At least two people have died and another six were taken to a hospital after a shooting at Florida State University’s (FSU) campus on Thursday, according to FSU Police.
The two deceased victims are not students, authorities said at a news conference on Thursday afternoon.
Police identified the shooter as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, a current FSU student and the son of a Leon County Sheriff Deputy. He was injured and has been taken to the hospital, officials said.
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“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,” Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil said at the press conference.
Around noon, FSU issued an alert for an active shooter reported near the student union. Tallahassee Police confirmed that the campus grounds were secured about three hours later, though law enforcement remained in the area.
Shortly after the news broke, President Donald Trump told the press he had been briefed on the shooting, calling it a “shame” and “horrible that things like this take place.” There have been 81 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. In 2024, the total number of mass shootings totaled 503, down from the 659 recorded the year prior.
“This is a tragic day for Florida State University. We're absolutely heartbroken by the violence that occurred on our campus earlier today,” FSU President Richard McCullough, who said he had gone to the hospital to visit victims, told reporters Thursday. “This is a deeply emotional time, but we're all here to support each other. We're going to do everything we can to support our community.” “
The investigation remains active and ongoing. Here’s what to know.
What happened?
Around 11:50 a.m. a gunman opened fire on the main campus near the student union, FSU Police Chief Jason Trumbower told reporters during Thursday’s press conference. Police said the gunman used a handgun that belonged to his mother, though officials are still investigating whether other weapons were used.
FSU police were on-scene almost immediately, and neutralized and apprehended the shooter. The suspect then “did not comply with commands” from officers on site, and was shot, according to Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell. The gunman then “invoked his right not to speak with us,” Revell added during Thursday’s press conference. The motive for the shooting remains unclear.
At 1:04 p.m., the university also said in an alert that all classes and business operations have been canceled through Friday, and that athletic events have been canceled throughout the weekend.
By 3:17 p.m., officials issued a notice that the campus had been secured. “Multiple law enforcement agencies remain on site for the ongoing investigation. The Student Union & surrounding area are still considered an active crime scene. Individuals should not return to the area for any reason,” the Tallahassee Police Department wrote on X.
FSU’s last day of classes is next Friday.
FBI Acting Special Agent Hubert Reynolds affirmed that the FBI would provide all the resources necessary to investigate the shooting. Victims and others who have more information are encouraged to share information through their digital tips media line.
Who is the FSU shooter?
Ikner was identified as the son of a Leon County deputy, who is said to have provided exceptional service to the community, and has been working at the Sheriff’s Office for more than 18 years. The suspect obtained the deputy’s personal handgun, which his mother had purchased prior to transitioning to a new handgun. “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 Thursday.
Officials said Ikner was a member of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office Youth Advisory Council. “He has been steep 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. “This event is tragic in more ways than people in the audience could ever fathom.”
He added: “But I will tell you this, we will make sure that we do everything we can to prosecute.”
This isn’t the first time the university has experienced a shooting. In 2014, a gunman shot three people at a library near the center of the FSU campus. He was killed by police in a shootout outside the library.
Fred Guttenberg, father of Jaime Guttenberg, a 14-year-old victim from the Parkland shooting, called America “broken.”
“My daughter Jaime was murdered in the Parkland school shooting. Many of her friends who were lucky enough to survive that shooting went on to attend FSU. Incredibly, some of them were just a part of their 2nd school shooting and some were in the student union today,” Guttenberg shared on X Thursday afternoon. “As a father, all I ever wanted after the Parkland shooting was to help our children be safe. Sadly, because of the many people who refuse to do the right things about reducing gun violence, I am not surprised by what happened today.”
Thursday’s shooting happened a day after a gunman opened fire at a high school in Dallas. Five students from Wilmer-Hutchins High School were hospitalized due to the incident.