Two men were killed and several others wounded in a mass shooting at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, Florida, carried out by Phoenix Ikner, the 20-year-old son of a local deputy sheriff. The gunman used one of his mother’s old service weapons during the attack, according to police statements.
The shooting occurred near the student union during lunchtime, causing chaos as students and staff scrambled for safety. Five people were injured in the shooting, with a sixth person hurt while trying to flee the scene. Ikner was shot by law enforcement officers and hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil described Ikner as a student at FSU and the son of an “exceptional” 18-year veteran of the sheriff’s office. He explained that Ikner had access to one of his mother’s weapons, which was found at the scene. Given Ikner’s involvement in sheriff’s office training programs, his access to firearms was not unexpected.
Eyewitnesses recounted the terror as gunfire erupted. One witness, Wayne, told local media that he heard about eight to ten shots and saw people running from the student union. Another student described barricading themselves in a hallway with trash cans and plywood to protect against the shooter.
The two fatalities were adult males who were not students. FSU, which has more than 40,000 students, canceled all classes and instructed non-resident students to leave campus. University President Richard McCullough expressed heartbreak over the tragedy and pledged support for those affected.
Mass shootings remain a persistent issue in the United States, where gun rights are constitutionally protected despite widespread calls for stronger firearm regulations. President Donald Trump condemned the shooting as “a shame” but reaffirmed his support for the Second Amendment, emphasizing that “the gun doesn’t do the shooting the people do.”
The Gun Violence Archive reports that there have been at least 81 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, highlighting the ongoing challenge of gun violence nationwide.
