FSU Shooting Suspect ID’d as Son of Florida Sheriff’s Deputy
Authorities have identified the suspect in Thursday’s deadly shooting at Florida State University as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, the son of a long-serving Leon County sheriff’s deputy.
During a press conference held just hours after the tragedy unfolded, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil confirmed that Ikner is the son of a department employee who has served for 18 years. While McNeil did not name the deputy, the agency does list a Deputy named Jessica Ikner on its public website.
“Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons found at the scene,” McNeil said, calling the situation “tragic.”
McNeil also revealed that Ikner, a political science major at the university, was no stranger to the law enforcement community. McNeil described the shooter as having been “embedded” in the law enforcement community, noting that Ikner had previously been a member of the sheriff’s youth council and participated in several training programs.
“So it’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons,” the sheriff added.
On April 17, FSU Police Chief Jason Trumbower said officers received reports of an active shooter at approximately 11:50 a.m. and moved swiftly to apprehend the suspect.
The violence left two people dead and six others injured. According to Trumbower, the two deceased were not students at the university. The names of the victims have not been publicly released.
CNN reports that officials recovered multiple firearms, including a handgun that was found on Ikner at the time of his arrest. A shotgun was also located inside the student union building, and another gun was found in his car.
The Tallahassee Police Department is now leading the investigation. Authorities have not yet disclosed a motive.
In the wake of the tragedy, the university announced that all classes were canceled for the remainder of the week.
