TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Scripps News) — A 20-year-old Florida State University student and son of a sheriff’s deputy opened fire on campus Thursday just before noon, killing two people and injuring five others, according to police.
An impromptu memorial of flowers and other items laid near the center of the Florida State campus in sight of the Student Union building, Tallahassee, Fla., Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
The suspect, identified as Phoenix Ikner, started shooting just before noon using a handgun he had access to from his mother, who is a sheriff’s deputy with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, according to Sheriff Walt McNeil.
McNeil said the suspect’s mother is not currently on leave from the sheriff’s office.
Police said the suspect also had a shotgun that was recovered from the scene, but at this point in the investigation, they do not believe the shotgun was used.
A spokesperson for Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare tells the Scripps News Group that it is treating six patients in relation to the shooting, ranging from serious to critical condition.
Police said the suspected shooter was transported to the hospital with injuries after being “neutralized” by campus officers.
MORE | FSU shooting suspect released from hospital, booked on murder charges
The school’s alert system ordered students and faculty to seek shelter and await further instructions around noon ET, just after the shooting started. It also stated that law enforcement was responding to the Student Union area.
Campus police engaged with the suspect “almost immediately,” according to police.
About three hours later, the Tallahassee Police Department said on X that the campus had been secured, but it was still an active crime scene as the investigation continues.
Scripps News Group Correspondent Forrest Saunders said he has seen multiple ambulances at the scene with possible victims.
Dozens of patrol vehicles, including a forensics van, are stationed outside of Florida State University’s student union building, the scene of a shooting, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)
The Tallahassee Police Department said a student reunification point was being established at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jacksonville branch said agents were at the scene working with local law enforcement.
Speaking from the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said he has been briefed on the situation and called it a “shame” and “a horrible thing.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis posted to X, “Our prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding.”
This is the second time over the last decade that Florida State University has had an active shooter on campus. In 2014, a 31-year-old gunman opened fire near the main campus library and injured three people before he was killed by police.
This story was originally published by Scripps News, an E.W. Scripps Company.
