during the attack. Witnesses, including students and visitors, described scenes of chaos and confusion, with gunfire erupting suddenly and people scrambling for safety.
This marks the second campus shooting at FSU in over a decade. The 2014 attack at the main library had left three people injured. The latest incident contributes to the growing list of mass shootings at U.S. colleges, including the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre and two deadly shootings at Michigan State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2023.
Investigations are ongoing, and the motive behind the shooting remains unknown.
