Son of sheriff’s deputy opens fire at FSU, killing two

A gunman opened fire at Florida State University on Thursday, killing two people and injuring four others before being shot by police. The attacker, identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, is the son of a Leon County deputy sheriff.

The shooting occurred just before noon near the student union in Tallahassee, prompting lockdowns across campus. Ikner, believed to be a student at FSU, was taken into custody after refusing to surrender. He remains hospitalised with gunshot wounds.

Officials say Ikner used a handgun that once belonged to his mother, a former service weapon she had purchased from the department. “Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons that was found at the scene,” said Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil during a press briefing.

FSU Police Chief Jason Trumbower confirmed that the two people killed were not students. Details about the four injured individuals were not immediately released.

The attack sent shockwaves through the campus of over 42,000 students. Witnesses described scenes of panic. “People started running. She just got trampled,” said Chris Pento, who was touring the university with his children.

Student Max Jenkins said the gunman fired several shots after leaving the student union. “There’s a golf cart over here with a bullet hole in it,” he added.

Authorities said Ikner may have also brought a shotgun onto campus, though it remains unclear whether it was used.

This is the second shooting on FSU’s campus in just over a decade. In 2014, a gunman wounded three people at the university’s main library.

Thursday’s violence is part of a broader trend of mass shootings at U.S. colleges. In 2023 alone, deadly incidents were recorded at Michigan State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Classes were suspended at FSU, and investigations are ongoing. A motive has not yet been determined.

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