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The Florida State University shooting is unraveling like a bad movie, and the suspect, 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, is at the center of a grim puzzle. Cops are scrambling to figure out why this political science major allegedly turned his campus into a war zone Thursday, leaving two dead and six wounded.
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell says Ikner didn’t go quietly. He ignored commands, got shot up by responding officers, and is now laid up in a hospital bed with “serious but non-life-threatening injuries.” Here’s the kicker: Ikner’s mom, Jessica Ikner, is a Leon County Sheriff’s deputy with 18 years under her belt.
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell says Ikner didn’t go quietly. He ignored commands, got shot up by responding officers, and is now laid up in a hospital bed with “serious but non-life-threatening injuries.” Here’s the kicker: Ikner’s mom, Jessica Ikner, is a Leon County Sheriff’s deputy with 18 years under her belt.
Word is, the kid used her old service handgun—kept for personal use after the department upgraded their arsenal—to carry out the campus carnage.
Rewind a few months, and Ikner was mouthing off in an FSU student newspaper about anti-Trump protests on campus, per WFLA. “These people are usually pretty entertaining, usually not for good reasons. I think it’s a little too late, he’s [Trump] already going to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 and there’s not really much you can do unless you outright revolt, and I don’t think anyone wants that,” he said. That quote got yanked from the article after the shooting, with editors citing “ethical journalistic standards” to avoid giving a megaphone to a gunman.
Ikner wasn’t just some random kid. Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil says the guy was practically raised in the sheriff’s office family, even sitting on their Youth Advisory Council. “He’s been steeped in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office family, engaged in a number of training programs that we have,” McNeil told The Associated Press.
Rewind a few months, and Ikner was mouthing off in an FSU student newspaper about anti-Trump protests on campus, per WFLA. “These people are usually pretty entertaining, usually not for good reasons. I think it’s a little too late, he’s [Trump] already going to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 and there’s not really much you can do unless you outright revolt, and I don’t think anyone wants that,” he said. That quote got yanked from the article after the shooting, with editors citing “ethical journalistic standards” to avoid giving a megaphone to a gunman.
Ikner wasn’t just some random kid. Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil says the guy was practically raised in the sheriff’s office family, even sitting on their Youth Advisory Council. “He’s been steeped in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office family, engaged in a number of training programs that we have,” McNeil told The Associated Press.
“So it’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons.” The council’s website paints a rosy picture, saying it’s all about giving teens a voice to tackle “youth issues” and advise the sheriff. Sounds like Ikner took that “voice” to a deadly extreme.
The scene was chaos. Five victims were shot, one got hurt fleeing, but all six are in fair condition, according to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.
The scene was chaos. Five victims were shot, one got hurt fleeing, but all six are in fair condition, according to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.
Aidan Stickney, a 21-year-old business major, got a front-row seat to the horror. He told the AP he was late to class when he saw a guy—presumably Ikner—hop out of a car with a shotgun, aim at a dude in a white polo, only for the gun to jam. The shooter bolted back to his car, grabbed a handgun, and shot a woman. Stickney hauled butt, dialing 911 and warning others.
“I got lucky today. I really did. I really, really did,” he said, probably still shaking.
Jessica Ikner, the suspect’s mom, is a decorated deputy. “Her service to this community has been exceptional,” McNeil said at a presser. But that didn’t stop her son from getting his hands on her old service weapon, which was found at the scene. Cops are still digging into how it ended up in his grip.
Jessica Ikner, the suspect’s mom, is a decorated deputy. “Her service to this community has been exceptional,” McNeil said at a presser. But that didn’t stop her son from getting his hands on her old service weapon, which was found at the scene. Cops are still digging into how it ended up in his grip.
The two who didn’t make it weren’t FSU students, and authorities think Ikner acted alone. FSU’s campus is on lockdown—no classes through Friday, no athletic events through the weekend. President Richard McCullough called it “a tragic and senseless act of violence” on X, summing up what everyone’s thinking.
This one’s gonna leave a mark.
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This one’s gonna leave a mark.
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