Just moments before noon last Thursday, a sudden burst of gunfire erupted near Florida State University’s student union, causing students to scatter in fear, desperately seeking safety as the wail of emergency sirens grew louder.
A mere two minutes after the first 911 calls reporting the shooting, university police shot and subdued the alleged assailant, authorities confirmed. Despite this swift response, the tragic incident resulted in the loss of two precious lives and left five others injured, plunging the entire university community into deep shock.
“The call came in, someone reported it, and acting immediately, they arrived at the scene and promptly neutralized the suspect, averting what could have been an even greater tragedy,” stated FSU President Richard McCullough during a press conference on Thursday.
As new information regarding the suspected shooter continues to surface, the Tallahassee Police Department is diligently investigating the incident, striving to uncover the motive behind this senseless act.
According to law enforcement officials, the suspect, 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, is the son of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy and an FSU student. Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell indicated on Thursday that there appears to be no connection whatsoever between Ikner and any of the victims.
Chief Revell further commented, “We will continue to delve deeply into this matter. We will pursue every lead that comes our way, but at this time, there seems to be no link between the shooter and even a single one of the victims.”
Ikner sustained severe injuries and will remain hospitalized “for a considerable duration,” after which he will be transferred to a local detention facility, Revell reported on Friday afternoon. He also stated in a video message on Friday that Ikner could face serious charges, “up to and including first-degree murder.”
Related Article A loving father of two and a dedicated dining coordinator were among the lives tragically lost in the Florida State University shooting. In this heartbreaking event, two men – a university dining coordinator and an employee of a campus vendor – were killed. Authorities have not yet released the identities of the five individuals who sustained injuries in the shooting.
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare reported that the five patients who were hospitalized in connection with the shooting are now in stable condition and are expected to make full recoveries, while one patient was discharged on Friday. Police indicated that five individuals were injured by the gunfire, and another person was injured while trying to flee the scene. However, the hospital refrained from confirming whether Ikner was among their patients.
President McCullough, who visited the victims at the hospital on Friday, remarked, “They are all experiencing hurt, pain, and fear, but they are showing remarkable strength and are expected to fully recover.”
According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, this marks the sixth mass shooting in Florida this year and the 81st across the nation. This devastating event occurs seven years after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which claimed the lives of 17 individuals.
Expressing his sentiments, Chief Revell said, “As a father of several children, this is the scenario we dread the most. This is that random act of violence that seems utterly devoid of meaning or logical explanation. To know that your child was on that campus, to know that your child might have been involved or not, and to be left in the dark about it, I can only imagine the sheer terror and fear.”
Here’s what we currently know about the timeline of events, the suspect, and the victims of Thursday’s shooting.
A student pays tribute to the deceased and injured students near the site of the shooting at the Florida State University student center on April 18, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images
The shooting unfolded in less than 5 minutes. At approximately 11 a.m. on Thursday, Ikner arrived at an FSU parking garage and remained in the area for about an hour, periodically returning to his vehicle,
