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A student arrested after two people were killed and six more injured in a shooting on Florida State University’s Tallahassee campus is the son of a sheriff’s deputy, cops say.
Phoenix Ikner, 20, was taken into custody after the incident on Thursday, police revealed at a press conference.
Cops say he used a former service weapon owned by his mother to carry out the deadly shooting. It has since been reported that Ikner had spent time training with law enforcement himself.
It has also emerged that Ikner endured a “tumultuous childhood”, with another woman identified in court records as his biological mother accused of taking him abroad in March 2015 without his father’s consent when he was just 10 years old.
An Instagram account attributed to Ikner has meanwhile been taken down that featured a disturbing quote from the Bible’s Book of Jeremiah, declaring: “You are my war club, my weapons for battle, with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms.”
Below, we look at everything we know about the suspect and the attack.
Who is the suspected shooter?
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Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil named FSU undergraduate Ikner, a political science major, as the person apprehended on Thursday.
Ikner is the son of Leon County Deputy Jessica Ikner, with McNeil saying he had used a weapon owned by his mother to carry out the shooting.
Deputy Ikner has been on the force for 18 years and also works as a school resource officer. Her profile appeared to have been removed from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office website as of Thursday evening.
Phoenix Ikner was a long-standing member of the agency’s Youth Advisory Council, McNeil said, and was part of the sheriff’s office “family.” He added that it was “not a surprise” that Ikner had access to firearms, given his mother’s job.
However, CNN’s subsequent reporting into the suspect’s childhood reveals that he was originally named Christian Eriksen and that a woman named Anne-Mari Eriksen, who is identified in court records as his biological mother, was accused of taking him to Norway in March 2015 in violation of a custody agreement.
Anne-Mari Eriksen, who has joint U.S.-Norwegian citizenship, pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 200 days in jail, 170 of which she had already served, followed by two years of “community control” and two years of probation, according to the records.
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She was ordered to have no contact with her son during that time but later attempted to vacate her plea, saying it had been made under duress, only for her appeal to be denied.
According to The Daily Mail, Eriksen posted on Facebook on Thursday attacking her son’s father and new partner for their parenting and failure to communicate with her about the incident at FSU before subsequently deleting the message.
When Ikner was older he became involved in training programs with Leon County Sheriff’s Office, McNeil told reporters.
“This event is tragic in more ways than you people in the audience could ever fathom from a law enforcement perspective,” the sheriff said.
“But I will tell you this, we will make sure we send a message to folks that this will never be tolerated here in Leon County, and I dare say, across this state and across this nation.”
A fellow member of the Youth Advisory Council has meanwhile described Ikner to The New York Times as always “in good spirits,” helpful and always proposing “really good ideas to help Leon County.”
He added that Ikner “never spoke about guns or anything.”
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That characterization was contradicted by the president of Tallahassee State’s political discourse club, whose meetings Ikner attended.
Reid Seybold told NBC News that the suspect was a fervent Donald Trump supporter who shared far-right views, including promoting white supremacy, which had made other members of the club uncomfortable and ultimately led to his expulsion.
Seybold said Ikner’s politics went “beyond conservatism” and explained: “He had continually made enough people uncomfortable where certain people had stopped coming. That’s kind of when we reached the breaking point with Phoenix, and we asked him to leave.
“It’s been a couple of years now. I can’t give exact quotes. He talked about the ravages of multiculturalism and communism and how it’s ruining America.”
According to online records, Ikner lives in Tallahassee, registered as a Republican in 2022 and voted in last November’s presidential election.
Earlier this year, he was interviewed by his campus newspaper about anti-Trump protests taking place on the FSU grounds.
“These people are usually pretty entertaining, usually not for good reasons,” he told the outlet at the time.
“I think it’s a little too late, he’s already going to be inaugurated on January 20 and there’s not really much you can do unless you outright revolt, and I don’t think anyone wants that.”
What happened during the shooting?
FSU police locked the campus down after reports of an active shooter emerged around midday on Thursday and instructed students to shelter in place.
“An active shooter has been reported in the area of Student Union,” the university said on X.
“Police are on scene or on the way. Continue to seek shelter and await further instructions. Lock and stay away from all doors and windows and be prepared to take additional protective measures.”
Multiple gunshots were reported, with eyewitness Mckenzie Heeter later saying she had seen a figure in an orange T-shirt and khaki shorts who looked like “a normal college dude” firing as many as 15 rounds on passersby from an orange Hummer.
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Law enforcement officers descended on the institution and social media was flooded with clips of students and faculty members cowering beneath desks and fleeing with their hands up, with many leaving behind rucksacks and picnics abandoned on the college lawn.
“I could have sworn I saw a cop running after somebody and screaming something when we ran out,” witness Will Schatz told The Tallahessee Democrat of his experience being evacuated from the Strozier Library.
“Then when I got out, I heard seven to eight gunshots. I’m not sure if that was the shooter shooting or if the cops shot the shooter.”
Finally, reports emerged at around 1.15pm local time that a suspect had been taken into custody.
What is the motive?
Investigators have not yet revealed a motive for the shooting.
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell told reporters that Ikner had invoked his right not to speak to investigators.
However, Revell stressed his belief that the suspect had acted alone and that there was no further threat to the public.
Who are the victims?
The two deceased victims were not students, Revell said, although he did not reveal further details or their identities.
Six others were being treated at Florida’s Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, having been reportedly rushed there in serious conditions.
During the incident, a statement shared by TMH said it was “actively receiving and caring for patients” related to the attack, but did not have further information to share.
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“However, we want to assure the community that our teams are fully mobilized and prepared to provide the highest level of care and support to all those affected.
“We remain in close coordination with emergency responders and public safety officials.”
The statement added: “Out of respect for patient privacy and to ensure accurate information, we will provide updates as soon as they are available. We ask for your patience and compassion during this difficult time.”
Ikner is also being treated at the hospital, with law enforcement sources telling CNN he had been shot by police prior to his arrest.
Student Emily Palmer told the same network from the safety of her student housing in the aftermath of the assault: “I’m shaking… It’s just a lot going on. I’m concerned about my friends.”
