‘A heinous crime’: FSU student — the son of a deputy — accused of killing 2 people, injuring 6 others on campus

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The son of a Leon County Sheriff’s Office deputy was arrested on Thursday after he was accused of opening fire and shooting multiple people on the campus of Florida State University (FSU), officials announced during a news conference.

Officials said two people were killed and six others were injured in the shooting on Thursday morning. Police said the two people who died were not students, but no other victim information was immediately released.

According to Tallahassee Police Department Chief Lawrence Revell, the two men were killed and another person was injured while running away from the shooting.

“Our hearts are with the victims, families, students, and larger Florida State University community in the wake of this tragedy. What occurred today was a heinous and despicable act of violence,” Revell said. “Sadly, as a result of this shooting, two adult males were killed, and five other victims were injured by gunfire. An eighth person was injured while attempting to run away from the shooting. The suspect, 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, remains hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. As of this evening, the crime scenes have been processed. TPD continues to express sincere gratitude to every agency that responded to assist. This remains an open and active investigation, and TPD is committed to bringing justice to the victims in this case.”

The shooting sparked chaos at the university and prompted a huge police response around noon.

Police said Phoenix Ikner, 20, was believed to be a current FSU student and opened fire around 11:50 a.m. near the student union. Ikner was shot by responding law enforcement and taken to a local hospital, officials said. No members of law enforcement were hurt.

Revell said Ikner was in critical condition but suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials said Ikner was confronted and did not comply with commands before he was shot and did not fire at officers.

Authorities have not yet revealed a motive for the shooting.

MORE | Videos show chaotic scene, heavy police presence at FSU amid reports of active shooter on campus | ‘Praying for the safety of everyone at FSU’: Florida officials react to active shooter incident at FSU

Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil said the mother of the shooter is a school resource officer and had been with the agency for over 18 years and her “service to this community has been exceptional.”

“Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene,” McNeil said. “It’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons.”

Officials said the handgun recovered at the scene was one that the suspect’s mother used as a deputy prior to the agency transitioning to a new handgun, so it is considered to be a personal weapon.

McNeil said deputies are investigating how the weapon was used and what other weapons he may have had access to.

McNeil said Ikner was a long-standing member of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office Youth Advisory Council and engaged in a number of training programs.

“This event is tragic in more ways than you people in the audience could ever fathom from a law enforcement perspective, but I will tell you this, we will make sure that we do everything we can to prosecute and make sure that we send a message to folks that this will never be tolerated here in Leon County, and I dare say, across this state and across this nation,” McNeil said. “Our deepest condolences go out to the FSU family, the families of the students who are here, and we understand that you all have been devastated because of this person’s actions.”

FSU’s president, Richard McCullough, released a statement on X.

An active shooter was first reported by the school’s alert system at 12:01 p.m. The alert said the shooting occurred at the student union, known as Oglesby Union.

“Police are on the way. People are asked to seek shelter and await further instructions. Lock and stay away from all doors and windows and be prepared to take additional protective measures,” the alert read.

Another emergency alert was sent at 12:19 p.m.

“Continue to shelter in place. Police have responded to an active shooter call at the Student Union. Stay alert for more information. Persons in need of immediate emergency assistance should call 9-1-1 or FSUPD at 850-644-1234. Obtain additional information and updates from https://alerts.fsu.edu/ or by calling 850-644-INFO," the alert reads.

The school said law enforcement was clearing rooms on the main campus at 1:04 p.m.

“Law enforcement officers will use the safe word SEMINOLE to confirm it is safe to open the door,” the alert said.

A campus alert issued at 3:17 p.m. said “law enforcement has neutralized the threat.”

“Please avoid the Student Union, Bellamy, HCB Classroom Building, Rovetta A&B, Moore Auditorium, Shaw, Pepper, Hecht House and Carraway as they are still considered an active crime scene,” the alert said, adding that people were free to move around other areas of the campus.

Multiple videos and photos purportedly showing the scene were posted on social media. News4JAX is working to confirm the details in each video.

One video shared with News4JAX showed people running across a street near the student union.

Students were glued to their phones, some visibly emotional, while others hugged each other. Dozens gathered near the music school, waiting for news.

Ryan Cedergren, a 21-year-old communications student, said he and about 30 others hid in the bowling alley in the lower level of the student union after seeing students running from a nearby bar.

“In that moment, it was survival,” he said.

Other students spoke about their experience.

Another student said that she shared a class with the accused shooter and that he never showed any signs that he would do something like this.

Anyone who may have witnessed anything of value before, during, or after the shooting was asked to call 850-891-4987.

Students who need assistance can go to the Donna L. Tucker Center, where the university is providing counseling, health care and other support services. Family members are also able to go to the Tucker Center for assistance.

The FBI has also established a digital tips media line where witnesses can upload photos and videos prior to and during the incident at fbi.gov/fsushooting.

FDLE said it responded to the campus.

“FDLE is actively engaged in the incident on FSU’s campus, and we will update the public with more information as soon as possible,” the agency tweeted.

FBI agents from Jacksonville were also called to the campus.

The Tallahassee Police Department set up a student reunification point at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.

FSU said that all classes and university events have been canceled through Friday.

All athletic events have been canceled through Sunday, April 20. The canceled events include three baseball and three softball games.

It’s not immediately clear if FSU teams scheduled for road events will also see their games canceled or postponed.

The Tallahassee Police Department will be the lead agency in the investigation.

“We have multiple crime scenes. This is a very large area we’re covering. We have 1000s, hundreds of 1000s, or hundreds or 1000s of witnesses. And again, this is an active, ongoing investigation. So the information that we will be allowed to release right now may be fairly limited,” Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said.

News4JAX sent multiple crews to Tallahassee and will provide updates.

Florida State University is one of Florida’s 12 public universities, with its main campus in Tallahassee. About 44,000 students are enrolled in the university, per the school’s 2024 fact sheet.

Back in 2014, the main library was the site of a shooting that wounded three people. Officers shot and killed the gunman, 31-year-old Myron May.