A heartbreaking shooting at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee on Thursday took two lives and injured six others, police officials confirmed during a press conference. The accused gunman, 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner—a student at FSU and son of a Leon County deputy sheriff—was arrested after police shot him.
Officials said that Ikner fired a handgun that had been issued earlier as a service firearm to his mother, who now owns it personally, and a shotgun. The sheriff stressed that Ikner had deep roots in the Leon County Sheriff's Office from youth outreach programs and had "been steeped in the Sheriff's Office family."
Sheriff Walter McNeil spoke with great sadness about the incident, noting the deputy's 18 years of exemplary service. "Sadly, her son obtained one of her guns," he stated.
The victims who died were not students, although their names have yet to be made public. The injured, including the suspect, were transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Police were notified of the situation just after 12 p.m. ET, responding to gunfire reports near the student union building. FSU officials said that the initial shots were probably fired at 11:50 a.m. The university issued emergency alerts immediately, instructing individuals on campus to shelter in place and stay away from windows and doors.
By mid-day, the danger had been eliminated and the campus secured, although a number of buildings, including the student union, are still under investigation as active crime scenes.
FSU responded to the shooting by canceling all classes and activities until Friday, while athletic events have been postponed until sometime after the weekend.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tweeted his condolences, stating, "Our prayers are with our FSU family." Federal authorities, including the FBI and ATF, are aiding local law enforcement in the ongoing investigation.
President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident and addressed it during a press appearance. “It’s a horrible thing,” he said. When asked whether this would prompt him to reconsider gun laws, Trump responded, “I’m a big advocate of the Second Amendment… The gun doesn’t do the shooting, the people do.”
It's not the first time FSU was the location of a shooting. In 2014, three individuals were wounded in a gun attack at the library of the university before the gunman, a former student, was shot by authorities.
As reported by the Gun Violence Archive, this incident is the 80th mass shooting in the U.S. so far in 2025. For comparison, there were 502 such events reported throughout all of 2024. The Archive defines a mass shooting as any event where four or more people are shot or killed, not including the shooter.
Read also| Fed Chair Powell Signals Patience as U.S. Economy Shows Signs of Q1 Slowdown
