Two Dead, Six Injured In Florida State University Shooting Involving Officer’s Son.
A tragic shooting at Florida State University (FSU) has left two people dead and six others injured, after a 20-year-old student opened fire near the campus student union. Authorities have identified the suspect as Phoenix Ikner, a current FSU student and the son of a long-serving Leon County police officer.
The incident occurred around midday in Tallahassee, with witnesses describing scenes of panic as multiple gunshots rang out. Students and staff were urged to seek shelter as police responded to the active shooter alert.
Campus authorities confirmed that the two individuals killed were not FSU students, although their identities have not yet been released. The injured victims are receiving treatment, and the suspect himself was shot by responding officers before being taken to hospital.
According to Sheriff Walt McNeil, Ikner is the son of Jessica Ikner, a school resource officer with an exemplary record in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff McNeil explained that the firearm used in the attack was a former service weapon retained by Officer Ikner after the force upgraded its equipment. A shotgun was also recovered at the scene.
“He was a longstanding member of our youth advisory council and had participated in several training programmes,” McNeil said. “So it is not a surprise that he had access to weapons, though the outcome is deeply tragic.”
The motive behind the attack remains unclear. The university community is in shock, with many questioning how the gunman was able to carry out such a violent act on campus. FSU issued a shelter-in-place order and confirmed the rapid response of law enforcement helped prevent even greater loss of life.
Eyewitness accounts detail the chaos. “At first, I thought it was construction noise,” said student Blake Leonard. “Then I saw people running and heard more shots—about 12 to 15 more. That’s when I started running too.”
Another student, Ava Arenado, said: “One of my classmates got the emergency alert and read it out loud. That’s when we realised it was serious.”
President Donald Trump, when asked about the shooting during a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, expressed sorrow. “These things are terrible. We will have more to say about it later,” he said, while reaffirming his support for the Second Amendment.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also responded, saying: “Our prayers are with our FSU family. State law enforcement is actively responding.”
This is not the first time FSU has experienced a shooting. In 2015, a gunman injured three people at the university library before being fatally shot by police.
The tragedy has also struck a painful chord for survivors of previous mass shootings. Fred Guttenberg, father of a victim in the 2018 Parkland High School shooting, noted that some survivors of that event were present at FSU during Thursday’s attack. “Incredibly, some of them were just a part of their second school shooting,” he wrote on social media.
As the investigation continues, the university and local authorities have pledged to provide support for the victims’ families and the wider campus community.