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What started as a normal Thursday morning at Florida State University (FSU) quickly turned terrifying after a shooting near the student union left two people dead and six others injured. The incident happened around 11:20 a.m. in Tallahassee, and police have arrested the shooter, 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, who is now in the hospital after being shot by officers.
Ikner is the son of Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Jessica Ikner, and police say he used her former service weapon in the shooting. The whole campus went into lockdown as students and staff scrambled to safety.
Students Ran for Cover During Shooting
Witnesses say the shooting caused mass panic, with students running away from the area and hiding wherever they could. Some ran to a nearby bowling alley, while others packed into elevators to stay safe.
“It was so sudden, and we didn’t know what was happening,” one student told reporters. Another said they felt “very, very lucky” to still be alive.
Emergency vehicles flooded the campus just minutes after the first shots were fired. The suspect didn’t obey police commands and was shot before being taken into custody, Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said.
Campus Lockdown Lifted After Three Hours
The university went into lockdown for almost three hours. Around 3 p.m., the lockdown was lifted, but police told people to stay away from the area where the shooting happened. That part of the campus was blocked off with crime scene tape.
FSU officials quickly cancelled all classes and events through Friday, including sports games and campus activities, which are cancelled until Sunday. The school said it was doing everything it could to make sure students feel safe again.
Victims Were Not FSU Students
Even though the shooting happened on campus, the two people who died weren’t students, said FSU Police Chief Jason Trumbower.
The six people who were injured are being treated at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. At least one of them is in critical condition, according to Trumbower.
Shooter Linked to Sheriff’s Office Youth Program
The suspect, Phoenix Ikner, isn’t just the son of a deputy—he was also involved in the Leon County Sheriff’s Youth Advisory Council, according to Sheriff Walt McNeil. He’s believed to be a student at FSU as well.
“He has been steeped in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office family, engaged in a number of training programs that we have… So it’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons,” McNeil said.
Ikner reportedly held white supremacist views and had been kicked out of a political group on campus for his behavior, according to NBC News. The group’s president, Reid Seybold, confirmed he was removed over his beliefs.
Right now, Ikner is recovering in the hospital from the gunshot wound he got during the police confrontation.
FSU Faced Another Campus Shooting in 2014
This isn’t the first time FSU has seen a tragedy like this. Back in 2014, another gunman opened fire near the Strozier Library, shooting three people before being killed by police.
One student, Farhan “Ronny” Ahmed, was hit by three bullets, including one that damaged his spine and left him paralyzed from the waist down. A library worker and another student were also hurt during that incident.
